We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nathan Tape. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nathan below.

Nathan , appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

Making films is my life’s greatest joy. I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to pursue my creative dreams. It took me a long time to get to this point and I feel a great deal of gratitude to all of the people who have helped and supported me on the way. I have a very supportive family and network of friends and collaborators. The process of making a film is like magic. The fact that all of these different people come together to put their collective efforts together in the pursuit of a common goal is truly magical. There are many obstacles that come along when making a film and the ability to adapt and overcome those obstacles is something that gives me a sense of joy and accomplishment that is beyond words. When I finally have had the ability to show my work to audiences and they connect with the film? There truly is not a greater feeling in the world.

I spent over 15 years working in the lighting department in film and television, and while it is far from a desk job, I found it creatively unfulfilling. I think that it is never too late to pursue your dreams. The feeling of having all of this creativity bottled up inside you and unable to let it out, is a frustrating feeling. I know that while pursuing my dreams has been a very tough and challenging time. I would not turn back for anything.

Nathan , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a filmmaker who makes films about people on the fringes of society. People who may be deemed “outcasts” by many in the status quo. I went to graduate film school at Loyola Marymount University. When I graduated, I moved back home to New Orleans and started working in the film industry in the lighting department. I quickly moved up to become a department head at a young age. As a Chief Lighting Technician I was responsible for lighting major Hollywood productions. I was the head of the lighting department for television shows like: Queen Sugar, The Purge and Clock and Dagger, and films like: Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, Night Teeth and The Last Exorcism. Meanwhile, on the weekends and in between shows, I would act as cinematographer on independent films like: The King of New Orleans, Demigod and Jake’s Road. I would also direct and shoot music videos as well.
I always knew that my passion lied in making my own films and acting as cinematographer on other films, but I had a very good job as a chief lighting technician, so it was difficult to pursue both things at once. I co-wrote the feature length screenplay for OFF RAP with my friend Tim Cairo in 2015. I wanted to make the film, but I kept having success as a chief lighting technician, so my passion project took a backseat to making my film.
Durning the pandemic, I had a lot of time to think about my life and my desires. I decided that the only way to achieve my goals was to commit to pursuing them. I retired from my position as chief lighting technician and put all my efforts behind making my film OFF RAMP.
I am very proud of the work that I have made as a filmmaker. OFF RAMP is a film that touches people’s hearts and souls, while also being crass and full of shocking moments. I feel honored to have been able to make something with a universal message that connects with people who may feel like “outcasts”.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is when you connect with people. Being able to make a work of art that touches people’s hearts and minds is the greatest joy I have experienced in life. After OFF RAMP debuted at New Orleans Film Festival, a young person told me that watching my film: “made them want to be a nicer person.” I cried when I heard this. I told them that making this film “made me a nicer person.”

I believe that art is one of the few weapons that we have as humans to fight the injustices and societal improprieties that we face as people. Voting might not make a difference, buying things might not make a difference, but making a work of art that makes people feel something deep in their soul? That can make a real difference. I want to use my ability as a creative to connect with people and bring them joy.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

You must persist. Genius filmmaker William Friedkin visited my graduate school and told our class: “You need three things to succeed as a filmmaker, talent, persistence and luck. And the least important of these is talent.” You cannot be dissuaded from your goals. You must keep going. Often times an obstacle is just another opportunity to learn and improve.
We lost some footage during our production of OFF RAMP. I was crushed. We had an 18 day shoot and we lost approximately a day and a half worth of footage. For an independent film that is a major blow. So we had to raise more money and go back and do reshoots. However, the time in between allowed us to edit the footage we had and determine what was best for the film. And you know what? The film got better because we did those reshoots. We worked and improved in the meantime and in the end we were able to step back and look at the work we did and make some decisions that made the project better in the end. So what was a bleak and sad thing, turned into a bight spot.
In OFF RAMP there is a major scene called THE CEREMONY. It is a pivotal and important scene to the film. We had two days to shoot the scene and the centerpiece of the scene is a bad guy named Scarecrow, played by the wonderful Jared Bankens. The first night of the Ceremony shoot, Jared was sent to the hospital with a blood clot in his neck. We were crushed. Our first priority was to ensure that Jared was safe and healthy. Secondly, as an independent production we did not have the luxury of time. So we had to shoot around him. So I wore his costume and we filmed everything that we could without him, cleverly choosing angles that omitted him from the shots. The next day he had recovered enough that he was able to return and we were able to complete the photography that we needed. In the end it is impossible to tell that we had this obstacle to overcome.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.offrampfilm.com www.nathantape.com
• Instagram: @damnathan @offrampfilm
• Facebook: @nathantape
• Other: https://vimeo.com/user1298035 https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2540167/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_nathan%2520tape

Image Credits
Alyssa Moran