5 Questions with Jonathan Salmon & Nathan Williams
Jonathan Salmon (left), Nathan Williams (right)
1) Can you talk briefly about your background(s), and how you first got interested in filmmaking?
Jonathan Salmon: I’m born and raised in Renton, a suburb south of Seattle. I was introduced to film through my father’s old 35mm film camera. I spent any time capturing photos of friends to preserve their personality through photographs. As my photographic skills developed, a close friend encouraged me to make a film and I did it. Through reading books, observing peers, and a grueling trial and error process, I started to make films.
Nathan Williams: I am an indigenous man from the Tulalip Tribes out of Washington State. I've grown up and lived on the reservation for the majority of my life and even took jobs to support the community events. I don't have a very deep resume in filmmaking as this is my first ever film I've ever made. I've taken interest in this medium particularly to tell the story of my people from our lens. Most films document Native American life from the outside. It's time to give our actual perspective.
2) What was the initial idea for this project and how did it evolve from there?
JS: The film was organically developed through a conversation around losing friends when we were in our early teens. It wasn’t me saying 'let me tell a story that I didn’t know anything about or trying to relate to any of their experiences. It was me and Nate walking through our experiences together and finding common ground as we were shooting a music video for Ben Zaidi. Nate is the main actor and the producer of the film so he had to agree and understand every moment in the story.
NW: On the way to scout locations for a music video I was helping Jon produce, I ran an idea I was cooking up in my head for some months at the time for a full length feature film. Jon got attached to the sentiments of one of the scenes in the film I was writing so we decided to use that idea and turn it into a short. With some revisions to the timeline from the other film, we mapped out a script that took about a year since he is living in LA and is a pretty busy guy. Now we are here.
3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And the easiest part?
JS: Every film has a different set of challenges and successes but through In Spirit, the largest logistical challenge was the geographic isolation from any major city. On our first day of filming, our camera had died and our AD had to travel 2 hours into Seattle to pick up the only back-up camera that was available in the city. This hiccup caused us to have to rewrite the script on set and figure out a way for the narrative to flow which is how the scene after the title was made.
NW: Aside from the communication methods, definitely getting the story to make sense culturally and make it compelling enough to take in. I was trying to take a gloves-off approach so we can make it as raw as possible.
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
JS: Long Island’s Enduring Black Beachfront Community by Joshua Kissi. It's an amazing short documentary that highlights the authentic essence of community in a part of New York that’s unfamiliar to many but home to few. Check it out on The New York Times Style Magazine.
NW: I just watched The Peanut Butter Falcon the other day and man, what a flick. I am super sensitive and heartfelt and I love seeing humanity take its course for the better.
5) What’s next for you?
JS: Currently, I’m helping raise donation funds to support two Black-led grassroots organizations in Seattle with another film. If you want to watch the film and read more about the campaign, check it out here. Other than that, I’ll continue to create, give back and then create more. It never ends.
NW: Getting more familiar with the film world. I'm mainly a musician so getting into that lane might help develop more creativity in me and people around me. I've got some ideas for some more short films so maybe I should stick around this artform for a while.
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IG: @byjonsal