We were lucky to catch up with Britney Bautista recently and have shared our conversation below.

Britney, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned how to make films by watching movies and YouTube videos. I was heavily influenced by the media I absorbed every day. With just an iPad, iMovie, and some crazy ideas, I was able to make some stop-motion animation videos with my American Girl Dolls and my Webkinz. My love and passion for filmmaking grew from there.

I picked up my first DSLR in high school, where I learned proper film techniques; I learned the basics of cinematography, screenwriting, and editing. Making films with zero budget and a small crew is where I really honed in on my skills and challenged my creativity. I was able to make my films look more high-end through the use of editing and production design. Filmmaking is definitely a hands-on learning process; you can learn a lot in school, but what really improves your skills is being on set consistently, even if it’s just being a production assistant.

Filmmaking is one of those careers where no one really tells you what to do when you start working on set; you’re just thrown into the deep end and expected to know how to do things. Throughout my first couple of years freelancing, I learned that you truly just have to fake it til you make it; no one wants to hire a rookie because they’d rather hire someone who’s more efficifent and will save time on set. There were many instances where I didn’t know how to build a certain light or navigate the menu of a certain camera, but I would simply watch and learn from other crew members, and then I would take that knowledge for my next job.

I believe that the most essential and efficient way to learn is actually by making mistakes. The mistakes I made turned into valuable lessons. If I hadn’t accidentally formatted my card during my first short film shoot, I would not have known the importance of backing up your footage onto multiple drives. If I hadn’t looked at my footage in the editing room and realized none of the takes were usable, I would not have known to listen to my gut and get that ~one~ extra take. These mistakes hurt in the moment, but only push you to do even better for your next shoot.

Britney, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Britney Bautista, and I’m a director and cinematographer. based in Brooklyn, NYC. I got into the business because I’ve always had a passion for storytelling, and started making short films around the age of 15. I enjoy making documentaries and narrative films centered around anthropology, feminism, and cultural identity. Throughout all of my films, I aim to explore and expand the uncomfortable and awkward moments in life in order to help others relate and navigate these moments within their personal life.

I think what sets me apart from others is my ambition and empathy. I always strive to maintain the prevalent themes and messages within my film from conception to post-production. I never aim to settle within my films, always sticking to my original script from the start of production to the end. My main goal within my films is to get the viewer to feel a certain emotion by portraying universally relatable stories with flawed characters. My main motto in life is to “never settle,” and that has been vital in relation to my filmmaking career.

I am proud of how far I’ve come as a filmmaker. From receiving negative feedback from my peers and family within the early stages of my career, to even doubting if I was worthy of being a director, it was incredibly hard to initially call myself a filmmaker or artist. Comparison is killer, and I would always be hard on myself for not being original enough or not being outstanding enough. Nonetheless, as the years passed by I persisted, and eventually found my voice and directing style.

How did you build your audience on social media?

As an independent filmmaker, social media is your best friend. It is the best way to market yourself and create a brand or identity. without spending money. The entire film community is greatly connected through Instagram and YouTube, and that’s actually where I tend to get a lot of jobs and contacts from agencies.

The more you put your work out there, the more people you can reach and inspire. It would be a shame to create something so beautiful yet keep it hidden on your hard drive- your work is meant to be shared! A great aspect of social media is that you can control what you put out there, and create a particular lens for how you want people to view you. Don’t get me wrong, social media has its cons as well- it can be damaging as an artist to go on there and constantly compare yourself to others who are seemingly doing better, but as long as you see social media as less of a competitive space and more of a community, the more you can use it as an effective tool to promote your art.

Any advice for managing a team?

When directing, you are not only responsible for making stylistic and visual decisions on set but you are also responsible for keeping the positive mood across the entire crew. You have to remember- especially for indie/lower-budget projects you’re directing- that the crew is working for you because they believe in you and the story you have to tell. They look to you to maintain high spirits and positive energy on set, and if you come to set with a pessimistic attitude and treat your crew with a lack of respect, no one is going to be motivated to do the best for your project.

As a director, I attempt to stay humble and remind myself that I am a human before a director or leader. Although being authoritative and commanding the space is essential as a director, it is also important to do this with grace and kindness. I constantly remind myself that I worked hard to get to where I am, but I also want to uplift the people around me and support their artistic endeavors, so I always view everyone on the crew as artists rather than people who simply just work for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://britneybautista.com/
• Instagram: @_britneybautista
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/britney-bautista-b992b515b
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdcpYHt8vEqr9oKrCMf4FTQ

Image Credits
Laura Song