The Huelva, Special Effects Supervisor in Dune, was the unexpected representation of Spain in the Oscar.
Many have been the Spaniards who expected the moment in which one of the two Spanish actors nominated for the Oscar (Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem) received the golden statuette. In the Oscar, many nationalities are not usually represented by the American, and that is why the nomination of, not one, but two Spaniards, is something remarkable. Unfortunately neither Bardem nor Penelope Cruz took the Oscar home, and if that were not enough, they had to endure the jokes outside the controversial Chris Rock.
Even so, Spain had a discreet representation at the Oscar 2022 gala. Yes, we talked about Manuel Mantero, special effect sequence supervisor in Dune, the film that took six awards, including the Oscar for better special effects. This was announced by Mantero himself on his Facebook that, as part of the team of Dune, he received that recognition with great joy. A few weeks before, Dune triumphed at the BAFTA awards taking the award for better special effects, and in Los Ves, the “Visual Effect Society” awards.
Manolo Mantero Tocino, Huelva by birth, is graduated in Fine Arts from the University of Seville and in special effects from the University of Wolverhampton where he received a special mention for his excellent notes. He started working in the advertising industry, until in 2012 he made the leap to the big screen with NIM island. Since then, he has participated in large projects such as X-Men: Revelation, Fantastic animals and where to find them either Men in Black: International, among others. Although it has been his job in Dune The one who has led him to the top.
In geek, we have had the opportunity to talk to him in a telephone interview with Sevilla-Montreal connection. Mantero is a nearby person who takes the phone with a "hello," he "caresfully and laughs with self -confidence when listening to the word Óscar.
How was the moment "we won an Oscar"?
A Momentazo, we take the Oscar by Dune. A little expected too, because we had already taken the Bafta and Ves, which is the prelude to the Oscars.
So was no surprise?
There were many possibilities, you never know safely, but if you take you and bafta, you have many possibilities to take the Oscar. In addition, we had worked with Lambert (Paul Lambert, audiovisual supervisor) that had already taken two Oscars, this is the third. That is a bit guarantee.
Who did you see the gala?
I saw him with my family. Here we were all in front of an iPad because we don't have TV. We were seeing my "compi" Bryan Connors and Tristan (Tristan Myles) get up to pick it up, and jumping for joy.
Where is it here?
I am in Montreal, we have been living here (with his family) 8 years already. Before we lived in Australia, in Brisbane. I have also lived in Madrid, and before that I was 10 years in London.
Of Huelva for the world
Yes, there was no choice, in Spain the industry was not very big and we had to leave.
Are you a fan of Dune?
I am a great fan of DuneIt is my favorite book since I read it with 12 or 13 years. And I saw the movie many times too, it is a cult movie. See movies like Dune either Alien Since childhood is what has pushed me to make visual effects.
Do you like science fiction?
Yes, I am a great fan of science fiction.
What is your favorite science fiction movie?
Blade Runner, the original. That movie can be my favorite.
Are you happy to have been able to be part of a film that means so much for you?
Very happy, especially because we were working for a year and a half butt, and we put 200% to the film. All of us who were there pushed for being in the project, and that is why the whole team put much more than they asked. We knew that it was going to be very good since before starting to work on it.
You are a specialist in characters and creatures, what exactly does that mean?
Well I do a little of everything, it depends on the movie that touches me, but where I have specialized is in monsters and digital creatures. I started in a monster comes to see me and worked in Tarzan, in fantastic animals and where to find them and in Alien, where I did all the plans of the monster. In Men In Black I also worked on the creatures that came out.
And in Dune?
In Dune I worked on the digital stages, as in the first sequence, which is when you enter Arrakis, the ships go down and perch on the planet and then climb the ornithoptera. I also worked in the sequence of the sandstorm, when they get inside the storm to escape the Harkonnen. Especially in scenes where digital scenarios are seen Dune.
There are many people among our community (we call themuadores) who would like to follow your steps, what advice would you give to a person who is starting in this world?
At the time I started, the road was not clear, but today the road is super clear: you have to study. You have to study many years, wherever, for an FP and then make a master's degree or do a degree in the university, in Spain or abroad, which was what I did. Once you have your title, you can start putting heads there and once you have entered the way it is super easy. The difficult thing is to choose if you want to make animation, effects or composition, once you have it clear you enter from Junior, you pass to Senior, then to Lead and already to supervisor.
Are you supervisor?
Yeah.
Is people need in the visual effects industry?
It takes a barbarity of people, do not imagine it. In this industry you will work safe, also open the doors of the world because you can work where you want: Vancouver, Los Angeles, Montreal, London, India, Australia ...
Where do you work?
At first it was everything in the studio (in Los Angeles), but the pandemic arrived and we quickly adapted to work from home, and the experiment went very well. As they say in the industry: let's see "who puts the genius again inside the lamp," will be difficult, I believe that remote work has come to stay.
How does a whole team of special effects work, each from a part of the world, to create something in common?
Today the great studies work like this, the plans begin in Los Angeles, after rolling they pass to Montreal or Vancouver, from there they are sent to India where you start working. Many parts are also made in London, and then the plans return to Montreal and in the end they end in front of customers in Los Angeles. They are going around the planet.
You have worked on many great projects, which one that has contributed the most professionally and personally?
The smallest project I've done, but I have the most love is A monster comes to see me. Apart from that it is a movie, I have a lot of love because I was working with Félix Bergés's team, who is a former friend of the time I worked in Spain, and it was the one who took the visual effects of the film. That movie the truth is that I loved it, I loved working on it.
Another movie I have very good memories is Alien, especially because I took a lot of love of the Xenomorfo, the main bug of Alien. In Alien Covenant He returned to that style of the original film, with the xenomorph, which is the alien of a lifetime, and to be able to work in the scenes with that bug I loved.
What is the best and the worst of working in the cinema?
The worst cannot tell you, because for me it has nothing wrong, so I changed from advertising to the cinema. I was advertising for 15 years and when I tried to make movies, it seemed wonderful to me, I thought "I can sleep in my house every night." In advertising sometimes these two days without leaving the study because the delivery dates are what they are. In the cinema you work until the last minute.
Now you are with Stranger Things
Yes, it is being very pretty.
Do you like the series?
I have seen her whole. The first seasons saw them year after year, so having the possibility of working on Stranger Things It is wonderful, precisely because I love the series.
Are you geek?
I consider myself a great geek.
Undoubtedly, one of the great dreams of a geek is to be able to know the world of science fiction from within, a dream that Manuel Mantero has more fulfilled. With an Oscar behind him, and many promising projects in his future, who knows where he will go? Maybe at the same Oscar gala presenting his own film or simply enjoying doing a job that fills him so much. From Few we wish him good luck in his next projects and that are many more Oscars.
