REVERSIBLE & ELBISREVER (Original 1996 / Edit 2019)
Experimental Short Film / Cinematography Portfolio Piece
Shot on Arri Cameras and Kodak Motion picture Negative FilmÂ
A central piece of my cinematography portfolio, REVERSIBLE & ELBISREVER is a poetic meditation on time, memory, and the evolving urban landscape of 1990s New York City. By intertwining the forward journey of Eduardo Marquez with its mirrored, reversed path, the film creates a dreamlike, non-linear experience that transcends traditional narrative.
Captured in 1996 during my studies at the New York Film Academy, the project was shot entirely on 16mm Kodak Tri-X black and white film using an Arriflex 16S. To achieve its ethereal, slow-motion aesthetic, the footage was filmed at 48fps and played back at 24fps. This composite edit, reimagined and re-cut in 2019, traverses iconic, now-changed locations like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Twin Towers, anchored by the haunting imagery of Renata de la Peña.
Director & Cinematographer: Fito Pardo AMC
Camera: Arriflex 16S
Film Stock: 16mm Kodak Tri-X (B&W)
Frame Rate: 48fps (Slow Motion)
Locations: New York City (1996): Brooklyn Bridge, Twin Towers, TriBeCa
Cast: Eduardo Marquez, Renata de la Peña
Edit: 2019 Experimental Mix (Forward/Reverse)
While I Kiss the Sky II (Special Edition 2019; Original production 1996)
Kodak 16mm Film / Shot on Arri Cameras
Category: Experimental Short Film
Filmed in Brooklyn, New York, this experimental narrative follows a man’s frantic, obsessive labor in an industrial wasteland. While he is never seen committing the act, the man is the killer; the hole he is manically digging is intended as a final resting place for his victim. The woman is a ghost from the very first frame, watching him from a domestic space that feels both familiar and detached. The non-linear storytelling reaches its peak when she is finally placed into the earth—dropping out of a bag into the hole he has prepared—revealing the grim reality that has haunted the film’s atmosphere from the beginning.
Gritty, visceral, and hauntingly surreal. The film captures a 1990s Brooklyn aesthetic where the raw earth of the city meets the ethereal presence of a restless spirit.
Shot on 16mm Kodak film using an ARRI BL camera, the production relied on atmospheric lighting and precise cinematography to convey the supernatural. Because digital VFX were not available in 1996 to render the woman as a ghost, her spectral nature was achieved through purely cinematic language—using framing, performance, and rhythmic editing to suggest a presence that is there but not truly "alive". Originally edited on a Steinbeck in 1997, this 2019 special edition was color-graded in DaVinci Resolve to emphasize the high-contrast textures of the 16mm grain.
Director, Producer & Editor: Fito Pardo AMC
Cinematographer: Gernot Stadler
Written & Screenplay: Beth Easton
Cast: Jim Hines ("Killer") and Down Evans ("Ghost")
The Suitcase Thief (1996)
Kodak 16mm Film / Shot on Arri Cameras
Category: Experimental Short Film
Set against the backdrop of a rainy day in 1996 Manhattan, this experimental short captures a tense encounter on the corner of St. Marks Place. A man struggles with a heavy suitcase as the city pulses around him, leading to a gritty, street-level exploration of vulnerability and urban friction.
Shot on 16mm Black & White Kodak Negative using ARRI cameras. The cinematography emphasizes high-contrast textures and authentic street life, preserved in its original analog aesthetic and re-edited in 2019 to maintain its timeless, experimental edge.
Director & Cinematographer: Fito Pardo AMC
Camera Assistant: Eduardo Marquez
Assistant Director: Rafael Sandor
Cast: Edgardo Mejia (The Weak), Eduardo Marquez (The Thief)
Acapulco Regatta (1998)
Kodak 16mm Film / Shot on Bolex Cameras
Category: Experimental Short Film / Analog Showcase
A visual exploration of a sailing regatta in Acapulco, capturing the raw energy of the sea, the intricate mechanics of the vessels, and the focused movements of the crew during the competition.
Filmed on location using a Bolex Paillard camera on 16mm Kodak Black and White negative. The project emphasizes the organic texture of analog film, featuring handheld movement and high-contrast imagery to highlight the interplay between sunlight and the ocean.
Cinematography & Editing: Fito Pardo AMC
Telecine: BenjamÃn Fernández (Digital Sprockets)
Mosquito Shot (1996)
Kodak 16mm Film / Shot on Arri Cameras
Experimental Short Film
A rhythmic and frantic exploration of urban insomnia, following a man’s desperate battle with a persistent mosquito during a sleepless night in a New York City apartment.
Shot on 16mm Kodak Black & White film using Arri cameras. The cinematography emphasizes high-contrast lighting and kinetic handheld movement to mirror the protagonist’s growing frustration.
Directed and Photographed by Fito Pardo AMC