Meet Jorg Steins-Lauss | Filmmaker Cinematographer and Steadicam Operator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jorg Steins-Lauss and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jorg, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk has always played a massive part in my career as a freelancing filmmaker. The biggest opportunities and paths have occurred and remained as result of throwing caution to the wind.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am an indie filmmaker. I am primarily known as a horror filmmaker, because my early beginnings are all rooted from the horror scene. I got my start as a SFX artist, prop maker, costume fabricator, set designer, music composer, and lighting technician in the haunted house industry. I eventually decided to pursue filmmaking in order to make my own movies and decided to invest in film, sound, and lighting gear. In the pursuit to get an in, I got my start at horror film festivals and initially got hired to do location sound. But eventually I was pulled away from that all together and for the last 6 years I have been doing primarily cinematography and steadicam operating professionally. I have yet to direct any movies, but time to time, every so often I will direct a short or hop on to a project where my other crafts come to the table such as SFX, prop making, costume fabrication, and scoring. Which, to this day, Im not familiar with that many filmmakers or creatives who come with as many skills and resources.
And for the most part, has allowed me the ability to separate myself as a virtuoso horror creative and jump from project to project as a freelancing chameleon and not adhere to just one hat.

It has not been easy, there has been a lot of sacrifices, risks, time, and resources that have gone unto honing my craft as a creative freelancer, and even to this day, I continue to invest all my time and resources adding more to my repertoire, just to continue to go through my life as a creative freelancer. And I honestly wouldn’t want it to be any other way.

So the greatest lesson I have learned is to invest in what you love to do, and everyday will gift you experiences and opportunities that align with your heart.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If it’s around Halloween season, I will show them around some of my favorite haunted houses, which first and foremost goes to Dark Hour haunted house. Then some of my favorite museums, the Real Unreal, Ripleys Believe it Or Not, and the Perot, and lastly some of my favorite stores, Movie Trading Company and Half Price Books (apparently they aren’t much of a thing outside of Texas, specifically out in the East Coast.)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout goes to my partner in crime, Lucio Lopez, My 1st AC and sidekick through most of my crazy creative endeavors.

Website: samhain-studios.com

Instagram: instagram.com/samhainstudios

Other: https://www.sharegrid.com/p/samhainstudios

Image Credits
Little Spark Films, Nathan Gershon, Tori Yeager, Joe Blackwood, Cory Ahre, Catalina Querida, Joe Manco, Jayson Atz, Paul Streiner, Insomniac Films, Eugene Hawkins, Johnny Ortega, Art Hsu, Katarina Mahan, Mitch Wilson, Clayton Florio, Nils Nikishkov