Newly Signed Director Camille Boumans Brings Joy to the Narrative at Partizan

Today, Dutch director, editor and mixed media artist Camille Boumans joins production company Partizan’s roster as their exciting new talent. Camille has proven her profound understanding of filmmaking techniques through some iconic collaborations in the past few years, with the likes of Nike, Mercedes-Benz, Puma, adidas, FIFA and Highsnobiety. Making a name for herself in the worlds of sports and fashion, the director has solidified her reputation as a dynamic filmmaker with a keen eye for both modern and classic film aesthetics.

An avid Ajax fan and long-term season ticket holder, Camille’s unparalleled passion for sports shines through her work too, most notably through capturing star talent including sprinter Usain Bolt. In fact, Camille’s passion for sports seems to predate that for filmmaking.

“I don’t remember thinking from a young age I wanted to be a director specifically. I do remember wanting to be Ronaldinho though,” she laughs. 

Throughout her aspirations of becoming a legendary football player, Camille kept carrying around a small video camera, creating little scenes with friends and filming whatever she thought was important in the world. “It was probably in high school that I began to realise that working in film could perhaps be something I can continue to do as a grown up. My family actively encouraged and supported my creative aspirations.”

When Camille first started creating for clients at around 19 years old, she found that her focus wasn’t centred around a specific message or storyline. Rather, it revolved around the pure joy of creativity and the process that comes with it - “It was about crafting something that genuinely excited me,” she reflects. “Right now, narrative holds equal significance, with the fundamental principle being to start by enjoying the process.”

During those first years of Camille’s career, she not only found joy but sources of inspiration too. She spent her time watching other people’s commercials and music videos, which helped her better understand what she liked and what she loved, and what creative language and expression is best suited to her.

“That triggered my excitement to take old material that I once shot and re-edit it,” she says. “This process allowed me to breathe new life into the material, turning it into what felt like an entirely new project.”

Following the completion of her vocational education degree in audiovisual design, Camille pursued further studies in the same field at the Willem De Kooning Art School in Rotterdam. Throughout both of her university experiences, Camille never stopped creating her own projects and getting film jobs outside of school. 

One of these projects was a TVC for Young Capital in collaboration with agency HERC - a project Camille remembers as one of the most important ones in her career so far. There, she handled part of the editing and did animation and collage, as well as acted as second unit on set. An enriching and learning experience, Camille remembers the process fondly: “Even though I was still in school, I got so much freedom to experiment, try things out and really take the time to elevate certain elements. I believe the lesson learned during this project is that when you truly commit - in this case, attending school in the morning, travelling to edit in the early afternoon, writing homework on the evening train back home and continuing to experiment with the project at home out of pure excitement - really cool results can be achieved.”

While she found her own career path through the client projects she pursued, Camille also realised that she’s spread too thin. “As my second study progressed, the demands of these projects outside of school grew significantly. Faced with the choice between dedicating my time to formal education or gaining practical experience through work, I chose the second.”

After dropping out, Camille threw herself into full time editing for commercials and music videos. During her time as an editor she got the chance to observe the directors on these projects interacting with clients and agencies - a pivotal moment that ultimately fueled her desire to step into the role of the director herself.

Around this time Camille was experimenting with layering shots, exploring various ways they could seamlessly blend into each other and generally finding her own creative voice. “It felt almost like a scientific reaction, observing how certain colours merged and witnessing the shapes that unfolded from them,” she says.“Even now, I continue to experiment with a lot of things. Whether it’s with collage, animation, or in-camera techniques, I enjoy exploring various approaches.”

Today, several major projects and a new production company representative later, Camille is still insistent on editing her own project - a habit that she doesn’t think she’ll get out of any time soon. “I enjoy it,” she says.

“I’m deeply passionate about the editing process. I get excited to work with my own hands on the material.”

She’s also a firm believer that having an editor’s perspective on set is super handy. “In interviews, the standout takes linger in my memory, while for shots with crucial timings, having a clear understanding of the required duration for the edit comes very handy.” For Camille, maintaining a consistent vision from the ideation process to the final product means not only being involved in every level of production, but being versed in most of them - especially editing.

Still from Camille's work with Ace+Tate

Speaking of her most exciting project to date, Camille looks back on the adidas underwear film she did when she was just 21 years old. As the first official ‘big pitch’ that she won with Dutch production company HALAL, she was excited to make a start on the new chapter. “I had so much fun on set with the crew. It felt like creating a film with friends. And I think the moment a commercial project feels like that, you’re in the right place.”

On the flip side, Camille opens up about the most difficult project for her so far: “The difficulty did not lie in the process itself but rather in the aftermath following the picture lock and delivery. We experienced a project cancellation and at this stage of the process, after the finish line, was a first for me.

"But also from moments like these, you learn something! In the end, a version of the project came out, so one way or another, it is gonna be alright.”

Still on the topic of special projects, Camille looks back on the Mercedes-Benz short documentary about the car brand’s collaboration with the late Virgil Abloh, ‘Project MAYBACH’. “My job was illustrating the collaborative process before the unfortunate passing of Virgil Abloh. During the project, the teams gave me a lot of freedom to shape the story’s approach. So, I decided to create animations, collages, and typography entirely by hand. Engaging weeks of work with scissors, glue, markers, and a printer/scanner was so fulfilling.”

So, as one thing led to another and the ball was rolling in Camille’s court, she connected with Partizan over a first ever call a few years ago. Later, they crossed paths again through Levi Rijper, executive producer at Partizan, whom Camille had been working with at HALAL. “She introduced me to the wonderful team at Partizan, and through conversations with her and the team, I felt a genuine sense of their enthusiasm and trust. And it was mutual. For me, these are two elements that fuel my creative ambitions. I’m so excited for this new chapter!”

Levi commented, “Camille stands out from the crowd. I’ve been keeping an eye on her journey and working closely with this incredibly multidisciplinary talent since she was just nineteen. Her personality, interest in sports and taste, perfectly match the vibe of Partizan, making her an integral part of our exciting plans for 2024.”