How many Latina Cinematographers working on a hit series do you know? From Narcos To Vida on the hit STARZ Vida Cabana Follows Her Passions
By Elia Esparza
Film and TV cinematographer, Carmen Cabana is a Latina whose star is rising fast in a industry field dominated by men. Brace yourselves, because this Colombian-Venezuelan, who arrived just ten years ago, is here to shake things up with her formidable talent, which no doubt will soon make her one of the most sought after Director of Photographer (DP) in Hollywood!
Carmen’s DP success is also showcased in the short film, French Fries, aired in June on TNT, as part of Refinery29’s Chatterbox Season2, an award-winning short-film series dedicated to highlighting female filmmakers.
Recently, Carmen shared her thoughts on her career and insight as to the challenges she’s encountered in her quest to work her camera magic in a profession usually occupied by men.
LatinHeat: You arrived just ten years ago, how difficult was it to get your first cinematography credit in the U.S.? Tell us about what you feel was your big break in the U.S.?
Carmen Cabana: Quite honestly getting my first cinematography credit in the US wasn’t difficult at all. I was very blessed that my first feature film credit landed just after a year and a half in film school. That said, I did take my own initiative in creating my first project to show my work to the world and that was a documentary called Conversando con Jr, which I shot in Venezuela during a family visit. That documentary received great responses and right after I was getting hired to DP a few shorts and thesis projects. Then one of those shorts was watched by a producer who called me for that first feature.
I’ll say that the difficulty wasn’t in getting the first credit but in maintaining a frequency of work that would allow me to survive and also build a name for myself. When your getting started, you often land independent productions that are struggling with their financing, therefore, many of the projects I was attached to and held dates, would get pushed back or cancelled. That was the true struggle. But in the end, persistence and broadening my network absolutely paid off. Currently, I not only have a large body of work but a large pool of filmmakers that are recurrent collaborators, several of them have become close friends of mine or even business partners.
Relationships and good work ethics is the key to success in my opinion, because good referrals go a long way but not only that, I truly love the people I work with and enjoy my work tremendously.
Showrunner Tanya Saracho L) Carmen Cabana R)
LH: Tell us about your first season experience on Vida as the principal and only DP?
CC: Vida was an incredible experience. All the heads of department are women which is amazing, also the producing team is extremely passionate about Vida and very supportive of our creativity. We all took on the philosophy that Vida was our showrunner Tanya Saracho’s baby and we were all the Godmothers to this baby, so we joined forces in every sense to make the best decisions for the well being of Vida. I think that sense of belonging and unity really made the making of Vida a pleasant experience and I think the love shows in the result.
LH: How do you feel about coming back to Vida for Season 2 after what had to be a very hectic Season 1?
CC: Being the principal and only DP on Season 1, was great in the sense that I could design the look of a show from scratch but it was also tough because I had to use my days off to catch up with the new directors because we would change them every episode and also for location scouts. It got to the point in which I was literary bringing my laundry to set to use the Laundromats across the street from where we were filming at the bar [she laughs]! At the same time, even though it was physically exhausting because on top of the schedule, I was also operating a camera, I did feel at the end of the season that I could go another 5 episodes. I think that’s because I really enjoyed my time on set, enjoyed the material we were filming and truly loved the crew. It was a life changing experience.
I remember one night on the last episode, I was running low on energy and my sweet Gaffer Josh Davis started to do some salsa turns to re-energize me.
Fortunately, for Season 2, I am still head DP and we are getting ten episodes but I’ll be alternating episodes with DP Ava Berkofsky (HBO’s Insecure), who is an amazing DP and colleague and a very pleasant person, so I’m very happy about that and I’ll have time off in the weekends.
LH: Aside from the nearly all-women behind and in front of the camera on Vida, how was this experience different from that of you working on Narcos?
CC: On Narcos I came in as the Second Unit DP for all ten episodes on season 2, so I was arriving to a show that already had a visual look established from Season 1. My job was to mold to that esthetic, execute our ambitious schedule, capture very exciting action sequences, overlap sets with Unit 1 and also handle some of the dramatic scenes. I had never filmed in my native country Colombia before Narcos, and I’ll say, I loved the crew but the traffic, the logistics in Bogota, the rainy weather and making it look like Medellin was all the most challenging part but we did it.
