Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa “Mel” Mederos.
Hi Melissa “Mel”, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was a kid back in South Florida, I would make home videos with my Barbies coming up with insanely intricate scenarios. I would record them on a little camcorder, and as the years went on I pushed that creativity that my younger self had to the back of my mind.
As a first-generation American, when time came to pick what I would study in college, I felt the pressure to choose a career that others found “honorable”. After that failed to be fulfilling (as it does when you are not true to yourself), I chose to study Filmmaking.
I was the definition of a novice when I began my journey at New York Film Academy in South Beach, Miami. I had amazing teachers that took the talent that I had and molded it into something that I never thought I would be able to have.
After the pandemic hit, I stayed in school online, and when classes came back in person, I decided to make the huge decision to move to the Los Angeles campus alone. As it always does when one moves far away from their hometown; the beginning was very rocky. But, my time in LA has given me so much knowledge about the film industry and how I want to navigate as a Director and Screenwriter.
I graduated this in April with a BFA in Filmmaking and with my two short films, “MAMA’S BOY and “Anniversary Dinner” under my belt. I hope that my journey continues to be is fruitful as it has been thus far. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to make it in such a big city without the help from family, friends, and amazing mentors.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A huge obstacle that I ran into in LA is having to do everything alone. I didn’t have any family or connections out here, having to make my own family and my own life from scratch. But, being at a school that has a community-focused environment definitely helps ease the sense of loneliness that happens when you leave family and friends behind in another state.
The very nature of Los Angeles, being a place where you can make yourself from nothing, definitely is one of the reasons why I love it so much.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Screenwriting was something I was born to do. I’ve always had a talent for telling stories, and I have strengthened my ability to do so.
I thoroughly enjoy writing and directing horror films. Mostly those of the psychological horror genre.
I love telling stories centered around the villain no one ever suspects. Seemingly calm, cool, and collected individuals. With both of my short films, I portray the damage that society and toxic relationships have on someone’s psyche.
Directing films is something that I’ve always been passionate about, being able to aid an actor’s performance, and the overall ambiance of a film is the most fulfilling feeling of any storyteller.
On sets other than my own, I am a script supervisor. I’ve always had an attention to detail and a talent for keeping track of things. It’s a role that often goes under the radar, but it is extremely important to the continuity of any film.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Whenever people tell you, you can’t do things, prove them wrong.
But mostly, do things for yourself, shut the world out when it gets too loud to hear yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mariposaproductions.my.canva.site/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/melmderos?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-mederos-b3a513199
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MariposaProductionsLLC/about
- Other: https://mariposaproductions.univer.se/?fbclid=PAAab8nrqjGk8xnWpOLOGYQEb0LT6AHKWPMg2M6l72pq0ea3LV38P9hJu0OVg
Image Credits
Maria Jose Del Pozo
