Carlos Montaner is a Director of Photography who combines a passion for collaborative visual storytelling with the speed and efficiency needed to bring projects in under budget. He has shot over 100 national and international commercial campaigns, including the San Francisco Super Bowl spot for ESPN. He has also worked as an embedded BTS DP on Blumhouse’s Five Nights at Freddy's and shot marketing and promotional materials for major clients such as Netflix, Paramount, Universal, Ubisoft, Xperi and Disney.

 

His fictional work has been showcased in films such as Waking Karma with Michael Madsen (XYZ Films) and Friends and Lovers with Robert Downey Jr. (Lionsgate), where he brought the director’s vision to life through precision, creativity and the language of lighting.

 

Documentary filmmaking is also a passion of his. He has shot extensively for the History and Discovery channels and has directed his own documentary, The Grandchildren of the Cuban Revolution, which was an official selection at both the Cincinnati Film Festival and the International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in Brussels.

 

Carlos holds an MFA in Cinematography from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. Early in his career, he had the rare opportunity to learn the art of visual storytelling and lighting under the mentorship of Oscar-winning cinematographers Néstor Almendros and Michael Ballhaus.

 

Carlos was raised in Madrid, Spain by Cuban parents, which meant he was immersed in different cultures and traveled often. These experiences shaped his perspective and his passion for diverse storytelling. Currently based in Los Angeles, Carlos continues to travel the world when not at home with his dog, Spike.