We recently connected with Catalina Parra and have shared our conversation below.

Catalina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us 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?

Thanks Canvas Rebel for bringing us creatives together. I grew up exploring my hometown of Houston through photography, joined the film club at the University of Chicago, then attended film school at USC. Film school was essential to my story, there I realized the endless lighting and camera techniques that have built the industry and art form. A huge crew paints every frame you see in a tv show or movie. Knowing that, I wish I dedicated more energy to paint frames intentionally— to study visuals of films that have moved me. But at the end of the day, filmmaking is more than learning medium, it’s about the network which, I believe, can’t be sped up.

The best we can do on production sets is be confident and practice creativity. To get to that level of vision, you need to prepare. Pre-production is my friend, I spend hours looking at lighting references, testing camera lenses and systems, taking pictures at the location. Studying other leaders is the best way to learn, especially on set. Another essential skill I learned is how to use the tools so that I can reinvent how to use them. I learned the formulas, then wielded them to the creative vision. Cinematography is like a vault of knowledge. Combining my team’s skills with mine, I can pull together every element. No matter how much you may know, doubt is normal, I never felt like I “new enough.” Especially, in a male dominated field like Cinematography, I truly forced myself to stay confident and make mistakes. There is no finish line to cross to believe in yourself, no rule that says I don’t know enough.

Catalina, 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?

As a child, I loved hitting our local movie rental house– an old theater turned into a library of DVDs (it’s now a restaurant)- every Sunday. There was something so magical about sharing a movie with my family, we feel same emotions and experience tiny world within. This phenomenon led me to the medium of filmmaking. Since moving to LA, I’ve worked as an AC, Gaffer, and occasional G&E swing or PA. Then, I started the DPing and working on narrative drama and horror short films, documentaries, webisodes. Partnering with directors were vital relationships in my career, we shared the same language of storytelling and leadership and kept telling stories together. DPing short films is mostly a labor of love, we fundraise for films, scrapping every dollar we could for the film and crew.

For another stream of income, I started my own business, Catalina Parra Films, Inc., focused on providing videography projects, using my own gear, for clients such as musicians and small business owners. Now, I film events, music videos, and marketing content. I work with clients from preproduction through post. Working with people around LA, I can learn about different industries and gain new skills – I’ve also started Marketing Management with a client in the health and wellness business.

When it comes to my work as a Director of Photography, and Videographer, here are my pillars: Vision, Efficiency and Empathy. Vision is brainstorming and imagining the possibilities. Efficiency; filmmaking requires a lot of mental and physical energy. I love an assembly line to pack the truck or assigning references before I even start an edit. Empathy, to myself, my crew and my client. We’re making art and that should be a release, not stressful.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Art gives society a chance to escape and enjoy entertainment. Art gives society a way to look and interrogate itself. For that reason, it is important to respect the hustle of every artist. As an artist, I still need to be my own accountant and manager. In the past, our parents would ask “what do you wanna be when you’re older?” And we could only say one thing. The world of niches is over. We live in a society where it’s more valuable to be good at many things in many industries. Ideally, we would all be artists. The new wave of social media reels and Tik Tok lets anyone be a creative and I see how the power of media can travel in apps like that. I admire everyone that uses their platform to create positive change. I grow as an artist diving into new forms of storytelling and hope to explore these social platforms throughout my career.

If you really want to ask me how we can support our community’s creative ecosystem, I believe it’s about healing. Healing together. Connecting to others. Everyone is on their own journey of healing internal struggles, and doing so with intent can drive our society to new heights. Only once we are at peace with ourselves can we truly give energy to others and to art. As I write this, I know it sounds a bit “hippie-dippie,” but an ecosystem means a community that interacts and connects with one another. That can only happen when we heal within ourselves. And, I will say a creative artstic environemnt does help that healing. For me, it’s the art of Cinematography — but it’s also writing, reading, cleaning, cooking. I can only imagine the art that we will create together!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

As a Director of Photography, I take on a huge leadership role. I lead the lighting and camera team, while also communicating with the director and all other department heads. My goal is to be a good leader, to inspire my crew, to listen to them, to instill creativity and hard work. As a female leader, there’s more pressure to perform and drive confidence, but it’s important to be that woman on set. The truth can only be performed in front of the camera if everyone behind the scenes is comfortable and honest as well.

I’ll also take this moment to reflect on the artists that inspire me. Akira Kurosawa’s dedication to craft and process, using the medium to explore truth and what makes us human. Manet and Picasso who pushed the boundaries of perspective– I also admire painters, Georgia O’Keefe and Frida Kahlo, who were vulnerable without saying much. I look up to filmmakers like Agnes Varda, Mandy Walker, Reed Moreno, Issa Rae and Maya Erskine.

The last thing I’ll touch on is my identity, it’s really important to me and what has been driving my journey since the beginning. The first film I ever made was a documentary about multi ethnicity. I interviewed my Colombian-American father and my Taiwanese immigrant mother. They spoke about raising two mixed daughters – the marvel of watching their trilingual mixed daughter not only fit into their different backgrounds, but also fitting in with her majority white communities in Houston. My mixed identity drives me everyday. I want to be a symbol of multi ethnicity for people like me. It’s not about normalizing being mixed, it’s about celebrating it — especially in front of the camera and behind.

Contact Info:

• Website: catalinaparrafilms.com
• Instagram: @cat_atalinaparra
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catalina-parra/

Image Credits
Stills from “After the Beep” directed by Alyssa Katalyna Fritz Stills from “St. Arcadia” directed by Domino Martinez BTS Photography by Amber Rose Jones