Making the cut with Carlos Font Clos

What was your journey to becoming an editor?

I’m from Barcelona and studied at ESCAC [Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya], which gave me a very solid technical and narrative foundation. At school, I was already drawn to editing because to me it felt like the place where everything comes together - performance, rhythm, emotion, structure.

Editing is an art, done by artists - we’re not technicians - so instinct is our main tool.

After graduating, I started assisting and cutting small projects, learning by doing. Over time I gravitated toward commercials, music videos and fashion films because I loved their intensity and the creative freedom. It was a gradual process of building trust with directors and production companies, project by project.

Can you remember your first editing job?

It was a small project, but at the time it felt huge. I remember being terrified of making mistakes, but also completely absorbed in the process. What stayed with me wasn’t the scale of the job, but the discovery that editing could completely transform the material. That was the moment I understood this was what I wanted to do.

The task when editing the short film The Cause of the Accident that Started the Fire was to find 'clarity inside chaos'.

Did you have any mentors in the industry?

Learning is my mantra and I’ve been lucky to learn from generous editors and directors along the way. Each project is a new opportunity to learn. 

It’s a balance — instinct opens the door, craft refines it. 

I wouldn’t say I had one single mentor, but rather several people who shaped me at different stages. Some taught me technical discipline, others narrative sensitivity, others how to handle clients and pressure. And all of this matters. Observing how experienced editors think through problems was incredibly informative for me.

What does the editing process typically look like for you? How much do you rely on instinct?

Editing is an art, done by artists - we’re not technicians - so instinct is our main tool. Instinct is the basis of everything I do.

I spend most of my time watching the footage and selecting the best moments. For me this is where the magic starts and where the instinct kicks in. So when I’m selecting, I’m also editing in my head. I love the fact editing is a live art, it’s always changing and transforming. Each image awakens a feeling and an emotion within you, which, when combined with other images, generates an idea. And that is the foundation upon which I always base my work.

[Editing] can make you feel like you're adrift on a ship, it pushes you to your limits.

The leitmotif of my work is how to use that instinct, channel it through images, and obtain an emotion. Once the rational process becomes emotional, then starts the analytical process where you begin to define the structure, pacing, performance, etc. So it’s a balance — instinct opens the door, craft refines it.

Font Clos' mission with the multi-awarding-winning Hornbach spot, No Project Without Drama, was too keep it epic and cinematic but still emotionally relatable.

What do you like most about the work that you do?

It’s the ‘click’ in my head. The moment where you put order in chaos, the moment where you can see the route you have to follow. It’s a beautiful moment that only lasts a second - but allows me to start and finish the edit from the beginning to the end. [Editing] can make you feel like you're adrift on a ship, it pushes you to your limits. But when you finally take the helm and reach port, it's a very rewarding moment.

Sensitivity to performance, to rhythm, to story, to people in the room - that’s what makes a great editor.

Who or what inspires you?

For me, inspiration comes from inside not outside. The more I work, the more I get inspired.

What is the one attribute editors need?

Sensitivity. Enter the room neutrally, without judgment. Be humble.

Always open your mind to new ideas based on your deep observations. And above all, have the predisposition to love the piece. Technical skills are essential, but sensitivity to performance, to rhythm, to story, to people in the room - that’s what makes a great editor.

Font Clos collaborated with CANADA director Nicolás Méndez on the official video for Berghain, by Rosalía feat. Björk & Yves Tumor.

What’s the most challenging job you’ve worked on recently?

The Cause of the Accident That Started the Fire for ICEX. The key was clarity inside chaos. The film constantly shifts between reality and fantasy, so we needed subtle anchors, visual motifs, performance beats, sound transitions all to guide the audience subconsciously.

Part of the job is protecting the emotional core of the piece while accommodating different perspectives. It’s about diplomacy as much as editing.

I approached it musically, thinking in movements rather than scenes. The challenge was to preserve the feverish energy without losing the narrative orientation. That meant constantly testing the balance: if it became too clear, it lost magic; too chaotic, and you lost the viewer. Finding that threshold was the work.

Hornbach’s No Project Without Drama must have also been tricky from an editing perspective…

With Hornbach, scale and tone were the big challenges. It had to feel epic and cinematic, but still emotionally relatable. Timing was everything: comedy, tension, release. Working with [director] Lope Serrano is always inspiring. He always knows what he wants, and together we work as one mind to bring his vision to life in the piece.

For me, the golden rule is: always convey an emotion. Each genre has its own logic.

In big campaigns like that, you’re also navigating multiple stakeholders. So part of the job is protecting the emotional core of the piece while accommodating different perspectives. It’s about diplomacy as much as editing.

What are the golden rules when editing music videos, fashion films or commercials?

For me, the golden rule is: always convey an emotion. Each genre has its own logic. In music videos, rhythm is king - but it’s not just about cutting on the beat, you play with sync and counterpoint. For fashion films, texture and mood are essential; it’s about seduction and atmosphere. And for commercials, clarity and impact is the goal.

You have very little time, so every frame must work hard. But across all of those genres, it’s emotion first. If it doesn’t make you feel something, it doesn’t matter how clever it is.