We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daniel De Santiago a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniel, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Growing up I was always captivated by movies and the process of how they were made. I knew I either wanted to be an inventor or a film director as a child. In my Freshman year of high school I took a video class with my friends where we would mostly do funny little skit videos. It was all for fun, I never really thought I had any potential in filmmaking. I was a very doubtful kid growing up, I had little to no faith in myself, and though I loved being creative I never thought I was good at it. I realized later that type thinking was holding me back. In my senior year my video production teacher convinced me to compete in a state high school film competition for SkillsUSA. I was put under the Digital cinema category which is a 48 hour shoot with a prompt. I was partnered up with a friend and we got our prompt, shut ourselves in a room, and started storyboarding ideas. It was very hard at first. It felt like everything we were coming up with was impossible. Another friend of ours checked in on us to see how we were doing, I felt very discouraged and kind of wanted to give up, and he asked to hear some of the ideas we had come up with. I mentioned one I had thought of that I felt didn’t fit the prompt, and he said “do that one it’s perfect”, I realized it was, and I couldn’t believe I had allowed my self-doubt to undermine my confidence. I quickly wrote down a script and began shooting, finishing it before the countdown ended. I felt pretty proud of myself for getting a solid short film made, and when the award announcement ceremony came along, I didn’t think I would place at all. I thought maybe I’d get 3rd place, but when 3rd and 2nd place were announced from winners of other schools, I thought to myself “a well that’s okay you did your best, very fun opportunity.” Unexpectedly, we placed 1st. I was speechless, I felt that this was not supposed to happen, it was such an awakening for me. I’ve been so doubtful my whole life and didn’t think I had anything special within me that people could connect with. That experience changed my thought process. I became more confident in myself, and felt inspired to help others who feel hopeless, the way my friend helped me. I want to bring people into the light, to make everyone feel like they can do it. I try capturing that within my films, and am so thankful for the opportunity.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

What sets me apart is my love for every aspect of filmmaking. I do every job with passion and careful focus, whether that’s directing, acting, cinematography, grip, etc. I have done shooting and editing jobs for companies such as Scout to Hunt, and I do take these jobs from time to time, but my heart is really in it for creating meaningful narrative films. I try to push myself to constantly be in the process of creating. When I finish a job, or a short film, I immediately start working on my next one. I hope to be able to collect the resources to make a feature length film soon, and to develop a pattern of constant and evolving creation. In the meantime, I love working on other filmmakers projects, helping in any way I can. I am usually put in as an actor and sometimes behind the scenes. As a chilean-american filmmaker, the stories I’m driven to tell are simultaneously grounded and heightened, surreal and realistic, capturing the world around me in a way only I can.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a filmmaker is catching those unexpected moments that develop when you get a bunch of people together to create something unique. Whether its a look, a line, or an image, catching those moments is genuine movie magic and nothing feels better.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I do not believe in non-creatives, because I know that everyone in their heart is creative. The mere act of existence is a creative one. Things like doubt, fear, and self-hatred often stifle the creative spirit, but you cannot allow these things to stop you. My first works were awful, but I don’t let that hold me down, I am grateful for those old projects because they have helped develop me into the artist I am. Make what you want to see, and if its terrible it doesn’t matter, keep trying. That’s the process.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dolandesanti/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dolanfilms568
• Other: https://vimeo.com/user71950235

Image Credits

Zakk Sowards, Vivian Cristeche.