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Who Nicole Rinaldi Is

Nicole Rinaldi is a Director and Designer with a particular interest in short-form for its capacity for experimentation. She’s resourceful- she took an old watercolor set and construction paper and turned it into a short that became an official selection at Animayo, an Academy-Qualified festival.

 

She’s young- but that’s because she hit the ground running. She completed the BFA program at Emerson in three years, having to fight the administration to become the youngest person to do so.

 

She’s a garden weed that cracks concrete- thriving where it’s unexpected for her. She takes her below-the-line experience in cinematography and production into an interdisciplinary approach to directing and design. 

 

With a concern for the future of filmmaking, Nicole volunteered for Film Fatales and prioritizes stories that are underrepresented. A key aspect of her style is to make sure the camera is at eye-level with the subject, making sure an audience isn’t looking down on or looking past characters because of a common unconscious bias in camerawork. 

 

As a designer, she has worked on features and shorts, ranging from 1600s period pieces to a storybook village, to even a grimy motel built in an AFI lecture hall. Nicole is drawn to films that allow her to elevate the narrative by integrating psychological elements into her design. For instance, in the Panavision New Filmmaker’s Grant Film, The Chosen One, she utilized vertical lines and pinstripes to emphasize how trapped the protagonist felt in his current world. 

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Photo of Nicole Rinaldi
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Really About 

- Nicole considers herself a "Milkshake Afficianado" because she has a milkshake maker at home she likes to experiment with

- Currently Watching: Cruel Summer, The Floor is Lava, and Better Call Saul

- Currently Trying to Master: Making the little leaf on lattes, after finally figuring out how to froth oat milk

- Currently Working On: A Pilot about AP Comp Sci Nerds navigating Senior year based on her experiences as an AP kid with a learning disability.

 

FESTIVAL SELECTIONS

Other Cool Facts

WINS AND NOMINATIONS

Accomplishments

-WINNER- Best Music Video- Prospector Int'l Film Festival 2022-

-WINNER- Best in Block "The Good Dad"- Blackbird Film Festival 2021

-WINNER- Best Music Video- NYLIFF 2021-

Nominated for The Heart and Soul Award- Blackbird Film Festival 2021

Nominated for Best Animated Film- NYLIFF 2021

Nominated for Best Short Direction, Best Dramatic Short- NYLIFF 2020

Nominated for The Powerful Voice Award- Blackbird Film Festival 2020

Nominated for Outstanding Single-Camera Direction- EVVY Awards 2020

Nominated for Outstanding Design for Film and Studio (3X)- EVVY Awards 2019

Emerson College's Nominee for the Student Kodak Awards, across both undergraduate and graduate levels

Placed into Advanced Production Design in College without having to take pre-requisite classes

 

Gold Key Honor Society Member

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