Meet Juliana Carpino: Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Juliana Carpino and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Juliana, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
Definitely the amount of time and work that goes into prepping for a job. I feel like people who don’t work in film/television watch the movie or the show and don’t understand how vital the director’s job is, to make that show or television come to life. Friends and family in my personal life that don’t work in entertainment are always so fascinated when they find out how detailed and intense my job is, from sitting with set designers to figure out what the sets are going to look like, prepping with the director of photography to design a mood/tone for the overall picture, building out appropriate color palettes, finding reference photos, storyboarding, constantly reviewing and breaking down the scripts to make sure I understand the story as best I can to better communicate to the actors/talent what it is the story needs from them.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a video director. I naturally express myself through darker tones and elements in my work. I personally enjoy watching horror and thrilled films so I always pull reference photos from some of my favorite films that inspire lighting ideas, color palettes or camera shots. I like to think that my darker tones and creative ideas tend to set me apart from other director’s work in the video world. I came up through my first short film that circulated in the film festivals in 2017. The film was recognized internationally and helped to bring me to my current team that I work with now. It was definitely a lot of work, trying to stay persistent with networking and keeping motivated. I really worked hard at knowing I had to prove myself which eventually lead me to better opportunities and meeting more people who could connect me to people that were aligned with what I needed at the time. One lesson that really sticks out to me (which I wish I knew when I was younger) is knowing your worth. I definitely got more “no’s” than I can count but I never let that change the quality of my work or the quality of work I was able to produce.

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.
We would definitely take a drive up the PCH, I love the ocean. For good food in a more social environment, I love Ysabel and Mama’s Shelter for something a little calmer. Hiking in the valley is great and ATV’ing in the desert near Palm Springs is a really fun afternoon. I really like adventures and spending the whole day outside so anything that has me moving and enjoying time with family and friends – count me in! Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mentor from a distance – Reed Morano. Reed was my biggest motivation when getting into film. I found her directorial debut and fell in love with the story and was captivated by how it made me feel, and I remember it instantly solidified my love for telling stories.

Website: www.julianacarpino.com

Instagram: @julianacarpino

Image Credits
Bazzi