Meet Nicole Emiliana Mendez, M.F.A. | Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Emiliana Mendez, M.F.A. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Initially, I started making art because it was a challenge. I took a drawing class and was easily the worst student, but by the end I was on par with everyone else. At the time – in my early 20’s – artmaking proved to be a good outlet for easing symptoms of PTSD I was experiencing from prior childhood sexual abuse. I think this is the reason I stuck with it and eventually changed my major from mathematics to fine art. I spent a decade painting and exhibiting, and once I felt I’d mastered my craft, I began looking for new mediums to work in and found film. Film is great because there’s old and new technology to play with, and with tech continuously evolving I am constantly challenged and learning new ways of working. In other words, I never get bored!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Choosing to be an artist isn’t an easy path; there are ups and downs and over the years I’ve often supplemented my art income with “regular” jobs. In 2023, I had the privilege of focusing full-time on my film business, Company Dime Pictures. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to immerse myself in creative work. I was editing and coloring films, creating short promo videos, doing real estate and product photography; any type of work I was asked to do, I would do it. It was going well, but I found myself without sufficient creative energy leftover for personal projects and I realized that being fully self-employed wasn’t what I wanted in my professional life.

This year I decided to run Company Dime Pictures part-time. I landed a regular position working in the Literature & Writing department at CSUSM where I am surrounded by creatives and close to the academic world I love. Having a predictable stream of income allows me to be more selective about the freelance jobs I take on. Currently, I am focusing my company work solely on postproduction and personal projects.

From the moment I began pursuing filmmaking, I gravitated toward post work. My instinctive editing approach has been further cultivated over time through the devouring of books by Walter Murch and Sergei Eisenstein. My color grading skills are informed by my formal visual art education. I am a huge fan of color theory. I learned to paint from a student of Josef Albers who shared an original copy of his 1963 Interaction of Color with her students; I recall standing in awe of the magic of color. Years later I was further excited when I took a color science class at ARRI and began learning about imaging workflows, color appearance models, and how camera sensors capture color. With my business having a clearer direction in 2024, I can continue developing these postproduction skills I love.

As for my own projects, I am working on a couple of experimental short films, writing new screenplays, and researching representations of trauma in film. I also continue to film weddings through Nicole Emiliana Weddings, an offshoot of Company Dime Pictures. I love people watching and weddings provide ample opportunity to play with different lenses and technologies like Lensbaby filters, anamorphic lenses, and Super 8 film.

It’s not uncommon for my friends and family to look at me like I’m crazy for taking on so much, but I honestly feel like my work is a vacation. I truly love everything I do. My goal in life is to leave a substantial recognized body of creative work so that my three brilliant children and future grandchildren will have something to remind them that anything is possible. It’s important to have a voice and it’s important dream.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When I’m entertaining visitors from out of town, I love to bring them to the San Diego Zoo. For art, I like to visit The Broad or my friend’s gallery in Escondido, Distinction Art. Diamond Valley Lake in the springtime is another favorite spot of mine for hiking and photography. Most of the places I go are kid friendly!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
As an MFA student in their program, SDSU’s TTF faculty supported and believed in me in a way that I had never previously experienced. Their enthusiasm, encouragement, kindness, and unparalleled mentorship helped instill in me the confidence that I needed to succeed and quite honestly, what I needed to survive. Additionally, I never would have pursued a film degree if it weren’t for Greg Durbin who welcomed me into his film class when I had zero filmmaking experience.

Instagram: nicoleemiliana

Other: Your are welcome to contact me at nicole@companydimepictures.com

Image Credits
“tamales” film still (cinematography by Nicholas Calabria). This film still is from a film I wrote and directed called The Dress. The purple still is from my film Bad Child.