Cliqua: The Directors Behind Bad Bunny’s Viral Videos
From Reggaeton to Bergman: The Rise of Filmmakers Gutierrez and Sanchez
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Daniel Gutierrez and Alberto Sanchez, the duo behind the production company Cliqua, have carved a unique path from directing high-profile music videos for artists like J Balvin and The weeknd to crafting narrative films. Their latest project,Serious People
,a satirical exploration of the entertainment industry,marks a significant step in their evolution as filmmakers.
Early Influences and Diverse Backgrounds
gutierrez and Sanchez’s journeys to filmmaking were distinct. Gutierrez’s interest stemmed from a brother involved in gang life who also possessed a surprising passion for cinema.”He was a gang member, but he was also a low-key cinephile,” Gutierrez explains. “He used to work in art house theaters, and we used to just watch weird stuff for a little kid to watch. A lot of ‘Blood In Blood Out,’ but also stuff like ‘Amélie.'”
Supported by his father, Gutierrez pursued film production at Chapman University. He recalls his father’s encouragement: “Growing up no one ever asked me what I wanted to do. That wasn’t even an option for me,’…’And the fact that you got accepted to this school, we’ll just find a way. We’ll take all the loans out. Go try and see how it is.’ My father empowered me to follow my dreams for sure.”
sanchez’s path was less direct. A UC berkeley graduate with a degree in ancient history initially intended to pursue law.Though, he returned to Los Angeles to explore filmmaking, fueled by a childhood love of video games and college film studies.
Breaking into Music Videos and Forming Cliqua
Both filmmakers began by shooting videos for friends. “If you are creative in L.A., you know other creatives and one of them is a music artist or one of them is a rapper or in a rock band. And you start that way,” Gutierrez notes. Sanchez adds, “my sister was dating a rapper, so I was shooting his videos.”
Their collaboration began after meeting and connecting over a shared artistic vision. The opportunity to direct J Balvin’s Reggaeton
video, despite limited preparation time, proved pivotal. This experience led to the formation of Cliqua, initially including musician Milkman (MLKMN).
The name Cliqua
originates from Gusmano Cesaretti’s 1970s photography book Varrio
, which documented East L.A. culture, including the Klique Car Club.
The Reggaeton
video propelled their careers, coinciding with the global rise of reggaeton and a revitalization of its aesthetic. While they eventually worked with artists like The Weeknd, Gutierrez and Sanchez were mindful of the creative constraints inherent in music video production.
“Music videos are funny because they’re obviously not truly our work either; we’re at the service of another artist,” Sanchez explains. “we’re executing someone else’s vision even if the brief is generally open. It’s not truly us, but we’re in there.”
Gutierrez emphasizes the fast-paced nature of music video work: “The challenging thing about music videos that’s different from feature filmmaking is that it’s so fast. You get a concept, and you maybe have two days to come up with an idea and write a treatment for it. Then from there, you have a shoot date, but the shoot date can get pushed and it can get pulled depending on the artist.”
transition to Narrative Film: Shut Up and Fish
and serious People
In 2023, Gutierrez and Sanchez released their first narrative short film, Shut Up and Fish
, a story about four young Latino men, known as “Edgars” (characterized by their bowl cuts), on a boat. Their intention was to challenge conventional narratives surrounding their community.
“We wanted to make it feel like an [Ingmar] Bergman film, because we’d never seen that, especially with these kids,” Gutierrez says. Miguel Huerta, an actor from Shut Up and Fish
, later played Gutierrez’s doppelganger in Serious People
.
For Serious People
, Gutierrez and collaborator Ben Mullinkosson drew inspiration from arthouse filmmakers like Roy Andersson (known for his vignettes) and Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest
, for its surveillance aesthetic). Gutierrez actively references these influences in Q&As and interviews to spark audience curiosity.
“Making [that culture] accessible has always been a goal, whether that’s conscious or unconscious,” Gutierrez adds.
The Genesis of Serious People
and the value of Vulnerability
The idea for Serious People
originated from an anxiety dream Gutierrez had about hiring a look-alike to manage his personal and professional commitments.He shared the dream with Yuan, who encouraged him to develop it into a film. Mullinkosson was brought on board due to his documentary background, and to avoid the project becoming overly self-referential.
“This industry is so competitive and so demanding that every single director has a fear that if you say no to a single project, you’re never going to get hit up again,” Mullinkosson explains from Chengdu, China.”At the end of the day, we’re just making movies – like, this isn’t that serious.”
Sanchez initially hesitated about appearing on camera, but his loyalty to Gutierrez prevailed. “I actually got a kick out of seeing myself on screen,” Sanchez says. “When you see yourself projected that big, you start to understand what you feel like to other people in the world, which was a very interesting out-of-body experience.”
Mullinkosson emphasizes the importance of vulnerability in the film: “Vulnerabilities are what make movies special, especially this one because Pasqual, Raúl and Christine opened their real lives to being on camera, and it’s very personal. When you can be as brave as them to share your real life, something stunning happens.”
Future Projects and Continued Ambition
Gutierrez and Sanchez, who recently became a father, are currently developing a feature film titled Golden Boy
.The story follows four Edgars
whose journey involves a quest to determine if former boxer Oscar De La Hoya is one of their fathers.
“Music is where we started, but the goal has always been to do long-form, to do features,” Gutierrez concludes. “And now with Serious People
, one is out there.”