On shows like Narcos in which we are doing multiple units and alternating episodes, it is crucial to keep a good communication and stay on the same page. We would talk almost daily and review each others footage online. We also established certain rules for the game and basically the success and consistency of the cinematography was dependent upon us “playing ball” and I think we succeeded at it because, in my opinion, it is seamless what each of us did.
With Vida, I had a fresh slate so I could design the look of the show from scratch, and it was also nice to portray East Los Angeles and also add a female gaze to the whole show. I do passionately love action filming, I am currently filming an action feature and I am in absolute heaven, but Vida has fantastic character drama and I love how we are being bold on how we portray the sex scenes in the show. One thing Vida is full of is passion, in front and behind the camera.
LH: Vida is about the lives of two sisters and their relationship with their mother and neighbors, are there any similarities from your life in South America to that of the lives of Emma and Lyn?
CC: There is a similarity in the Latino roots and the traditions, although in Colombia we don’t eat flan at funerals [she laughs]. But the food is equally an important aspect. South America also goes through gentrification although not as drastic as it seems to be happening in East Los Angeles. In Colombia there is a system in which the neighborhoods are labeled one to six, depending on the economical status of the area so they don’t get transformed overnight, and most realtors develop accordingly to that.
For me, Vida allowed me to get a fresh look at East Los Angeles, there were so many places I had never been to, even though I have been in L.A. since 2005, so it was like discovering a new world and the people in the neighborhood were very kind and supportive.
LH: Tell us some of the things you do to empower women breaking into the industry, and the organizations that support women that you support? What does it mean to you?
CC: I do a lot of educational talks at schools, festivals, and events such as the Atlanta based Rule the Set non-profit, Festival Enfocus in Costa Rica, the HRTS Women of the West Panel, the TV and Film Diversity summer summit which supports HashtagLunchbag. I also have a group of filmmakers that I mentor, and when possible I offer internships on some of the productions I am a part of. I also donate to causes like the WIF Harassment Prevention Hotline, etc.
But beyond any public talk or mentorship, the biggest thing I do is refer or advocate other women for jobs. We hold a lot of power in the hiring process.
LH: Tell us about what your vision for your own future looks like?
CC: I opened a Production Company with my business partner Julio Saldarriaga called Skyway Pictures, our vision is to be a direct bridge between the filmmakers and productions we believe in and the financing teams. We wish to close that gap and open opportunities for new talent. We have been gathering screenplays over the past years and also identifying talent. We now have a small slate that we are going to begin pushing. One is a TV series we have in development. This way, I can also choose the projects I’ll film as a cinematographer. As cinematographers, we are in the center of the action so we can protect the productions and investments by knowing exactly what is going on behind and in front of the lens.
LH: How did you love with cinematography? How old were you? Tell us about the motivation that brought you to present day?
CC: I have always had a passion for images and for art. I used to paint and draw when I was a little girl but I never thought of cinematography or the film industry as a career until I was 19. I moved to Los Angeles pursuing a career as a writer but because of the documentary Conversando con Jr, people began calling me to do the cinematography for their shorts. So I became a cinematographer by demand and in doing it, I fell in love with it. This happened when I was 23 years old.
My motivation is always the same: do your best in whatever it is you do, so I give my career my all. If I would have picked another path I would have equally shined at it because I do things from the heart and work very hard.
LH: What would you like to say to our readers, especially our youth who are in love with movies and television but not sure which direction to go. Any words of wisdom to share?
CC: One advice I like to give to the youth is to be flexible while you are discovering your passion and what you are naturally skilled for. When we are younger we are easily influenced by what is popular and indeed most people go into acting or directing but that doesn’t mean that it is the right path for you. I recommend to try all the jobs on set while you are still figuring it out and see what makes you happy while doing it. Forget success for a second– success will come in any area if you are persistent and committed to your craft. Think first of what you see yourself doing over and over for many years under many challenging circumstances, if it resonates with your heart then go for it and stop at nothing.
My second advice is to be a team player. The people around you are very important to your own success and to the success of the production, so be a team player. Honor your word. Be helpful, Be respectful, and keep your head high and stick through the challenges. You would be surprised how many people are quitters. Last and most importantly, be grateful for everything that happens to you, because good or bad, it is all part of the journey. Be grateful to the people that will help you get further.
Follow Carmen on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carmencabana/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carmencabanaonline
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