From writing jokes with Lady Ga-Ga to camping in the Yukon surrounded by wild bears, Nathan Morris’ experience is diverse. Nathan had a hands-on start in filmmaking, shooting and editing documentary films. He directed and edited segments for the infamous multi-award-winning show The Living Room. His debut short film At Dawn won the Directors’ Choice Award at RIIFF. His next, People Are Only Interesting When You Get To Know Them, was selected for 3 Oscar qualifying festivals. My Eyes Are Up Here, a romantic comedy funded by the BBC and BFI, starring Jillian Mercado premiered on opening night at the 2022 London Film Festival.
indieactivity: How did you get into directing? How would you describe your style?
Nathan Morris (NM): There were three things I want to be when I was a little kid: a truck driver, a cameraman and other was Drummer. I still need to become a truck driver someday. I’m from a pretty small town in New Zealand, there wasn’t really an industry, so working in TV/film seemed a distant dream. But when I heard of a small television and film course opening close to me I applied. And got denied. 3 times, so much rejection!
My girlfriend at the time made me call and ask them if they were gonna deny me again because I was going to keep applying. I think they were so sick of me they let me into the course! It was short but I loved it- staying behind most nights working on my own projects, back then it was impossible to get your hands on equipment, so I was loving it. Then an American cable TV company arrived in Wellington, and they set up a small community television station called ONtv.
The Official Trailer for My Eyes Are Up Here Directed by Nathan Morris
I landed a job making content for it. It was really a model of how a lot of low-budget productions are made today but years earlier: we were given the camera and edit suite to share, and we got to go out into the community and make stories on whatever we wanted. It was brilliant! I made so many mistakes and no one was watching, so it didn’t matter but it was excellent for the learning curve. I learned by doing so. It was great for me. Kinda a dream first job.
I don’t really know how to describe my style! My short films are all so different but I tend to go for stuff that is slightly abstract and awkward, I do enjoy awkward humor a lot. I find life quite awkward, ha! So it’s funny to me to show the absurdity of life. My visual style tends to change given the story, but I try to be bold. But at the end of the day the story is king and every decision should be made to amplify the story.
Do you hire a casting director, or do you cast yourself? If so, what criteria go into your casting?
Nathan Morris (NM): Our producer Katie Dolan brought Lucy Amos and Xanthe Spencer-Davidson on board to work as casting directors – they were both amazing!
What went into the casting process for My Eyes Are Up Here?
Nathan Morris (NM): Casting is super important to me. I was involved quite heavily in editing the script, so I felt I had a good understanding of the characters from spending so much time with the writers, delving into backstories and creating off-screen situations. I really felt like I knew these characters in real life, that’s important to me, that they seem real. Once I had that understanding it was just a matter of writing a casting brief for each character, and sending that out.
I was spoiled with the selects I was given. The casting of Sonia’s role was a bit different, both Arthur and Aminder knew of Jillian. So, we reached out to her to see if she would be interested. Luckily, the script really resonated with her, just a testament to the writing- it was great having such a solid foundation to work from. We met and we got on well. At that stage, Jillian hadn’t done much acting, but just meeting her and chatting I could tell she was perfect. I’ve worked a lot on documentaries and a bit of reality so working with non-actors is something I’m very much used to.
It was a great stage for Jillian to get involved as well. The writers, and I worked through the script, pulling up things that resonated with her and slightly adjusting things as we needed. It was a very inclusive and collaborative process, which is great because it gave Jillian ownership of the role. I was lucky enough to work with a superb acting coach Miranda Harcourt who gave me some great tips, which were really invaluable. I’m really proud of the performances in this film. I LOVE working with actors- It was a great part of the process.
Without giving anything away, tell us a little bit about the script, how did you come up with the idea?
Nathan Morris (NM): Well, it wasn’t my idea but it’s an idea I loved very much when I read it. The film is very much based on the real-life experiences of Aminder Virdee who worked in conjunction with Arthur Meek. I think for a subject like this it’s important that the foundations are based on truth and a lived experience. Aminder and Arthur managed to take some of these experiences and form them into a compelling and funny story which I found myself connecting with very much on first reading. This film deals with a subject and a world many of us aren’t too familiar with.
A motif I used while prepping the film was ‘The Same World But Different’ which, I think sums it up well. The script also has many things that pull us in and resonate with us all, I think that’s what compelled me to make this. It’s great having so much to connect with yet at the same time something new and unique. It’s a great way for an audience to learn and experience something for the first time yet in a very comfortable setting – although it does get quite bumpy along the way
Who is My Eyes Are Up Here for? Who do you think would enjoy it the most?
Nathan Morris (NM): It’s a comedic love story, a modern take on a romantic comedy so I think it’s for anyone so I kinda think it’s for everyone. I come from a pretty conservative family and some of the language might be a bit too flowery for my mother, but even she, I think, would resonate with the themes of finding love and letting down your guard to let another person in. I think it’s quite a sweet film that deceptively is dealing with much bigger issues in society, which is a neat little trick. But I feel it’s far for me to pinpoint an audience – I think it’s for everyone!
How long did it take to shoot the entire film?
