Vital Attraction

Drawn to movies since childhood it seemed inevitable that Mineiro Elton Eloin would end up in Hollywood doing what he always loved most: videos and movies. When the opportunity came to leave Brazil not even the offer of a profitable three-year contract on an ad campaign in São Paulo could change his mind.

Nália Vilage

For some people, leaving their native land in search of new horizons could be traumatic and, afterwards, there are moments of intense introspection about their journey and accomplishments. Reminiscences and regret. But some people are travelers and quiet observers; they take their inner mystery with them: "There were very few people where I lived," remembers Minas Gerais native, director Elton Eloin, "so I learned to observe everything, especially nature."

As characteristic of those born in this region, Eloin has that essential quality of being alone, watching everything that goes on around him. This sustains him; he is always quietly thinking and visualizing his next project as he, the youngest of three brothers, did during a boyhood full of dreams populated by Disney characters, American movies, theater and television. Now, not having a lot of friends in his transplanted surroundings is not a thing of concern to him. He is who he was, and he is still dreaming.

Before trading the laid-back atmosphere of Belo Horizonte for the frenetic pace of Rio de Janeiro (when Elton was eight years old), the family had at first decided to establish roots in a small ranch near Sepetiba, state of Rio de Janeiro. But they eventually moved on to legendary Rio, and life in the Big City had a great impact on his imagination. Enthralled by childhood memories, Elton decided to immigrate to America to fulfill his life-long passion to work in motion pictures.

Of Steven Spielberg's Duel, intones Elton, at the time a thirteen-year-old: "I had finally made up my mind to make movies when I was watching this classic on the building manager's projector in our condominium's ballroom. I'll never forget that moment."

This was the pivotal point in his life. Mesmerized by the flow of images from the screen, he started to make his first videos. He listened to Top 40 radio and, inspired by Diana Ross's "It's My Turn" and encouraged by his father to overcome his shyness, Elton decided to submit his ideas to his brother Eid Walesko, who at the time was a director at Globo TV. His brother liked his ideas but thought them imaginative but childish.

However, at sixteen, his brother finally relented and decided to introduce him to influential people at Globo. Elton became the assistant to Mário Lúcio Vaz, who at the time was the network's Creative Director for Soap Opera Planning, and he used to boast of having been the mentor of the talented teenager who worked long hours to realize his ambitions and was a fixture among the crews, trying to soak up as much technical knowledge as possible.

Eventually, it was a new opening concept that Elton developed for the Sunday prime-time extravaganza Fantástico, conceptualized and produced by Hans Donner, that caught the attention of the all-powerful Boni of Globo who was impressed with Elton's creative abilities. Word spread and his brother Walesko, who had become one of the directors of Fantástico at the time, decided to put sibling rivalry aside and give his younger brother a break. This led to his first music video that combined three tracks of different styles of a song by Lionel Ritchie that became a critical success, influencing music videos of that period.

Under the leadership of Eid Walesko, with Lia Renha as set designer, Edmundo Tibúrcio as the director of photography and the young Elton Eloin as creative director, there was a new energy and vitality at Globo, and Elton added to his résumé, doing commercials for Fiat, Firestone and Santa Rosa Textiles and other commercial giants.

Fate smiled on Elton in an offer from CBS do videos for Julio Iglesias that took him to Los Angeles. Iglesias and Elton became friends and they still keep in touch. He returned to Brazil but decided to return to work in the movies, which was a childhood dream. His brother tried to talk him out of it. But, not even the offer of a profitable three-year contract on an advertising campaign for the opening of the Mixson advertising agency in São Paulo and other inducements, such as being called the new Washington Olivetto who is president and creative director of W/Brasil, the country's third largest ad agency, could dissuade the determined Elton.

He immigrated to New York, where he lived for a while with composer Sérgio Sá, who also became a good friend. Then he moved to The Promised Land, Hollywood. One day, on seeing his boyhood idol Steven Spielberg in the middle of Beverly Center he approached him, asking him for advice about local film schools. Excited by his meeting of Spielberg and being referred to his assistant to follow up on suggestions about schools, Elton continued to work as a music video director, doing videos for luminaries such as Vicki Carr. He met Dee Dee Jackson, the sister-in-law of Michael Jackson who drowned in 1994 in a swimming pool. He had showed Dee Dee a short treatment of a script that he had developed for Michael's Heal the World Foundation; but the unfortunate turn of events precluded his meeting the world's most famous Jackson.

At this time, Elton decided to revisit his Brazilian roots, go to college and dedicate his spare time to metaphysical studies. He met the internationally famous Brazilian medium Fátima Castro and had a reunion with Ricardo Movits, his longtime associate and friend with whom he works on film projects. This partnership propelled him in a new direction and work on a film where fantasy and reality merge, in which the issues of ecological protection, violence in the media and lack of love for children are treated—the motivation of the film being to raise spiritual awareness of all peoples using Brazilian, American, European and other kinds of folklore. This film project has taken them to the Amazon Rain Forest, Hawaii, Arizona, New Mexico, Egypt and Spain. And Elton is also involved in an experiment using interactive technology to cure chronic diseases, especially in children.

Elton Eloin is a healer using the medium of sight and sound. This writer can still hear the soundtrack of his new film and, whenever I am in need of inspiration, I find myself humming it. I hope Hollywood is also listening.

Edited by Dawn Tyler