Quote
Life is beautiful

Professional / Personal Overview

Filmmaker Mauricio Soto was born in Colombia in 1975 and studied Film and Television Production at the University of Westminster, London/UK .  After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in 2002, he moved  to New York City where he started freelancing in the film, television, and web industries under various capacities: from production assistant and logger, to camera assistant, video assist, photo assistant and digital tech. Then as a cinematographer and video editor.   Mauricio is a creative and technical professional who is always learning and expanding his technical skills while developing his creativity.   He attends seminars and classes to keep up with current industry trends.  While he was taught editing at school in the old analog method he now is proficient in non linear editing.   By working with renowned fashion, beauty and commercial photographers he learned about lighting.

In 2007 Mauricio incorporated his company Above All Productions, Inc.

 

 

Interview 

What is your dream job?
Frequently travel as a video journalist and/or documentary filmmaker.

Describe your dream assignment:
To discover the world, meet new people, learn from the experience, shoot video, edit, tell a story, upload the finished video, and then do it again, without  worrying about expenses.

What is the most important thing in your life?
Life itself. I want to live a spiritual life and do good for humanity.

What’s your idea of a perfect Saturday night?
Sitting comfortably in front of an amazing view somewhere in the world while having a conversation with a local new friend.

What’s your idea of a perfect Monday morning?
My perfect Monday morning is one that comes unnoticed because I’m not counting the days to pay the bills. It is the morning in which I wake up early and continue with my life and work; happily doing something productive.

In ten years, I want to be:
In ten years I want to be happy and without regrets.

Technical Skills
Shooting with HD video cameras, Phantom – high-speed cameras, DSLR and medium format photography cameras.
Lighting for video and photography.
Sound recording and mixing skills for documentaries.
Video assist / playback operator, and digital capture tech skills with Leaf Capture, Capture One, Sinar Capture, Canon EOS Utilities, Bridge, Lightroom, Aperture, P2CMS, ScopeBox, Veescope, OnLocation, Redcine-X, Clip Finder, ShotPut Pro, Cineform NeoHD First Light.
Video editing with Final Cut Pro, Premier, After Effects, Motion, Color.
Image retouching: Photoshop.
Web design with Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Flash, Fireworks, WordPress.

Education
9/99– 7/02 Bachelor’s Degree at University of Westminster London
BA HONS Film and TV Production
9/98– 7/99 Associate Degree at Westminster College, London/UK
Access to Media, English, History, Social Sciences and Humanities, and ESSOL English for Access
1/97– 12/97 Certification at Panico Studios London
Foundation Course in Filmmaking

Work Experience
Current Owner, President of Above All Productions, Inc. in New York, NY

1/03–1/07 Various, Freelance New York, NY
Worked for a large number of film, video, photography, and web productions, including feature films, short films, documentaries, reality shows, infomercials, commercials, and photo shoots (fashion, beauty, editorial, commercial, product, art, life style). Worked as a videographer, lighting cameraman, video assist, playback operator, video engineer, editor, digital photographer, digital tech, digital capture technician, photo assistant, web designer, DVD authoring, office tech support, sound person, cable wrangler, production assistant, camera assistant, assistant editor, logger, runner, assistant everything.

Languages
English and Spanish

Associations
IDA – International Documentary Association
NALIP – National Association of Latino Independent Producers