Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aline Ballestero. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Aline, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

It started with yoga practice until I realized how a deeper understanding of my body was the key to not only become a better operator, but a more efficient human in everything else I wanted.
It just took me around 12 years to get rid of some impostor syndrome and see that I was ready to share what I’ve learned with the next generation of operators, film community and most likely any human…

Aline, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Aline Ballestero. I’ve been operating cameras since I finished university in 2000. I got into it because somehow I always knew that was it. Graduated in Social Communications in Brazil and worked in a couple TV channels before starting freelancing. Steadicam came in 2011. I believe most of the time I wasn’t really thinking too much, just having fun doing what I love the most. Then after pandemics hit, it has brought a new sense of responsibility, and I went back to seriously study and bring to practice the connection between what I’ve always done as a hobby (the physical practices) and my career. I’ve also been teaching Steadicam operation in Brazil and US, and saw that we need to take a more careful look at our collective mindset and change a few things. And working on improving Awareness has proven to be not only super effective to me, but for all my students as well. I’m happy many of my dreams came true. A few that I didn’t even knew I had, like being the first female Steadi Op in Brazil, and having a great career as an operator so far. And of course I’m most grateful for being a freelancer for that has allowed plenty of time to work with all aspects of awareness. Which curiously has led me to another realms, through meditation for example, that have been absolutely life changing. My goal is to keep up with it and being able to share more and more. Always with efficiency, love and peace in mind.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I know it’s easy to jump to the same female talk, about not getting as much opportunities. Saying that here might even bring some resistance, but I’ll do it anyways, because we also need to look at the self responsibility factor.
There’s much discussion about opportunities for everyone, which is absolutely necessary and we’re doing a great job in slowly changing that. But still not enough about incessant self work. In every aspect, and every job, every life even. We cannot expect real accomplishments as fast as our usual clicks. Of course there are two sides of everything and I’m grateful for the new “online” lifestyle.
Through patiently working on Awareness of ourselves we can actually see how much more we’re connected beyond internet, and maybe get something out of it besides self development, expansion, etc.
So for me, resilience was and is absolutely vital in everything I’ve been doing; getting jobs when I was one of the only 3 female camera operators in Brazil in the beginning of my career, and today, after 24 years doing this, still working on phone calls with producers why I’d love to get my full rate… So resilience is definitely the word. I would ask now: “What can we actually do for the next real change that starts from individual work, and results in global benefits?”

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had to go several steps back when I moved to US. Being a freelancer meant I had to start all over again. So I looked for jobs still in the industry, like the time I spent at Becine rental house (fabulous company woman owned btw), and start a whole new journey. It was absolutely worth, cause I had the chance to learn so much more about the same business, but from a different perspective. Learned a lot about the mechanics of everything. Including a new passion for lenses. That has really humbled me. Of course including the almost 2 year “forced” break that I absolutely used to learn everything I could on editing, (which I had no clue about), and every source of knowledge to improve my research. So I took physical therapy courses, psychology and even neurobiology! And it was amazing how each subject would take me to the next through the “human” route, meaning what drove to every next subject was some need to expand on the previous based on our “bodies”, or human layers: from physical to energy.
Never ending pivots, I could say…

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alineballestero.com
• Instagram: @_balle_
• Youtube: Aline Ballestero
• Other: Body Awareness on Steadicam Op IG @ba.steadiworkshop

Image Credits
Osiris Larkin Sarah KC