Fernando Apodaca: Director / Artist / Composer
Fernando Apodaca is a film director, artist, and composer whose work has been created and exhibited internationally. His filmmaking style merges unique processes (stereoscopy, light projection, life casting and puppeteering) with visual surrealism and sculpture. Fernando is co-creator of Type3Films, a multimedia film production company, with his partner Jason Mueller. As a composer and artist, Fernando began his formal studies of classical violin and drawing at age four.
In 2005, Fernando’s short film Majini won awards for “Best Experimental” at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival. It was created while working as an artist in residence at photographer Peter Beard‘s hog ranch in Kenya. The film and related artworks, constructed from bronze, glass, leather and hair, were premiered in a solo exhibition at Phillips de Pury & Company, New York.
Fernando directed the music video for Pearl Jam‘s Life Wasted in 2006, which earned a nomination for “Best Special Effects” at the MTV Video Music Awards 2006. He was also awarded “Best Music Video Director” at the San Diego Film Festival 2006. Fernando created sculptures for the video while filming on location in Romania and Seattle, WA. They were included in the album’s packaging for Pearl Jam, along with still frames from the video.
Fernando has recently directed and produced a 3D video featuring the New York Dolls. He has also directed music videos for Chris Cornell, Unwritten Law, Mad Juana, Slightly Stoopid, and Mburu.
For Saco Hair, he created an innovative stereoscopic 3D instructional hairdressing library featuring London hairdresser Richard Ashforth.
In 2010, the research facility Panasonic Hollywood Labs selected Fernando for his “passion and appreciation of the arts” to direct a camera test demonstrating the creative possibilities of their full HD 3DA1 Camera system. The footage featured rare sea life at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and aerial acrobatics champion Tatyana Petruk.
He was a member of the storm chasing crew for Director Sean Casey’s Tornado Alley, an IMAX film documenting severe thunderstorms and tornados. The film premiered in theaters March, 2011.
An accomplished violinist and performer, Fernando’s musical compositions and performances encompass many genres, from classical to experimental. As a youth, Fernando trained with renowned classical violinist Frederic Balaz (Composer/Conductor).
In 2010, he toured to Brazil as a member of the Melali band (featuring musicians Rob Machado, Jon Swift, Todd Hannigan, Jesse Siebenberg, and Sam Bolle.) Their group will continue touring in April, 2011. Fernando has contributed original music for Melali-The Drifter Sessions by Rob Machado/Taylor Steele, State of S by Brian Taylor, Thicker Than Water by Jack Johnson, and Shelter by Chris Malloy/Taylor Steele.
In 2007, Fernando was hired by Kyocera Wireless to compose original ringtones for their mobile phones. Fernando performed the pieces using various instruments and methods, and included the percussion work of Chad Farran.
Working with the User-Interface Design team at Sonos in 2009, Fernando created a suite of unique sounds for the Sonos Controller 200. These sounds were deemed a huge success by the positive reviews submitted by users.
In January 2011, Fernando traveled to Hawaii to document the first ever Pipeline surf competition shot entirely in 3D for the Da Hui Backdoor Shootout event.
For the Adobe MAX 2011 event at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, Fernando designed and built a live aquarium installation for clients Adobe, Alioscopy and Intel featuring autostereo “no glasses” 3D display systems, interactive media and animated sculptures.
In January 2012, Fernando directed a promotional video for Altec Lansing Technologies showcasing their new wireless airplay speaker. He was also featured as a violinist accompanying singer/guitarist Todd Hannigan in the production.
In January of 2013, Fernando traveled to Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia and collaborated with the Kannon Dance Company on an experimental vignette.
In January 2013, Fernando traveled to Guatemala to direct the video for “Seeds of Tomorrow”. The project’s goal is to help end child malnourishment in the village of Tactic. It was sponsored by Houweling’s Tomatoes, Impact Ministries, Kubo Sustainable Greenhouse Projects and produced by Todd Hannigan.
Fernando graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from Pepperdine University, studied printmaking and figure painting at the SACI Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy, and attended SCI-ARC (the Southern California Institute of Architecture).
He continues to collaborate on productions with his partner Jason Mueller (Director of Photography/Cinematographer/Producer), brother Eddie Apodaca, and Todd Hannigan (Musician/Composer/Producer).