5 Questions with Nicholas Motyka

Nicholas Motyka (right) directing cast

1) What have you been up to since we last spoke in March of last year for "Young Shadow"?

I've been keeping busy working on as many projects as I can, exploring and experimenting with various styles and techniques. It's been wildly educational to see how other directors go about their process. There hasn't been a project I've worked on where I didn't learn something truly eye opening. I'm usually serving as cinematographer or editor on other projects, only having directed a few completed projects since "Young Shadow". Most of these completed projects are music videos which have allowed me to try out some really abstract concepts and visuals that I'd been itching to explore. There have also been, I believe, three or four shorts that I'd done pre-production but they never made it to production sadly. There was one other short I'd directed in November of 2018 that was fully shot and edited but never released. Though it pains me to admit, I'm not sure that film will never be published due to a series of complications.

2) What was the initial idea for this project and how did it evolve from there?

"BOILER" was initially made as a part of the Visible Poetry Project. The project tasks filmmakers to team up with poets and create a visualization of a select poem. I had been a part of the project the year prior and made "Aurora's Aura". I knew going into the project for the second time, I wanted to do something totally different. 

I was paired with acclaimed New York poet, owner/operator of the Bowery Poetry Club and friend of mine Bob Holman. I was invited over Bob's place one afternoon and he read me a whole stack of poems. I believe the last one he read was BOILER. Pictures immediately rushed to mind. There was something about BOILER's rhythm that sounded like an argument inside a fever dream to me.  

I knew I wanted a set of characters speaking this poetry at one another but wasn't sure of the context, exact characters or situation. I went home for Christmas and caught 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' on TCM. Everything quickly snapped together after that. 

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And the easiest part?! 

Pulling off the visual style was one of our main challenges. We were working with VERY janky and limited gear yet had big lighting setups and complex camera moves to pull off. Praise be to my crew. Especially Max Mooney, an exceptionally talented filmmaker in his own right, who was a genuine trooper when it came to working with what we had available and pushing through with exactly what we'd planned regardless of our technical limitations. 

The hardest part, by far, was working with the cast to get those lines to feel right in context. I couldn't exactly tell them why they were saying what they were saying, I just knew the pacing and the emotions they should be putting into it. It was a lot of work and took a lot of trust but I think the performances are wonderfully strange, committed and energetic. 

There wasn't really an easy part about making the film but if I had to pick it'd be the editing. Max is very experienced with editing and when we sat down to do the shotlist, we planned to edit. We were able to get every single shot we planned for and every single shot, except for one single insert, made it into the cut as planned. It was a magnificently smooth editing experience that I yearn for again. 

4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

I've seen some great films during quarantine so it's a bit hard to pick but my impulse answer is David Robert Mitchel's "Under the Silver Lake" from 2018. I'm kind of a sucker for nonsensical Raymond Chandler style caper / mystery / dramas.  It was one of the most unique takes I've seen on this kind of film with some real fresh style. I love a great, wild flick that sends me on a trip and emits a real inspiring energy. This one definitely did it for me. 

5) What’s next for you?

It's certainly tough to be able to see what the future has in store for me with quarantine and all. Currently I'm editing a series on incarceration for Chemistry Creative  called "INN TV" while also making short abstract ads for a new edible cannabis brand, Scandalous.  As for personal / directing work, I'm constantly on the hunt for a good story or script but don't have anything in the works yet. I'd really like to make something with more of a traditional narrative next. We'll see though. 

I just hope to continue making strange, interesting work that'll give folks a wild experience.