J.I. Mardones Films shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi J.I. Mardones, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
From my point of view, intelligence, energy and integrity are equally important, but this time I want to talk more about INTELLIGENCE.
Intelligence is not exactly about being an excellent student in school, getting a college degree, a postgraduate diploma, and all that nonsense, but it is about having a vast knowledge in your field of work, as well as about history, politics, social phenomena, foreign cultures, art, music, etc., which finally makes you a more interesting person to deal with. Did I mention the importance of learning to anticipate different situations in your daily life?
In that sence, since graduating from film school, Life has taught me that HAVING STREET SMARTS is even more important and valuable than any postgraduate diploma. Unfortunately, it is something that is not taught in school or university, you just learn it after making so many mistakes when you are a young adult.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Since I graduated from college, in 2015, I always was thinking about creating something “mine”.
Great part of my career I have been making videos for different types of clients, by working as a camera operator and video editor, and after two or three failed attempts, in the year 2021 I finally could take the first step by creating “J.I. Mardones Films”, my video production company, life project and safe place where I create cinematic styled videos about… anything. The inpiration came one day, in the year 2020, after finding out the YouTube channel of an ukrainian videographer (https://youtube.com/@U4F_ToL), while I was investigating about 7Artisans lenses. Besides, in these days, Blade Runner 2049 was the movie that inspired me to work on my own style as a cinematographer.
Star Wars and heavy metal music always have been my most favorite topics, however, when I started “J.I.Mardones Films”, I was at a moment of my life where I did not want to be pigeonholed in any genre or style, and besides we where facing Covid pandemic yet, so I started to make videos about a lot of random thing, at home, around my neightborhood, without actors, and in some cases I also edited footage that I actually shot in the previous years. Then, in April 2022, I moved from Santiago de Chile to Austin TX, so “J.I.Mardones Films” took a new direction. Here in Austin I started to get into fashion film creation, event video production and BTS videography, the types of projects I mostly have been shooting since then.
In the year 2025, I already am celebrating 10 years of continuous professional career, so I currently am looking to make my next move as a filmmaker, so I recently began to work on my first short film as a producer/screenwritter/director/cinematographer/editor to be submitted in film festivals and streaming platforms that accept shorts. If things go well, I am going to make the next project with more budget and more cast & crew members.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
In the year 2015, when I finished the last semester in the film school and I was waiting for the date to give my final exam to get my college degree, in the midtime, I got my first job as a video editor.
To be honest, in the beginning it was not a nice experience because during the first months I realized that I missed a great opportunity of ensuring partnerships and continue working together with my university friends. Instead, we took different paths. Besides, in my first job I had to learn to deal with people I did not trust at all.
However, in 2025, looking back now, I think I was “lucky” in a certain sense because over the past few years, I have realized that being surrounded the whole time only by colleagues who hold the same personal beliefs and never find anything wrong with your work, actually makes you let your guard down and does not allow you to develop a broader and more detached vision of things.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Since I moved to Austin, there has been at least a couple times or key moments where I have been about to give up.
There was an event that I shot in July or August 2022, a blues concert, that became a disastrous experience due to all the technical issues I faced that time, which even made me consider to stop working as a filmmaker, as my main job, I mean, just focusing on my personal projects, not dealing with clients anymore, and of course, getting another main job to pay the bills. But then I thought “that seriously would mean throwing away everything I have fought for to get here”.
Then, at the end March 2025, my backpack was stolen at Guitar Center (be careful if you visit the North Austin location!). That was the first time I seriously thought “this would be the end of J.I.Mardones Films”, until I found out that the police arrested one of the thieves and I could recover, at least, my backpack and the Macbook within the next 48 hours after the incident. Fortunately, I could resume my daily routine as a filmmaker faster than expected.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
For me, to be a filmmaker is like any other job in our society, like being an engineer, an attorney, a doctor, a journalist, a bus driver, a salesperson, a gardener etc. And I am not just talking about fighting for better salaries and work conditions, I also am talking about earning respect as professionals.
Have you ever noticed that engineers always are correcting other people, when they mispronounce their expertise areas? In that sense, get in the habit of correcting people when they mistake you for a photographer or simply introduce you as “videographer”.
When you hire any service, such as painting the house, transporting objects on a truck, gardening, etc., the rate is never negotiated. So why should I have to lower mine and be more flexible with the payment conditions, as a video producer, in order to be awarded the project?
What does everyone do when they go to a restaurant and then realize that the food actually was not so good? They never go back again. So why should I refund you just because “my creative style did not match your expectations”? Just do not consider me for future jobs anymore and find another guy.
When an individual have an appointment with the doctor or the dentist, no one request them to use specific tools to do their job. So why should I accept that a client – who, by the way, is not a filmmaker, video producer, journalist, or creative director – asks me to film a whole project using a different camera setup instead of the one that I specially bought to do my job?
I hope all those daily life examples I have shown here are useful for other filmmakers, video producers, creative directors, photographers, actors, models, etc, who also are struggling with lack of respect, low salaries and awful payment conditions.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
Wow! Retiring from filmmaking sounds too radical for me, but instead, I can tell you that I already have had previous experiences leaving jobs and projects, so… yes! people definitely miss my ability to find creative solutions, as well as my professionalism and good aesthetical taste.
However, I also have learned an uncomfortable truth: in capitalist society, no one is indispensable.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jimardones.wixsite.com/films
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jimardonesfilms
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/jimardones
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jimardonesfilms
Image Credits
All the images (screenshots and BTS pictures) belong to J.I.Mardones Films, except the Personal Photo which was taken by Sisu Cinema Robotics (https://instagram.com/sisucinemarobotics) and edited by J.I.Mardones Films.
