The Work That Made Me: Leonardo Aponte

Born and raised in Colombia, Leonardo moved to New York in 1995 to enrol at S.V.A film programme. Since graduating Leonardo’s work has included advertising, music videos, long-form documentary and narrative films. As an editor Leonardo finds the essence of the narrative is best served by an organic approach. Leonardo lives in New York City with his wife Jaqueline, who sometimes speaks to him in Spanish while she cooks Colombian food to make him feel closer to his homeland.

The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…

Leonardo> “Yo no me llamo Javier” Los Toreros Muertos 1986.

I was 10 years old and had never seen anything like it. It was irreverent, silly, and youthful.

The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…

Leonardo> My mother used to take me to a cineclub on Sunday mornings. They showed mostly old comedy shorts (Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, etc). One Sunday, out of nowhere, they showed Metropolis (1927), the restoration made by Giorgio Moroder in 1984. My mind was blown. So much beauty.

The creative work (film/album/game/ad/album/book/poem etc) that I keep revisiting…

Leonardo> 1900 (1976) by Bernardo Bertolucci.

A perfect film. The story is larger than life. The acting is flawless, especially Donald Sutherland as Attila. It's also one of the best-looking films I have ever seen. If it weren't for the five-hour length of it, I'd watch it more often.

My first professional project…

Leonardo> A documentary about a group of street kids in Mexico City called Niños de la Calle (2004) by Eva Aridjis Fuentes. It was an incredible experience. I was handed down all this responsibility to get these people’s day-to-day reality into a narrative that would invite the audience in, which, given the subject matter, proved to be emotionally taxing. The process was very educational because early on in a documentary, you have to take on the director’s personality and walk them through why they have to pass on hours and hours of footage they spent years of their life putting together. It’s not something that always happens easily, but I succeeded. I ended up making a lifelong friendship with the director.

The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…

Leonardo> Hasn't happened yet… 

The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that still makes me jealous…

Leonardo> I just watched it at this year's AICP show. I think it is perfect. More than jealousy, it makes me happy to see work like this is out... I would just prefer it if I were a part of it.

The creative project that changed my career… 

Leonardo> More than a specific project, my association with Consulate Films really changed my career. The amazing talent and commitment to quality work are inspiring to this day.

The truth is, Consulate is a very special place. I started assisting and ended up working with Holle [Singer] and Chad [Sipkin]. It was a complete reorganisation of what creativity is, what editing is, how you can tell stories, and how polished you can be as a professional. It also made me realise that it's your career; it has your name on it, so it has to be the best it can be. There can't be any compromises; if there is room for compromise, it's probably not on a job you want to be in. That was my greatest turning point as a professional.

The work that I’m proudest of…

Leonardo> I’m very proud of everything on my current reel.

It’s pretty fantastic that I got to be part of a tradition of something like a Calvin Klein ad, and I think the one in my reel is pretty well done. It speaks to that long-standing aesthetic they have established. It also feels effortless. When I look at that, I never think, “Oh, I wish I knew who put this together,” because that's not what I'm thinking about. I'm thinking about Calvin Klein. To me, that's the biggest success.

I also like the documentary Studio(s), directed by Matt Black, because it speaks to my earlier role in documentaries. The work I did for Tiffany is always fantastic to me.. 

I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…

Leonardo> A gentleman never tells.

The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…

Leonardo> I would say the Calvin Klein one. Also, my work for MOIA. I really liked the MOIA piece because It was more of a straight narrative story, as opposed to this ethereal fashion world, and I love working with the director Simon Beckman.