Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Weidner
Hi Nathan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My interest in being a filmmaker goes back to the early days of my childhood, inspired by the work of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, and culminating in my early adult life with the work of James Cameron. I studied Radio and Television Broadcasting in high school but settled on film school by the time I graduated. However, I deviated from that course for about 10 years while pursuing a life of ministry as a foreign missionary. This was cut short by the health of my firstborn child, which prevented my family from leaving the country. After this, I began teaching high school while continuing to shoot film independently.
The big turnaround for me came after contracting COVID-19 at the age of 50. It was a frightening experience that left me with some long-term health issues, and I began to ponder my mortality. This emboldened me to do what I had previously been afraid to do, and I determined to begin shooting a feature film I had been wanting to make for 12 years but never had the “proper” funding for. A student of mine had shot a music video on his iPhone, and the quality of his work inspired me to stop waiting for investors and just shoot my film with what was already in my pants pocket. We shot “A Story For Winter” on the iPhone 12 in the summer of 2021 for a total budget of $3000, and it went on to stream on Amazon Prime Direct. The success of this project emboldened me even more, and I determined to combine my passion for teaching with my love for filmmaking. I created PRAUS Media as a non-profit media company to help emerging filmmakers get experience in shooting their first feature films.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Things went actually pretty smoothly early on. “A Story For Winter” was exactly the type of film that most people who knew me had expected. It was a family-friendly Christmas story that was infused with a message of faith and hope. People often compared my films with the kind that air on the Hallmark Channel, and I was okay with that comparison as long as they were not implying that they were formulaic and predictable. However, my second major project deviated from this model, and it caused some commotion.
“The Name of the Sun” was the first film that I did with a crew made entirely of high school and college students. The story is about a man who professes no religious faith, but his worldview is challenged after his plane crashes in Montana and he spends a week lost in the wilderness. As a non-believer whose life is in constant jeopardy, it did not seem realistic to write his lines without some course language, so we allowed the character to react naturally. This did not sit well with some people. I actually lost 2 board members as a result of this decision, and I had some asked me to remove their names from the end credits of the film.
I am immensely proud of “The Name of the Sun,” but it is in a subgenera of film that makes it difficult to perform well. The language prevents it from being entered into nearly all faith-based film festivals, and the message of faith is a bit too strong for most others. This was also the case for 2 of my favorite films from this same genre, “Blue Like Jazz” and “Henry Poole Is Here.” I feel really bad for my student crew who poured their hearts and souls into making the film, because they had no idea of how difficult it would be for the film to find its audience. They have never admitted it outright to me, but I am aware that some of them have dealt with a great deal of disappointment as a result.
In the aftermath of this film, I shot another film of my own, “Chasing Glamour,” which deals with prostitution and redemption. Again, the faith element is heavy while the characters are natural and use some crude language. It was received a bit better by audiences, but I believe it solidified me as a filmmaker who is willing to take the risk of offending people who do not take a moderate view of life. This became more apparent as I approached our current project, “Reckless Mercy,” because many who supported my early work are nowhere to be found now. It has been much more difficult to fund and to produce as a result.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Working with students has been a unique experience. I will be honest, I had to grow into the idea of allowing them to have as much agency as they do on my sets. On “The Name of the Sun” I had fully intended on directing the film with the student crew. However, early on my lead actor, Adam Ashton Scott, who had starred in “A Story For Winter,” expressed a desire to learn more about the filmmaking process, so I took him on as my co-producer. We pulled weekly meetings in which we divided the responsibilities of setting things up for the film, and he did a phenomenal job. Before long I could see his potential, and I offered him the opportunity to direct the film. I hovered a bit during the early days of production, but I eventually became comfortable setting everyone up with what they needed and stepping away to allow them to shoot the scenes.
“Reckless Mercy” has been an exercise in solidifying my resolve to allow the students to call most of the shots. At first I wasn’t sure if I had just gotten lucky with “The Name of the Sun,” but I have quickly learned that when you choose a crew of dedicated students who have learned a great deal and are ready to put their passion and skills to the test, you will produce an excellent film. As of this writing, we are 54% done shooting our current film, and I could not be more pleased with how the footage is turning out. On occasion I will step in to advise the crew on something that will prevent them from messing up something that I messed up on in the past, but those occasions are rare.
Unfortunately, this approach to filmmaking does have its drawbacks. Most film festivals that accept student work are only looking for short films. If they wish to complete at the festival level, they have to compete with seasoned professionals. Also, I just recently became aware that using a student crew makes it difficult to obtain grant funding. Our local arts council explicitly prohibits funding projects that are crewed by students.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I have lived in Columbus, Ohio the majority of my life. It’s a great city that is not too large and not too small. We have a rich history, an attractive downtown, and a booming arts community, and I have never truly felt at home anywhere else. When I fell in love with cinema in the 1980’s, Los Angeles was the only place where I could realize my dream of being a filmmaker, but it never felt right to leave Ohio. Fortunately, over time the technology to shoot meaningful work became more readily available to the average consumer, and while financial resources were still largely centered in Los Angeles, a resourceful artist could still create something significant.
However, having the ability to produce films locally was only half the battle. We also have a responsibility to use the medium in a responsible manner in order to create a healthy regional film industry. Unfortunately, that has yet to be fully realized in Columbus. Since my entrance into the local film scene 14 years ago, I have recognized that many in our film community do not take it or themselves very seriously. I have attended local film festivals whose presentations are comparable to frat parties, whose winners show little respect for their fellow nominees and whose judges actually penalize projects that are “too good” for a local film competition. Until we start seeing ourselves as genuine contenders in the world of filmmaking, we are not going to nurture the kind of film community that we really want here.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.prausmedia.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prausmediafilms/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NJWeidner
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCurfx_UvVDP7rQH4Aa0o8RQ
