Meet Laísa Mara Dos Santos | Cinematographer & Assistant Camera

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laísa Mara Dos Santos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laísa Mara, why did you pursue a creative career?
Since I was very young I always wanted to be part of every school theatre play, arts classes and all the creative activities. First was theatre, than music and now film. I grew up surrounded with some sort of art in my house. My mom is an artist, she draws and paints for as long as I can remember. My house is full of art pieces made by her and that have always inspired me in a way. My family was also very influenced by art before I was even born. My uncles had bands, were always playing guitar at family gatherings and I have been really into music since I was little. With their help I got my first guitar and learned how to play my first instrument. That was exactly when I realized I wanted to work in the creative side. Later on high school I still had passion for acting and music and I figured it out that my interest for movies was beyond a hobby, that is why I got into Film School at college.

Art for me was always a way to express myself, show what is going on inside my head and put out there all my hopes, dreams, feelings…everything. Is a way to connect to people and myself. Writing used to be the main art form in which I felt I could express my whole personality and insecurities but that changed when I discovered photography. Observing other people and connecting with them was very important for me to understand the path I wanted to take in my projects and how creative I could be with camera angles, colors, frames, lenses and lighting to portray so many emotions and situations that most times I haven’t experienced. I found a way to combine all these elements to help create a story and give depth and purpose to the characters in every film I’m part of. I get the chance to experience different scenarios, be creative, believe more on myself, trust my instincts and somehow make a difference in other people’s lives.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Working with art and being creative is always a challenge and a mix between excitement and self doubt, I’ve always been very hard on myself and in everything I do, so I think that is the most difficult part in all of it. Trying not to compare myself and my work with no one and believing in my ideas is a constant exercise that I have to do. It wasn’t easy to get where I’m at but I’m also very far from where I want to be. I’m very proud of the projects I’ve done and each one taught me something different and a lesson I needed at that moment. They made me grow as a person and as a professional. Keeping in mind who I am, my story, my goals and what I want to say in my projects is something that always helps me during a production and I think that is what I want people to remember about me. I’m creative, passionate about what I do and I care very deeply about each story I help telling. I love collaborating with other artists and working on other people’s project. That’s the beauty in the career I chose, it’s the opportunity to work with many different people, challenge my abilities and visual storytelling, but also to find out what I like the most and create my own projects.

2020 was a very difficult year and made me rethink so many different aspects of my life. I feel that the professional I am today was very influenced by the problems we all went through last year. I’m glad and grateful that I’ve been shooting a couple projects since the beginning of the year which kept me very busy and focused. I already have others productions schedule for summer and I’m very happy with all of them but I also have my own projects that I want to develop this year and show a very creative side of myself that I think I haven’t been able to experiment yet. So that is exciting and I hope people get as excited as me when they come out. I just want to encourage people to pursue their dreams and don’t be scared to actually produce something of their own.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Los Angeles is a city full of different things to do and places to know, There are bars, restaurants, museums and cute neighborhoods to visit. Food is always a way to bring joy and comfort not only for me but for most people. There are many good food options in LA but as a vegetarian, I would take my friend to Butcher’s Daughter, Lemonade, Pink Tacos…Italian and Mexican food together are always amazing! Two places that I think its a must for everyone is the Grand Central Market in Downtown LA and the Farmer’s Market. There are many things to try there and different people getting together to enjoy their day. Going to the beach is always on the list and I’ll definitely take my friend to Manhattan beach, Laguna Beach, Venice and Malibu.

Watching the sunset sitting on the sand with snacks, your friends and a blanket, is the best thing ever. Walking around Melrose and Abbot Kinney is also fun because there are many cute stores, art everywhere and people from all over the world. Seeing the tourist part is also a must just for the experience, so places like The Griffith Observatory, Walk of Fame, Chinese Theatre and Hollywood sign would probably be included in one of the days. For me, getting to know the hidden or the super local places, is the best thing ever in a trip.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Doesn’t matter which industry you work on, there is always someone or a group of people that will guide you or help you in your journey and they will always deserve recognition. In my case, I have many people that never gave up on me and pushed me even when I thought I wasn’t good enough. But I think my parents were the ones who supported me the most. In the beginning it was really hard for them, my family and friends to understand that film was exactly what I wanted to do for life. Making them see my job as a profession and not a hobby, took time and effort but once they saw how happy I were and what I was doing, they supported me like no one else. Working as an artist is very different than what society is used to, so every time we have to explain, show our work and prove that is not just a phase.

My parents financed my first movies, helped me out getting set props, finding locations, making sponsorship deals, contacting lawyers, signing contracts and of course, never doubting my goals. They gave me my first camera set up and with that equipment I was able to start working as a photographer and make money out of it. My parents invested on my career and I know I’m very fortunate that they believed in my art and did everything they could to help my dreams come true. Being an artist is hard like every other career and I know they had a few concerns about the path I was chasing. Even with those concerns, they never stopped believing on me and supported my idea when I told them I was going to save money to move to Los Angeles.

I will never be able to say how grateful I am for everything they have done for me and to have them in my life.

Website: https://www.behance.net/laisamsantos

Instagram: @laisamaras

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laisamsantos/

Image Credits
Lydia Ho Juan P. Soto