Lluís Murúa
Everyone’s a Storyteller
Lluis Murua, born and bred in Barcelona, was never constrained by geography. His work as an editor has brought him all over Europe as well as the United States working with artists such as Sia and Katy Perry.
His editing style is known for fast cuts and the combination of animation and regular footage, creating captivating visual landscapes that provide multiple layers to storytelling, as well as innovative approaches.
We sat down with him and asked him everything about his work and this is what he had to say.
Fabrik: Hi Louis and thanks for your time. Would you like to share a little bit more about you?
Lluis Murua: "I'm Lluis Murua, born and raised in Barcelona. At one point I thought that mastering my craft was going to be a hard life choice. But after being a parent of twins, the meaning of hard was turn upside down. Getting my twins at school, with the right clothes and shoes, and on time… That is hard!"
Fabrik: Your portfolio features an impressive body of work from film to commercial to music videos. Do you have any favorites or milestone projects?
Lluis Murua: "Fortunately, I’ve worked with some of the best directors in Spain and it’s difficult to pick a project above any of the others. But I will always have a special place in my heart for the directors who gave me the chance and trusted me when I was starting. Alan Masferrer for his music video “Love is a Lonely Dancer”, Ernest Desumbila for his work “KOTA”, and Nur Casadevall for her lovely fashion films such as “How to be a Mermaid”. I’m extremely thankful to have had the chance to work with such creative directors right from the begging."
Fabrik: Would you like to tell us more about your source of inspiration?
Lluis Murua: "First of all my mum and dad 😄Also, it's obvious why you need to watch movies and listen to music. Most of my peers get inspired from those two disciplines. But I’d also like to acknowledge the influence of comic books.
I grew up always wanting a new comic. I didn't know at that time, but comics teach you a lot about style and rhythm - double pages for the pauses, a few short and small draws for the fast cuts and so on... I think I’ve learned how to tell stories from them, and I'm still in love with them. If I could recommend a couple, I would suggest Blacksad, A taste of Chlorine, Pyongyang and Le gourmet solitaire.
"I didn't know at that time, but comics teach you a lot about style and rhythm - double pages for the pauses, a few short and small draws for the fast cuts and so on... "
Fabrik: How do you start a project - any project for that matter? How do you know when you are done and there’s nothing more left to edit ?
Lluis Murua: "I always try to start editing without overthinking too much. Even if I am not sure what they want or how they want it. I like to get my feet wet as soon as possible, start creating in order to beat the fear of the empty timeline.
I never try to do the best edit possible at the beginning, it doesn’t work for me. I prefer to keep editing even if I think the edit is not as neat as I’d wish for. I will revisit it, imagine new approaches and re-work the edit at a later time. And then, when I think I’ve done my best is when I lockdown the picture. Obviously, I will never know if there's a better way, I just need to be happy with what I've done."
"I never try to do the best edit possible at the beginning, it doesn’t work for me. I prefer to keep editing even if I think the edit is not as neat as I’d wish for."
Fabrik: Have you ever had any difficulties pushing your creative and artistic approach to clients?
Lluis Murua: "There are a lot of people who hire you for your creativity and then, they just want to make what they envisioned. If it is a commercial, I try to show them a proposal, but if they only want me to follow their lead, I try to make it as good as I can, charge my fee and let it go. At the end, it's a job."
Fabrik: Is there any piece of work, be it a film, a song, a painting, that has left you with a lasting impression or any mentors you have encountered throughout the span of your career? Or any work you admire, but it’s not yours?
Lluis Murua: "I started as an assistant editor and have learned from all the editors with whom I've worked with. They all taught me not just the techniques, but also how to behave in an edit suite.
I’ve learned a lot from those directors that work in a very specific field (animation, storytelling,...). Because when you're young they know way better than you, and it's great to try and absorb as much as you can.
And because I am huge comic book fan, I will mention 3 artists who taught me through their books about how to tell a story: Juanjo Guarnido, Moebius and Jiro Taniguchi."
Fabrik: Can you tell us about what you’re working on right now and would like to share with the rest of us? Any related fields in the arts that you would like to explore or you are currently delving into?
Lluis Murua: "Try to find what aspect of the creation fits you better. Most of us want to be directors at the beginning, because we think it's the creative position, and the only one who gets to tell stories. But once you study and work, you realize that there are a lot of ways to write a story."
"Most of us want to be directors at the beginning... But once you study and work, you realize that there are a lot of ways to write a story."
Fabrik: Final question. What do you like most about Fabrik? What's your favourite feature?
Lluis Murua: "The simplicity. For one side, Fabrik’s aesthetics is absolutely gorgeous and I love it. And for another side, it’s incredibly easy to post your new work and refine every aspect of your website. "
Lluís is using Poplin, an incredibly versatile and straightforward theme with lots of layout options to help you to find a unique style for your website. With a focus on simple thumbnail grid layouts, creatives with lots of projects will find this theme useful.