5 Questions with Jeronimo Acero

From Paris, France comes “P.O.V,” a naturalistic romantic comedy, filmed entirely in point-of-view shots. We asked director Jeronimo Acero about the challenges of this visual technique, as well as how he captured intimacy between his two lead actors…

1) How did this project originate?

The concept of objectivity interests me a lot. Wether it’s about media or human beings. I think that such thing does not exist, and it’s only by adding layers of subjectivity that we can get as close as possible to reality. In this project I wanted the audience to see and feel the difference between what one can say and how this message can be received. And to put that on screen what better ways than an encounter.

2) Can you speak about the POV approach to the filmmaking. Have you shot in this manner previously? If not, were there challenges you didn’t anticipate?

In a visual era full of YouTubers looking at the camera should no longer be an issue, we are now used to it but not in films. I wanted to import this kind of visual grammar (pov shots, jump-cut, …) into the cinematographic world and see if it can work. For that I built a POV helmet and wanted my actors to be also part of the crew as cameraman. In the end it went alright but I did not anticipate how time consuming this was. Not only the dialogues but all the gesture had to be rehearsed in order to have a non GoPro style.

3) I’m curious about the indie film landscape in France. Are there many young people making DIY movies?

Yes, there is a lot. But only few of them are visible. It’s a kind of mad world actually. Because there are hundreds of DIY movies but it’s always the same dozens who get screened and awarded in the festivals. In my opinion, there truly is a gap between the world of famous people who do short film and the DIY world. Even the festivals who try to be indie end up selecting the same films as the mainstream ones. But I guess it’s like that everywhere else?

4) You achieve a very natural intimacy between your two leads. It’s very believable the way they get to know one another. That’s very hard to achieve. How did you achieve?! And also, how did you cast those parts? Did you audition them together to test their chemistry?

Thank you for noticing that! It was my main goal. Above all I wanted them to sound and act natural. If what I had written did not sound well in their mouth it was rewritten. I auditioned them together yes, and after many tries with other people, it worked the first time. I knew exactly what I had in mind but it was hard to explain and to find. I needed them not only to act but to be my characters. Also they did not know each other and we started with the final scene, so in a way it was a real encounter!

5) What comes next for you?

I’ve just finished my next script. It’s about a bromance. So another duo, but this time with the question : what does it means "be together" ?

Contact Info

Email: jeronimoacero@gmail.com

Social Media

IG: @jjeronimoo