We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nina Miller. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nina below.
Nina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?
I have been fortunate to have had many kind people cross my path and bless me with their talents or give a part of themselves that truly made a difference in my life but most recently I had an experience on a set with a load of lovely people who deserve many thanks. They changed my life in many ways. However, two people in particular really stuck out and our film, “A Fairytale Romance” would not be what it is today without them.
But first, a bit of backstory… My friend Kate Haley (Irish Director extraordinaire) and I were in the process of tackling a big project (A Fairytale Romance), about a mermaid who falls in love only to be backstabbed by her ‘prince charming’. It’s one of the biggest, extremely technical projects we’ve tackled to date. It’s about a mermaid so of course it has to be magical and of course, we HAVE to shoot underwater. Here’s the stitch though – the only experience I had shooting underwater was with a gopro in my neighborhood pool.
Like all indie short films, we were tight on budget. I had people I could call in for favors, but something was screaming in my ear to drive up to Atlanta and ask this guy (who I had never worked with before) to be my gaffer. I’m not sure what was in the air at the time but I’ll call it Irish luck because before I knew it, Michael Johnson II met me for coffee and somehow accepted an offer everyone else would have said no to. Luckily the script spoke for itself (thanks to Kate) because my nerves and negotiating tactics do not marry well. So that’s how I left Atlanta with the best gaffer who fabulously lit our film and led a great crew with the best attitude while also working his full-time job on Season 2 of Will Trent. He’s in high demand people!!
Our team was very fortunate to sign the executive producers of Netflix’s “MerPeople” as our creative producers and thanks to them we connected with Marco Reis, an underwater camera expert and a literal merman himself. Normally, one would be intimidated by a 7-foot man, especially as a 5’2 woman, but the word ‘kind’ is an understatement when it comes to Marco and what he did for us and this film. Not only that, but he gave me the incredible opportunity to operate my first underwater camera and I’m still scratching the itch it gave me to get my scuba diving license and do more underwater camera work. He is truly one of my inspirations. Operating that camera was one of the most magical days of my life. I’ll never forget how special it made me feel to be supported by a stranger who wanted to see me succeed.
The other most magical day happened two days later in a 30-foot-deep pool where our crew pulled off something I’d only dreamt about until that moment!
Nina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a cinematographer from Savannah, Georgia and currently living and working in Atlanta, Georgia. I got into filmmaking in a roundabout way. I grew up with a camera in my hand thanks to my dad’s VHS camera and our obsession with home videos, but my entire life I thought I’d be a professional musician. I play piano and I was classically trained in opera. When it came time to apply to colleges, I auditioned for only music schools except one…The University of Georiga, which I attended for four years and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Like every young person, you change your mind about what you want to do and I went from International Affairs to Romance Languages to Advertising to PR, which brought me to the Cannes Film Festival where I decided that filmmaking was the thing for me.
Deciding I wanted to be behind the camera came a little bit later. I was terrified of being behind it at first, plus at school, everyone wanted to be behind it so I focused more on editing and directing. It wasn’t until my 2nd year of film school that my friend asked me if I wanted to shoot her film, “All Hail”, and the rest is history. I fell in love with being behind the camera.
Looking back, those early pieces of work shaped me as an artist. I had no idea what I was doing, but I am definitely still proud of what they are to this day. It shaped what my work is today and I believe that’s what sets me apart from others; my characteristic dream-like aesthetic that I bring with me on every project.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
There are so many rewarding aspects of being a creative, but the best is when you have an idea you see come to life. In filmmaking, there’s the added aspect of collaboration, which makes it all the more special when you have a team of people behind you. Filmmaking is a constant set of rewards because from the beginning you are constantly making strides and tough decisions so when it’s all said and done and you finally get to watch your work on the big screen, you can look back and say “We did that”. I think most filmmakers would agree with me, the rush you get from starting a project to finishing is an absolutely addicting feeling.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
I read “The Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler for the first time about 3 years ago when I was in the midst of getting my masters degree and it really guided me not only in my everyday life when it came to sustainable living but also in my career, in choosing what stories to be apart of. It came at the perfect time in my life because lately everything in the news or on social media tends to be very ‘doomsday’ and I struggled (still do) a lot with climate anxiety and even politically, the state and direction the world is going towards. The book is set at an eery time. It was written in the 80s and takes place in 2024 after a disease wipes out millions of people. Not only that but there is A LOT of political turmoil…sounds familiar. However, what stuck out to me in the book was human resilience. The ability to find a community regardless, the ability to fall in love and take care of a family, maybe even to go back to simpler times and plant healthy seeds where we give rather than take.
The film industry is probably one of the most wasteful industries; all the food that goes to waste, the use of gas to power, the sets being made with poor construction material or even the waste that comes out of it, the plastic prostethcis, the list goes on. Luckily, there are a lot of initiatives now to combat that. For example, we have the Environmental Media Association which is making strides every year to recognize films who are taking on the extra work and thoughtfulness of being more eco-friendly.
This book spurred a new outlook and gave me a voice in an area I didn’t know I had. It’s our jobs as artists to advocate, not just through storytelling, but through vocal expression towards our peers and co-workers. As a department head, you have more swing than you think and there is always room for more effort.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ninarose.website/
- Instagram: @lil_n1na
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninarosemiller/
