Today we’d like to introduce you to David C. Nelson.
Hi David C. , so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Filmmaking and storytelling has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. Going to the theater when I was 3 years old with my parents to see Jurassic Park, enthralled with the images. That translated to being at home watching movies on repeat, but also watching the making of films on VHS, ‘Star Wars: The Making of a Saga’ and ‘The Making of Jurassic Park ‘; I probably watched those as much as the movies themselves.
I didn’t know filmmaking was a job I could have; I was just fascinated with the craft of filmmaking and storytelling, how these images and the people behind them could create such worlds with imagination.
I would ride the bus to school, and I would see people walking on the street and would imagine where they went, as if a camera was following them, where they would go and what they would do. I didn’t know I was thinking of edits and crafting a story; I thought I was just daydreaming.
In my sophomore year of High School, I signed up for a video class, and I was instantly hooked: camera, editing, story, etc.
From then on, I was going to make filmmaking my life. When I graduated high school, I decided to head off to community college; I felt like going to a university wasn’t the right choice for me.
All I really wanted was access to camera equipment. And that’s what I got, and in that time in college, I met people who were just as hungry as I was to make short films and hone our craft.
I made several short films with friends, each mounting to larger and more ambitious, eventually making a neo-western in the key of Robert Rodriguez’s
‘El Mariachi’. Our film ‘The Faded Line’ was shot exclusively at golden hour, on weekends from Augst to November of 2011. We had to dodge drug dealers, prostitutes, and junkies trying to take our equipment; in the end, though, we finished the film in 2012 and ended up winning the Community College Film Festival.
In 2013, I got the opportunity to work for Special Makeup Effects Artist Gabe Bartalos at his Atlantic West Effects shop in Sun Valley, CA.
I worked there for a year and a half; in that time, I learned that you have to enjoy the process of creating, that the details matter, and that the time it takes and the management of time is important.
When my time was up there, I trudged along with part-time work, still pursuing filmmaking.
Fast forward to 2019, I found the next level of mentorship at L.A. Acting Studios in North Hollywood. Director and Owner David Rountree’s method of teaching actors is how to prepare them to act for camera, where to find your mics, and where to find your marks on set.
I learned how to work with a director as a cinematographer at this time, and how to light a scene in 10 minutes. The reason was that at the end of every month, for 5 classes throughout the week, we would film up to 6 scenes, with 12 actors, or sometimes 14 actors, with 3 cameras, and professional sound.
In between classes, we’d have to reset to a different set and lighting setup. I remember not getting the lighting as it was intended to be, and it wasn’t a great feeling. I had been used to lighting interviews in the last few years and not in dramatic or comedic lighting. So I hit the books (the movies) and started to craft light and shadow; I made sure I was the guy they thought of when they needed lighting. Cause at the time, it wasn’t guaranteed you’d be called back to come and film classes.
When 2020 hit, we were out for a few months, but we got back to it. I stayed at the studio until 2022.
That same year, I was hired at a marketing agency, my first real job, but doing what I love to do: shooting video and editing video.
This was where I grew the most in terms of communicating with clients and business owners and addressing extensive notes.
While working there, I met my producing and directing partner, Connor Ryan. This leads us to where we’re at now.
In 2024, I moved in with my then-fiancé, now wife, Chelsea, in Valley Center.
That same year, Connor and I made ‘Memoria Obscura’, a sci-fi cyberpunk, retro-futurism short film.
Since the film’s release in 2025, it has been selected in multiple festivals, nominated, and won over 30 awards. With many more still to be heard from.
We’re currently working on developing it into a feature film.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road of creativity is always a rough one, but not as rough as it could be. Having parents who were supportive and encouraging and even helped out with projects was huge. I can’t thank them enough.
Big struggles were wrestling with myself, not thinking I’m good enough, or why isn’t such and such working. And working jobs that were nowhere near what I wanted to do.
In those jobs, though, I had time to think and daydream and come up with ideas. If you’re a creative, always carry something to write ideas on. You can use your phone, but there is just something about pen to paper that changes the dynamic of creativity.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a filmmaker, and I specialize in creating high-production-value videos and films on a budget.
I am known for co-directing and co-producing the award-winning short sci-fi film ‘Memoria Obscura’
What sets me apart from others is my dedication to the details, craft, and history of filmmaking and to infusing anyone’s vision to maximize its impact on the viewer.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I can’t give one. I’ll give you three.
1. The first time going to Universal Studios Hollywood, Backlot Tour. I was in the movies as far as I was concerned, from King Kong attacking the tram to the Earthquake scene to the falling bridge (when it was still open and part of the tour). It was a life-changing experience for me.
2. Opening day of The Matrix: This was a groundbreaking film that I was there for that I vividly remember, and it was a cinema-changing experience for everyone there.
3. When I was chosen to go up on stage and be part of a magic act, in front of a large theater of people, I made people laugh, and I got a good reception from the crowd. I got the bug to entertain people from that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dcnfilm.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davenelsonfilm/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davecnelson/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrH0hFcCZtV9AK38fdAsERQ
- Other: https://memoriaobscuramovie.com/
