Since opening in Barcelona in 1998, Arenashots has expanded to Madrid and soon, to Lisbon, Portugal.

The production company represents directors Joan Gil (also the company founder), Antón Eguiguren, Ramon Costafreda, Phil Dussol and Joan Constansó and, as with nearly all Spanish production companies, offers services to foreign companies looking to shoot in Spain. Self-described as an "independent company with an independent calling," complete autonomy for each office is key to the Arenashots plan.

In terms of individual directors, Gil works in character-driven comedy; his spot for Kalia detergent spoofs the over-used guy-meets-girl-in-a-laundromat, guy-takes-off-shirt, etc. scenario. Rather than swoon at his chiseled pecs, the female lead pours the Kalia cleanser on his silk shirt, which evokes a girlish shriek from the shirtless dandy. Another spot for American Donuts recreates Central Park and an American diner in the heart of Spain; a bizarre Suzuki spot has a young man flash-cutting across several environments before happily cavorting in a Hellish disco; while a Nissan spot has a hedgehog crossing a country road, safely avoiding the passage of an unseen vehicle. Eguiguren's work is more atmospheric and visually based in a spot comparing Tai Chi with the comforts of a bubbling Roca whirlpool. Flowing cloth and pristine (and naked) human forms come together in spots for the likes of Fina Quinta. Costafreda is a visual storyteller; in one Pepsi Light spot we see a sobbing woman who races to a wedding, seemingly to prevent the marriage of the man she loves; after much buildup, we see that she is acutally after the priest conducting the wedding.

A bizarre FNAC spot has a couple of oddly art directed fellows cavorting around a TV set with selective edits and use of effects furthering an already odd spot. Constansó's reel ranges from near-incomprehensible German fashion ads to a solid "Don't park in handicapped spaces" PSA. While the company has maintained enough work, Gil says the global recession is making business difficult for Spanish production companies.

"It's not an easy time for anybody. Many of the multinational companies operating in Spain have put the brakes on their new projects and prefer to carry out adaptations of other campaigns. Others have simply trimmed their budgets," says Gil. "The placement into circulation of the Euro is also factor to be taken into account, given that a monetary change means a financial restructuring that gets put before other new projects. I believe it is the same situation that is being experienced in the other countries."

However, moving into the Portuguese market remains a priority for Arenashots, both for access to local creative and to tap the region's potential as a production services base.

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