Meet Carlos Manuel Casimiro | Director, Cinematographer & Video Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carlos Manuel Casimiro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carlos, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born in Lisbon, Portugal. An inspiring city, sunny almost all the year, full of life and history, bathed by the Tagus river. My parents had Pastry Shops where I spent a big amount of time, so, since very little I was always surrounded by lot’s of people, diferent people, from the rich to the poor, from the most modern to the most conservative minds, communicating. Portugal is a small country and I was blessed because since my early days I voyaged a lot trough out the country, and Spain, acknowledging different cultures, landscapes and ways of being and doing things. I think all of this made me look forward, being curious and always search for more information in films, magazines, museums, art gallerys and mostly books because at the time there was no internet. Learning English and French languages was also made necesssary. At the age of 9 I made my first airplane voyage to the Azores Islands and got my first video camera, a 8mm video camera, and I appoint that voyage as the moment where video started to enter my life and being crucial for my future.
At the time i as not very enthusiast of great technical details and effects, motion graphics creation came later, since the early begining my objective on video was always tell a story. Showing how things were and happened. Maybe that’s why, still as today, when possible, I like to start mosty of my editing projects on paper. I’ve always loved to write, settling an ideia, or concept and then go on location and record.
This path took me to colaborations as jounalist in elementary school newspapers and in hight school to the Radio Club, always writing articles, taking photos and interviewing people, creating communication contents, ending in university with a graduation on communication sciences and culture, specialized in audiovisuals and multimedia.
Since then, almost 25 years have passed, and I’ve been working as director, cinematographer and editor based in Portugal, but working in several countries in Europe, Africa and North America. I have also worked as journalist for 7 years in the portuguese newspaper with the largest circulation in the world and I’ve done mostly documentaries, tv shows, video production for events and institucional videos for several companies and brands. I also work on several video projects for the internet and social media.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It’s never easy to build a carrer on the video production sector. Time evolves and you have to be constantly upgrading your expertise. But that’s the challenge of being in this area and also what makes this area so captivating. One lesson I learned is that generally most of the videos I work on are not for me, I have to understand well the objective and create the adequate product for the target and also for the media involved. This process is made of concessions both between the scriptwriter, the editor/director and the client. I believe that when I am working on a video, the final result is not mine, it´s from a team, but must be suitable to the client intention. So no need for great existential questions about the art, or the way to do things. The most important is to have the story telled efficiently and suitable for the target. The technical video production rules exist for that…sometimes I use less criativity and just stick to the rules. This is how it works and you finally always have a professional product.
With this, I think is quite easy to work with me. I hate arguing, or trying to impose my point of view. I easy accept others point of view, I just need to have the skills to put it in the video. In my career I have done thousands of contents, some better then others, but I maintain a good relationship with people and I think thats the most important. I always do my best, and beyond to make things work. I am neither better nor worse than others. I believe that I am different and all the content I produce has that personal touch.
I’m quite used to working in the shadows, to make others shine. It doesn’t confuse me. I’m comfortable with that and life as granted me a career that I am proud of.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In Lisbon there are lot’s of places to hang out and visit. In most of the places you can eat too. I think first of all you should visit the Tagus riverside areas. Then the historic neighborhoods (Bairro Alto, Alfama ou Mouraria) and downtown Lisbon. The S. Jorge castle is also a site to go. There are also lot´s of museums, viewpoints and gardens to visit. If one like’s beach we also have some very near. By night the offer is very wide too.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
From day one my family has been my biggest supporter and without this support I wouldn’t be where I am today. Also would like to thank you my wife, Elisabete fot the pacience throught out the years. I know it’s not always easy but I have to mention the endless emotional support and encouragement to continue to achieve my goals.

Then, thank you so much for my líder in life, Dr. Carlos Morais (RIP) for making me know that when we want, nothing is unachievable and obviously “no is always granted”, we always have to go further and digg more, also Hélio Araújo (RIP) for the teaching and technical guidance in the beginning of my carreer.

I also have to mention some names that still are or where very important for me at some point of my carreer, namely Paul Perry, Carlos Evaristo, D. Duarte Pio de Bragança, Nicolas Descharnes, Mário Brito, José Guerreiro, José Pereira, José Paulo Fafe, Paulo Delgado, Commendator Valentim Morais (RIP), Jocelino Rodrigues, Paulo Pereira da Silva, Alex Costa, Adriano Gomes, David Galamba, Aloysío Filho, Nunes Forte, Dave Horner, John Mariani (RIP)…
Also some to mention some organizations COMSOM – Produção Audiovisual, LPM Comunicação, Mundo Português, Mundiventos, SISAB PORTUGAL, Absolutus Audiovisuais, Academia do Bacalhau da Serra da Estrela.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-manuel-casimiro-5b096039?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app