ABOUT ME
For almost 20 years, I have pursued a career in Multimedia & Design as a Photographer, Graphic Artist and in Filmmaking as a Producer, Camera Operator, Film Editor, Motion Graphics Designer, and Colorist. An award-winning filmmaker, I enjoy all aspects of filmmaking, from creative development and shoot planning, to camera operating and lighting, then finalizing a project through post-production. I have been involved in both documentary and narrative feature film projects for broadcast and distribution, as well as commercial online content for non-profits, artists, and educational institutions that inspired their target audiences and required innovative thinking.
Feature documentaries I have edited that have won awards include: Zydeco Breakfast awarded Documentary Feature Division Prize at the 2016 Capital City Black Film Festival in Austin; A Horseback Ride to the Soul awarded Best Documentary at the 2015 New Mexico Filmmaker’s Showcase in New Mexico; The Young Ancestors awarded Best Documentary at the 2015 New Mexico Women in Film Fiesta in New Mexico; and Wild Horses and Renegades awarded Audience & Best Documentary Feature Awards at the 2011 ITN Film Festival in New York.
Most recently, I was Second Camera Operator, Editor, Motion Graphics Designer & Colorist for the feature Documentary, Nasario Remembers the Río Puerco, which aired on New Mexico KNME-PBS in October, 2017, and was Nominated for Best Documentary at the 2018 New Mexico Filmmaker’s Showcase in New Mexico and an Official Selection at the 2018 Golden Door International Film Festival in New York. John Nichols, author of The Milagros Beanfield War, stated Nasario Remembers the Río Puerco is “a wonderful documentary…very moving. It’s right up there with the best I’ve ever seen.”
I have strong expert computer skills on both Mac and PC platforms in Adobe Creative Cloud (Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, Media Encoder, Audition, and InDesign) with Red Giant plugins, Final Cut Pro Studio, AVID, DaVinci Resolve, and MS Office Suite. I have shot stills and footage with Canon 7D, Canon 5D Mark II, Canon C100, and Sony a7s II.
I hold a B.A. Degree in Art from San Diego State University, and a B.A. Degree in Moving Image Arts from the College of Santa Fe. From 2013-2017, I served on the New Mexico Women in Film Board of Directors, as Vice President, Communications Chair, and NMWIF Fiesta! Producer. My duties included: Strategic Planning for future goals and best practices; creating public awareness initiatives; maintained Social Media sites and Website. I taught film production and post-production classes at Santa Fe University of Art and Design and Santa Fe Community College.
TESTIMONIALS
“I have had the pleasure of working with Shelene as a teaching colleague, as a member of my film faculty, and as the editor of my feature film, Final Cutz. Shelene brings a commitment and passion to all of her endeavors, enhancing everything she touches with her skilled talent, keen insights, and especially, her wonderful personality. I am now privileged to call her my very dear friend, and I so look forward to the next project we work on together. When you find a great editor, you hang on to them for life.”
“Shelene edited a fundraising trailer for our feature documentary : STILL DREAMING. The task at hand was complicated and delicate and she created a stunning piece of work, which has served us well in the making of the film.”
“It’s amazing how Shelene can put all the pieces together...She can turn chaos into clarity and beauty. ”
“Shelene has worked for me creating a series of short films, each of which required her to learn, in less than a week, all new information, many characters and the intent of the story. She was phenomenal. Not only can she have two editing systems open at once side by side and be working competently on both – say Final Cut and Avid – but she creates sensitive sequences in no time at all.”
“For “A Horseback Ride to the Soul, “ I hired Shelene as production and post-production editor. Again, I am very pleased by the quality of Shelene’s work and I have every confidence that the finished film will tell a beautifully crafted story, thanks in great part to Shelene’s professional and creative editorial abilities.”