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Vertical series and shrinking budgets threaten Mexican cinematography Image: CORTESIA: SEMANA AMC.
🇲🇽 Mexico /Economy & Trade

Vertical series and shrinking budgets threaten Mexican cinematography

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Mexican cinematographer Alfredo Altamirano said vertical productions and shrinking budgets are reducing preparation and shooting time and weakening visual quality.
  • He said artificial intelligence poses a problem but is not the industry’s main threat, which he identified as pressure to produce more cheaply.
  • Altamirano made the comments during the AMC Week program at Churubusco Studios, where industry talks are being held.

Mexican cinematographer Alfredo Altamirano says the country’s visual storytelling is being squeezed by shorter schedules, smaller budgets and the rapid spread of vertical productions.

Altamirano, co-president of the Mexican Association of Cinematography, said productions increasingly prioritize speed and low cost over preparation and shooting time. A film that once took eight weeks to make may now be completed in three or four, he said. In vertical series, the cinematographer’s role can shrink to lighting the scene and moving on.

AI is a problem, but not the main one. I think the main problem is that production costs have fallen. The desire is to produce more cheaply. If we used to make a film in eight weeks, now some are made in three or four. In vertical series, the cinematographer almost disappears because it is just light it and move on

— Alfredo AltamiranoThe AMC co-president identified shrinking production budgets and compressed schedules as bigger threats than artificial intelligence.

“AI is a problem, but not the main one,” Altamirano said. “I think the main problem is that production costs have fallen. The desire is to produce more cheaply. If we used to make a film in eight weeks, now some are made in three or four.”

It is no longer about having the time and optimal conditions. It is about solving things as you go

— Alfredo AltamiranoHe described how tighter schedules are changing the way productions work.

He said productions are increasingly forced to solve problems as they go, sometimes choosing inexperienced staff. That approach affects the final result, he argued, and risks eroding viewers’ visual culture. “It is no longer about having the time and optimal conditions. It is about solving things as you go,” he said.

Altamirano does not reject artificial intelligence outright. He said it can serve as a tool, provided the industry uses it ethically, and expressed confidence that audiences and creators may eventually return to more handcrafted work. He made the remarks during AMC Week at Churubusco Studios, which features talks by cinematographers including Celiana Cárdenas, Javier Aguirresarobe and Guillermo Navarro.

We have to work with organizations, together, so these things do not happen. AI can be used as a tool, but ethically

— Alfredo AltamiranoAltamirano called for industry cooperation and responsible use of artificial intelligence.

The association has more than 100 members, including Emmanuel Lubezki, Guillermo Navarro and Rodrigo Prieto. Women account for 15% of its membership, a figure Altamirano described as small but among the highest in the world, with room for further growth.

I have faith in humanity. There is something about this that humans will not fully like, and I do believe there will be a return to handcrafted work

— Alfredo AltamiranoHe said he expected audiences and creators to retain an appetite for human-made visual work.
About this summary

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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