Nelson Carvajal
Birthday:
10 January 1985, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Birth Name:
Nelson E. Carvajal
Height:
168 cm
Nelson Carvajal, the oldest son of Maria Hernandez and Nelson G. Carvajal, was born in the city of Chicago, Illinois and grew up in the Logan Square neighborhood. From the time he was eight years old, Nelson immersed himself in movies; whether it was reading Roger Ebert in the weekly Chicago Sun-Times or staying up late watching old VHS tapes of &q...
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Nelson Carvajal, the oldest son of Maria Hernandez and Nelson G. Carvajal, was born in the city of Chicago, Illinois and grew up in the Logan Square neighborhood. From the time he was eight years old, Nelson immersed himself in movies; whether it was reading Roger Ebert in the weekly Chicago Sun-Times or staying up late watching old VHS tapes of "Goodfellas" and "Dog Day Afternoon," it was apparent that this young individual was in love with the cinema.While attending Chicago's Lane Tech College Prep High School, Nelson's concentration was in Theater Tech Studies, an area that coincided with movies and gave Nelson the opportunity to direct one-act plays. In 2002 Nelson, only a junior in high school, achieved early admission into the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. By high school graduation, however, Nelson wasn't realistically equipped to survive financially in New York (he was the first in his immediate family to go to college). As a result, Nelson enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. There on campus, Nelson became a film critic in the Arts & Entertainment section of the university's newspaper "The Pointer." In May of 2007, Nelson graduated from UWSP with a B.A. in Communication & Media Studies, along with a minor in Writing.Nelson has since established himself as a considerable force in the independent film movement, embracing digital, experimental filmmaking--while helping to grow the new media movie format that has since emerged. He is an impassioned supporter of the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) approach to producing content. His underground digital short films have been featured in the Fractured Lens Video Festival, the Bucktown Arts Festival, the Avant-Garde Remixed, the Cinema Culture's Seen and Heard Music Video Showcase, the Gadabout DIY Film Festival, the South Loop Film Festival, the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival, the UFO 0110 International Digital Film Festival, the Chicago International Movies and Music Festival (CIMM Fest), the Indie Boots Film Festival, the Oregon Independent Film Festival and the London Underground Film Festival. Added, Nelson's video essays on cinema are published in the Press Play Video Blog at indieWIRE and in the Keyframe section of Fandor. Show less «
I get uncomfortable sometimes when people ask me what I think my work means. I think a Director explaining his or her work or visual art -- ...Show more »
I get uncomfortable sometimes when people ask me what I think my work means. I think a Director explaining his or her work or visual art -- in particular with film -- can be a fruitless endeavor at times. It is what it is. The sad thing is, that kind of rationale pisses off most people. Show less «
When in doubt, look it up on IMDb.
When in doubt, look it up on IMDb.
If I want to tell a story or a share my view on something and have no money for high-end resources, I'll still manage to deliver my project....Show more »
If I want to tell a story or a share my view on something and have no money for high-end resources, I'll still manage to deliver my project. Whether it's filming something on my phone or recording audio on a tape recorder and displaying still photos in the back of a café, the power of the content will always triumph. It's not about how pretty your work is, it's about how true it is to what you're trying to express. Show less «
I decided to "do it myself" because I quickly realized that indie filmmaking had split into two arenas: commercial indie and new media DIY i...Show more »
I decided to "do it myself" because I quickly realized that indie filmmaking had split into two arenas: commercial indie and new media DIY indie. Show less «
The great thing about the time we're living in is that we have FREE tools to make this happen. It's getting harder for new artists to hide b...Show more »
The great thing about the time we're living in is that we have FREE tools to make this happen. It's getting harder for new artists to hide behind the "I'm waiting for the right moment to break in" facade. Show less «
Anyone who knows my shooting style knows that I'm not a fan of tripods. To me, most static "pretty" shots that I see from other indie filmma...Show more »
Anyone who knows my shooting style knows that I'm not a fan of tripods. To me, most static "pretty" shots that I see from other indie filmmakers represent an analogy for an elusive Hollywood-esque model of moviemaking. Ever been on a student film set and notice how much of the day goes to laboring over a shot that really doesn't grab you in the end? We go to the movies and are swept away by the big budget vistas and then for some reason we're convinced that our camcorder, a tripod and a light set will accomplish the same feel. And when it doesn't, we're surprised. But we shouldn't be. At the end of the day, it's all about the content of what we're trying to show, say or provoke in an audience. So instead of trying to mimic or recreate a sense of grandness without the necessary resources (like an outrageous Hollywood budget for example), why not create our own language for the cinema? Show less «
The cinema has always moved me, inspired me and broadened my perspective of the world. I want to have a say in it too.
The cinema has always moved me, inspired me and broadened my perspective of the world. I want to have a say in it too.
Nobody likes a diva. Independent artists only endure with some kind of support system and these days that system is online. If we can contin...Show more »
Nobody likes a diva. Independent artists only endure with some kind of support system and these days that system is online. If we can continue to curate good content online and really promote the hell out of each other on every possible page and platform, we will send an important message to the masses. That message: DIY is here to stay. Show less «
Nelson Carvajal's Photos
