From Tec to Vancouver Film School in Canada: her dream come true

When she completed her Animation and Digital Art degree, Belén García dreamed of studying cinematography in the United States or Canada, although she would need a scholarship to achieve it.

Even though she wasn’t fully convinced she’d be accepted and obtain it, she decided to apply a day before the call closed to study at the Vancouver Film School (VFS) in Canada.

“I had one week to apply but I said no, because I’d run out of time to prepare anything. But I plucked up the courage one day before and quickly shot a video and won the VFS scholarship.

“The truth is that my life changed at that moment, thanks to the Tec and the agreement it has with the VFS,” she said.

First projects

The graduate from the Tec’s State of Mexico campus knew from her very first day at the VFS that her passion was cinematography.

“I’d already worked as a photographer and that was what I enjoyed. The whole first year I focused on doing cinematography projects with my classmates,” she said.

When Belén graduated, she began working on independent projects covering different roles, including that of camera assistant and in the area of lighting for different short films.

“I started this way because I had heard it around that you should start this way, and not as a director right away.

“But I didn’t like it. I didn’t enjoy it. I asked myself, ‘Why won’t I say that I’m a cinematographer?’ If I believe it, then so will others,” she shared.

From theater to cinema

Belén’s work as a cinematographer encompasses dozens of projects, from short films, documentaries, and music videos to commercials. She also has two feature films in her portfolio.

“The first feature film I made was science fiction. We shot it in three blocks due to a lack of budget.

“We filmed one week, we waited three months, we filmed again for a week, we waited another three months, and we eventually ended with one more week of recording,” she explained.

The second feature film was with a theater company, as part of the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, the largest festival honoring Shakespeare in all of Canada.

“This festival is held every year, but it didn’t happen last year because of the pandemic. They decided to use the money to make a feature film with me as the cinematographer,” she said.

The style of the film was unconventional, explains Belén, because the approach was more theatrical. It’s about two people portraying several characters to reflect upon the figure of Shakespeare and his works.

“Working with stage actors is different. Stage lighting people are very different to film lighting technicians. It was new and refreshing for me,” she said.

The challenge of being a woman

In the short term, Belén is looking to take on bigger projects, to take on a feature film in which she feels connected and enjoys the story.

“I would like to work with a director with a strong vision with whom I also share a passion for the story,” she said.

On the other hand, she highlighted that one of the biggest challenges she has faced over the course of her professional career has been the fact that she is a woman.

“Generally speaking, being a female cinematographer is always more complicated. People don’t trust you and you have to prove that you have the knowhow and can do the job,” she said.

“The most important thing is to be patient and persevere, not to give up.” - Belén García

Cinematography and basketball

According to Belén, the tools provided by Tec de Monterrey have been very important to her professional success.

“During the degree course, they teach you how to sell a business idea or your project. This has been fundamental to my film career, because these types of projects require large budgets and you have to know how to make a good pitch,” she said.

When Belén performs a task as a cinematographer, she remembers her years as part of the Tec’s campus basketball team.

“It’s very similar, having a team and working together. Just like in basketball, you end up very tired. There’s a lot of physical exhaustion because you’re carrying equipment and other things.

“But ultimately, you see the result and, if it’s something you’re passionate about, you realize that it’s all worth it and you feel motivated to do it again,” she said.

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