The Short story

Nina Ham is a Canadian and Mexican filmmaker based out of Los Angeles, California. 

As a cinematographer, Nina specializes in dramatic interviews, and loves the process of developing the visual language and rules for narrative work. She shoots internationally, including Italy, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and the Netherlands.

As a director, Nina leads spots for serious progressive political candidates to comedic branded content for major companies. She has extensive experience interviewing, and her variety of skills in shooting, lighting and editing allow her to be a more informed, resourceful and efficient director. 

In any position, she creates a collaborative working environment where all roles are respected, valued, and treated fairly. 

In her downtime, Nina enjoys cooking, DIYing, propagating her succulent army, surfing, scuba diving, and being the person her friends would come to in the eventual apocalypse.

The longer story

According to legend, Nina Ham was born under a blood-red sky* on an island in British Columbia.  It was the night of Halloween. Upon delivering her in their family friends’ living room, her Canadian father attempted to inform her Mexican mother of the details: “It’s a nina,” he said.** 

Nina’s first encounter with the law occurred at a young age when she was picked up by the island police after escaping from the family backyard. Nina informed them she was on her way to rent a video from Chuck Wong’s store. Other early childhood experiences consisted of chasing crabs, imaginative play, and putting slugs in buckets.

Upon moving to the United States, it was discovered that Nina Could Not Read. She had memorized the books in Canada, and these new books, well. They were not yet memorized. Once literacy was established, Nina’s voracious reading habit took place mostly in the bathroom, where she could not be disturbed. Favorites included Alice in Wonderland, Calvin and Hobbes, and Italo Calvino’s Italian Folk Tales.

In the fourth grade, Nina auditioned last minute for the theatrical production of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and scored the titular role of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. This stage play featured multiple super-sick pyrotechnics and has essentially been the pinnacle of her career in entertainment.

In high school, Nina became obsessed with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, literally and cinematically, visiting the website daily and learning all the actors names. She saw each film multiple times in theaters. When the Phantom of the Opera film came out, Nina secured the role of Junior Class President just so she could plan a masquerade-ball themed Prom. She made custom masks for all her friends. Her senior year, she played the role of a lock-picking expert in a not-short-enough student heist movie titled “The Heist.”*** Never without a camera, Nina would scan her developed film images and upload them to Photobucket.com so she could share them with friends via AOL Instant Messenger. Photobucket.com continues to email Nina demanding a subscription as they no longer accept free accounts. Her photographic history is now subject to deletion. 

CUT TO:

Years later, after adventures through philosophy school, art school, hospitality and retail, Nina found her way to film-making through the musicians and artists needing music videos at UW-Madison (she was the only one with a 5D mark II). Drawn towards storytelling from a childhood filled with literature and play, her background in photography also aided a natural transition into cinematography, and eventually directing.

Her work isn’t celebrated, nor does she have any recognizable awards. It doesn’t bother her that much, but eventually it might be nice. The appeal of awards and fame isn’t why she fell in love with film-making. She fell in love with film-making because she really enjoys creatively collaborating with other people. But eventually, doing good work that others recognize as being good and getting awarded for being good would feel good. Money isn’t enough. She wants power as well. 

*As told by Nina’s mother. 

**As opposed to “niña,” which is Spanish for “girl.”

***This film did not pass the Bechdel test. Is this even a thing any more?