ASC_MENTORSHIP_2023_AUGUSTO

Video Submission for Mentorship

  • AUGUSTO GARCIA
    CINEMATOGRAPHER
  • Project Type:
    Other
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 59 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 16, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography

Augusto García is a Mexican-American cinematographer with a MFA in Cinematography from the American Film Institute (AFI). He was part of the 2022 CameraImage Talent Demo program with his feature documentary “La Raiz de Mi Ombligo” directed by Xóchitl Enríquez. Augusto also has a Bachelor’s degree in Film and Audiovisual Production from the Autonomous Popular University of the State of Puebla (UPAEP) in Mexico and he also studied abroad in the Film School of Uruguay in Montevideo. He has received different awards in film festivals by the short films he has participated on, highlighting Best Cinematography for the short film Desaparecido in the Crystal Screen Awards in 2017.
He believes it is important to bring to the film industry new voices that need to be heard. As a DP and human, Augusto is ready to accompany and support through lighting, composition and passion these stories that we all need to watch.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Happiness comes to each human in different ways. Mine are: sharing life with my family, delicious food and being behind a camera. When you are on set, a lot of the time you deal with a lot of pressure, but despite this, I have found myself smiling in an unconscious way while working, which makes me realize how privileged I am. I’ve gotten to work, maybe not as often as I would like to, but in the end, I’m working on something that makes me happy. It’s not an easy job to be a DP, so every time I get to step on a set and shoot a project, I take the responsibility very seriously. I want to create beautiful stories with the visuals that each of them need so that whoever is watching can forget their problems for a little bit and travel to different worlds, just as my sister and I used to do when we were kids in our living room on Saturdays.

My Short term goal is to shoot my first narrative feature film by next year 2024. Long term I would like to have the responsibility of working on big studio movies that premiere globally and can bring joy and send an important message to everyone. I would also like to be in the position to be able to share the knowledge and help bring opportunities to people in communities that might not have the access to this craft. Everyone has a story to share. We are humans and the more personal the story is, the more universal it feels. We don’t see life the same way, but we experience the same emotions . That’s why art is universal.

When I was younger, I watched a series of Super 8mm footage that my grandfather took. Thanks to that, I got to see my dad when he was three years old as well as my grandmother -whom I had never met- having fun at the beach.
I see the act of cinematography as proof that we have a superpower or magical ability to freeze moments and preserve them so that by watching them, anyone who’s ever experienced that feeling, no matter how different they feel, can relate to it, and can maybe learn something about it, no matter the years or context differiencing them. Just by doing that, it could be argued to be enough, but I feel like lighting and composition definitely give it more substance in making a final product that’s immersive enough to help the viewer feel it more deeply. And that’s ultimately what comprises cinematography.