Nathan Morris (NM): The shoot was for 4 days – but it ended up being five, luckily our wonderful producers managed to make that work. There were some unforeseen issues (the bus broke down!) To be honest, It was a pretty difficult shoot, kinda whatever could’ve gone wrong – went wrong. At one stage I even stole a cigarette from the camera department to get my blood pressure down (I don’t smoke). But we got there! We were determined. Some of the crew really went above and beyond and we pulled it off. I’m indebted to their hard work. It’s crazy to work on something for literary years, scripting, editing, trying to get funding, all to come down to a few days of work, the stakes were high – but we did it.
How long was the post-production process?
Nathan Morris (NM): That’s an interesting question I’m not entirely sure because it was so staggered but perhaps three or four months, but no one could afford to work on this full-time, so it’s really hard to know. I think if we were full-time we could’ve probably done it in a month, maybe shorter. I think with hindsight having it staggered was good, it meant we could do a cut, leave it and come back to it with fresh eyes. It’s always important, especially with comedy to always look at something with fresh eyes, like it’s the first time you’re seeing – and that it that’s the real challenge with comedy, so the fact it was staggered was good.
The film had a lot of talent working behind the scenes as DPs, sound designers, composers, etc. Why is diversity important both in front of and behind the camera?
Nathan Morris (NM): To me, it’s a no-brainer to have a diverse crew. The film isn’t about my perspective or any one person’s perspective – you want as many different voices as possible to be represented. It’s important to not water them down – to be bold, and that’s where it can get complicated. My job, sometimes, is to channel all of these voices into the narrative in an authentic and realistic way AND make it relatable.
We had three producers on the project (shoutout to Vanessa, Katie and Naomi!!) which is unusual for a short film but was really useful in this case given how long it took to get funded (thank you BFI Network and BBC Film!), and the complexity of the shoot (COVID, broken down buses, flat wheelchair batteries etc) and our aim of being radically inclusive. So I know they’re very relieved that this story is finally being told on screen and getting lots of festival love.
I was grateful to have Aminder alongside me at all times, working as a Director Attachment. I don’t mind asking ‘dumb’ questions, so I would often ask ‘Is this right? Is this the right gaze? Are we on point here’ I think my documentary experience was invaluable here, after all in a documentary you’re forming a representation of a real-life person on screen. Another benefit of having an inclusive crew is it’s great to get to see other people’s reactions to the scene. I think diversity gives us complexity, and complexity gives us good stories, so, it’s hard with so many voices but to me, it’s a real no-brainer. It’s great to have people with different opinions around and to see different viewpoints and to amplify different voices. This is something I’ve learnt from making documentaries and television for years.
What are your goals with My Eyes Are Up Here?
Nathan Morris (NM): The film wants to achieve quite a lot as an entity in itself: I think the film wants to raise awareness of what some people have to go through – and I hope we manage to do that in a really non-preachy way. And because it comes from a lived experience it’s been really important to amplify that voice. On a personal level for me, it’s about showing people what I can do, to have an opportunity to show how I work with actors, and how I work in a narrative construct. So it’s really a win-win.
What’s next for you? What are you working on right now?
Nathan Morris (NM): I can’t wait to make more narrative work! I’m developing this world of My Eyes Are Up Here into a television series, which I think lends itself to very well and people have shown an interest, so that’s really exciting, I can’t wait to show people where the two end up. I’ve also been writing a feature film, a coming-of-age film set in New Zealand, during that Satanic Panic – it’s based on my own lived experience. It’s a funny and heartfelt story which I’m really excited about. I have another script, which is inspired by my work with Discovery Channel. Set in a gold mine in the middle of America about a man who learns that revenge is stupid. I’m going to shoot with non-actors and shoot it like a documentary. I’m really excited about the idea as well.
What would you recommend to a new director at the beginning of his/her journey? Any special courses, workshops, or helpful books they can read?
Nathan Morris (NM): There’s so much good information out there now with Podcasts and stuff online nowadays. I think you can learn so much but I do think it’s important to be careful about who you get your advice from and look at who’s writing the article/podcast because there’s a lot of crappy information out there too. I’m a big fan of Script Notes and Team Deakins.
I think just getting out there and making things so important when you begin. Your taste and your abilities are at very very different places and that can be quite frustrating. You’ll find yourself saying: why did I make this pile of crap! – but you are not alone! It can be disheartening but make stuff and finish it no matter how bad it is! you are your own cheerleader. (and you are allowed to feel discouraged some days too). Listen to Ira Glass’ The Gap – that’ll help you.
Also, watch The Place Beyond The Pines – the making of Derek Cianfrance is really brilliant, it really shows how much you go through making a film.
Who is your favorite director? Why?
Nathan Morris (NM): I don’t really have a favorite Director, I love so many of them, I could never pick just one! Everyone from John Woo to Martin Scorsese, to Roy Andersson. It depends so much on my mood! Like music, it would be impossible to pick one song I thought this last year was amazing for the film: Triangle of Sadness, Babylon, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Tar, they were all amazing. One Director I really admire for his work ethic is Sean Baker, he just gets out there and makes it! He takes risks, works with nonfactors and has some stunning results. I really admire him for this, I wanna be like him when I grow up.
What advice would you give directors around the world?
Nathan Morris (NM): Get out there and make mistakes! Fall in love with the process, not the end result!
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