Álvaro Durán

Filmmaker & Video Storyteller

Frisco, Texas

Álvaro Durán is a professional filmmaker with a passion for perfection and a never-ending quest for knowledge. His first foray into the entertainment industry was at Montgomery College, Maryland - where he studied RTVF for four years - before moving back to his homeland of Ecuador.

Between 2003 and 2008, he founded, managed, and led RICURI S.A. - the first cinematographic equipment rental house in Quito, Ecuador. In 2007, Durán was accepted to the prestigious London Film School and obtained a Postgraduate Degree in Filmmaking in 2009.

After London Film School, Álvaro returned to Ecuador and was hired as the Director of Photography to capture the first Ecuadorian feature film ever recorded in a digital cinema format, A tus Espaldas, directed by Tito Jara. Durán further developed his reputation as a dependable and talented DP by making numerous television commercials in the country.

In 2012, Álvaro switched directions into another of his passions: audiovisual postproduction. He founded the first DCI Compliant postproduction and mastering studio for feature films in Ecuador: AMERISIS Estudios. AMERISIS soon became a benchmark for quality in Ecuador - where they mastered 12 feature films, which premiered in various movie theaters throughout North America, South America, and Europe.

In 2013, Álvaro was called back to the production side of the industry and took to market the documentary, El Clásico del Astillero, as Director and Producer. The documentary had a national exhibition and sold more than 25,000 DVDs.

In 2014, TRIBE PICTURES and THE POINT PRODUCTIONS hired Durán to film and direct multiple projects throughout Texas and California. He also served as Technical Supervisor of the Latin American initiative DOCTV Edition 4. This project presented a massive technical challenge for him, as it required the preparation and finalization of 16 feature-length documentaries in 5 different formats to be distributed and broadcast on 22 television stations throughout Latin America.

Starting in 2015, Álvaro decided to dedicate his efforts to reviving his childhood passion for superheroes. With the help of the Ministry of Education of Ecuador and the support of a talented group of professionals, Alvaro and his team developed the transmedia project TSAMARU, the World of the 7 Forces, whose objective was to reinterpret Latin American myths and turn them into modern superheroes. For TSAMARU, he performs the role of creative director - supervising the research, writing, illustration, and design departments of all the multimedia products developed for the project - and heads up the storytelling department.

Between 2009 and 2017 Alvaro had directed, produced and DP dozens of TV comercials projects for local and international production companies. Before his departure to the USA, his latest work was Director of lighting and cinematographer of the show The Voice - Ecuador.

Alvaro was presented with a new opportunity to expand his professional career and entrepreneurial ambitions in 2017. Full of optimism and passion, he moved with his family to Dallas, Texas, and co-founded Amerisis Studios US, LLC. Amerisis US, LLC is a video and photography production company that focuses on creating video content for digital marketing purposes.

In 2020, as part of the strategy to expand the Amerisis LLC operation, Alvaro and his talented wife, Cristina Flies, founded Banged Knuckles, LLC. Banged Knuckles is a community-conscious, cutting-edge, interactive multimedia production company focused on creating story-driven communicational assets, educational experiences, and digital tools to promote the love for restomods and e-sports. The company's aim is to constantly build bridges with the younger generations of car enthusiasts worldwide.

When not working on Banged Knuckles, Amerisis, and Tsamaru, Álvaro enjoys traveling, reading, hanging with friends and family, and watching the latest superhero flick.

PAST EDUCATION and CERTIFICATIONS:

• "Psychology of Audiovisual Communication" with MSC. Pablo Ramos Rivera - The Caribbean and Latin American Organization of Communication
• "The Aesthetics of Cinema" with Dr. Lourdes Pérez - The Caribbean and Latin American Organization of Communication
• THX Certification in Calibration of Digital Projectors and Monitors
• "Acting for Directors" BY Judy Weston - Los Angeles-USA
• "Digital Color Theory & Red Postproduction Workflow,"
• "Matte Painting"
• "Digital Environments"
• "Mathematics for Visual Effects and Digital Design"
• "Filming Techniques with DSLR Cameras"
• “Introduction to Physics for”
• "Color Correction“
• ”PFtrackLUTs, Gamma and 3D"
• "The Work of the Supervisor of VFX"
• "Digital Photography for VFX"
• "How to Build a Postproduction Boutique"