We were lucky to catch up with Michael Cuartas recently and have shared our conversation below.
Michael, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I feel most creative when I have a camera with me. It may sound like a simple answer but it’s true!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a Colombian-American director of photography based in Miami, FL. I started my filmmaking career about 10 years ago. My brother, Jonathan Cuartas (writer/director), and I made our first short film in 2013. Since then I’ve photographed one feature film, as well as various short films, commercials and music videos.
I’d say one of the biggest accomplishments in my career thus far was lensing my first feature film, MY HEART CAN’T BEAT UNLESS YOU TELL IT TO, in 2019. The film was written and directed by Jonathan Cuartas, starring Patrick Fugit, Ingrid Sophie Schram and Owen Campbell. For my work on the film, I received a Special Jury Mention for Cinematography at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival and won Best Cinematography at the 39th edition of the Molins Film Festival. The film also screened at the 2020 EnergaCAMERIMAGE and won two awards at the 53rd edition of the SITGES Film Festival. It is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video and Shudder.
I love what I do and find the collaborative process in filmmaking to be very fulfilling.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I think being collaborative is one of the most important aspects when it comes to filmmaking. What’s in the final film is a culmination of the hard work of many individuals. As far as advice goes, it’s hard to say. I feel like I’m still figuring things out myself. I think sharing our processes and experiences with each other is really valuable. I think certain things in the world of filmmaking can at times be glamorized. I’m happy to see that there seems to be more of a democratization happening. More and more young filmmakers are making things, starting YouTube channels, podcasts and sharing experiences.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
I need to shoutout my brother, Jonathan. We came up making films together and learned a lot along the way. We push each other and I’d like to think that we bring the best out of each other. There are also so many creators in the filmmaking space sharing knowledge, experiences, breakdowns of the process and more on YouTube. That and podcasts have been such valuable tools for me throughout my career. There are many resources for learning these days and it’s an incredible thing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.michaelcuartas.com
- Instagram: @michaelcuartasdop
- Other: www.vimeo.com/michaelcuartasdp
