On Sunday, February 9th, Los Angeles filmmaker, Nathan Deming, will be at Sparta Cinema 6, screening the second movie in his eventual 12-movie series, titled Year Project. All of the movies will take place in Wisconsin. The screening is free, and there will be two showings, one at 4 p.m. and another at 7 p.m. Deming grew up in the Tomah area, graduating from Tomah High School in 2007. He is excited to be showing his film in the same movie theater where he fell in love with movies.
When pressed by the Herald on when his passion for filmmaking took root, Deming said, “Wanting to make films goes back as far as I can remember. My father had a big VHS camcorder, and as kids, we would make pirate movies. Then as a teenager, it was about convincing my friends to go and shoot a western at someone’s barn.”
Deming also filled the Herald in on a film he and 12 friends made; a full-length Julius Caesar movie, which was partially filmed on the steps of the capital building, in Madison, after seeking permission. Laughing while he spoke, Deming said, “I still don’t know why they gave us permission to shoot there. It was a stabbing scene too, with a bunch of highschoolers dressed in bed sheets, in 2003.”
Film School in London
After earning his undergraduate degree in English, at Webster University in St Louis (2007-2011), Deming went to the London Film School from 2011 to 2014. “Everything really opened up for me from there,” Deming said of the United Kingdom based institution. “I learned a lot of foundational skills that I utilize for every movie I make now. I feel lucky and privileged to have had that opportunity.” At the London Film School, Deming connected with filmmakers from all over the world, all of whom had different styles. He said that each filmmaker interaction was unique and broadened his scope of shooting films.
After London, Deming moved to Los Angeles, where he says that he tried on many different hats while learning the movie terrain in L.A. Although he was living on the West Coast, Deming’s mind always drifted back to Wisconsin. “Even though I was working on projects in Los Angeles, I kept writing stories about Wisconsin. Then I was wondering which ones [movie projects] I would take on.”
On his thoughts behind the Year Project, Deming informed the Herald that he wants to do a movie for each month of the year. So, his first two movie titles, as one might expect, are January and February. “Everyone understands the concept of a year,” Deming continued to explain. “Through these movies, I want to capture the rhythm of our lives. I thought, ‘What a cool way to explore themes that are important to me, while also having a vehicle to showcase Wisconsin stories.’”
One of the stronger appeals for Deming to shoot in Wisconsin, besides his love for the 30th state, was the fact that there are four seasons. “We have the four seasons in Wisconsin, and every month has a very distinctive feel. I really believe that our environment affects us and helps hone who we are as people and community.”
Winter Reminder
Having lived in Los Angeles for a while, Deming had forgotten the feelings that winter can conjure up. “Since I have been back, I have been reminded about the feelings that winter would bring with it. I would get really down, and not just because of the limited daylight. The cold hits you hard and your nose runs for like two months,” he quipped.
“On the flipside,” Deming added, “Wisconsin, in the summertime, is the best place to be.”
Deming is hoping that all of the blood, sweat, and tears that he has put into his first two films for the Year Project will gain traction. “Hopefully this is something that will have a life of its own.”
As far as what the themes will be for his next 10 movie projects in the Year Project, Deming says that he is keeping those under his hat for now. “I have up until June planned right now. My dream is that I can always come back to Wisconsin and shoot films. Right now, I have an arc, basically, up to June, that I am really excited to see through.”
Returning to Sparta
Deming is going all around the state of Wisconsin, screening his February movie. “What happens is that I come and introduce the film, then we all watch the film, and after, I will answer questions about the movie. I really want to share with everyone, the vision of the Year Project, and the excitement I have for the overall series.”
When Deming was first going to movies as a youngster, there was not a movie theater in Tomah. So, he used to go and see movies at Sparta Cinema 6. “I really love that theater. My earliest recollections of falling in love with movies was in Sparta. I am really looking forward to being back at that theater,” Deming stated.
About February
The film February is about Latino immigrants, specifically about a brand-new immigrant who has moved in with his sister, in Wisconsin. He is struggling to fit in, until he discovers ice fishing. That leads to a night out on the ice with this crazy ice fisherman. You do not really know how it is going to go at any point.
In finding the perfect actors to play the characters in his film, February, Deming stated, “Most of the actors are from L.A., and I was having difficulty finding an authentic actor to play the part of the ice fisherman. I was asking and looking everywhere, but to me, all the performances in the auditions fell short of the authenticity I was looking for. So, then I thought, ‘This guy, this ice fisherman, would probably be on Craigslist.’ So, I threw up an ad on Craigslist, and his wife, Anna, wrote me back. Ritchie Gordon is his name and he had never acted before. He did such a great job. Partly I think people love his performance because people don’t normally see a character like him on screen. Ritchie brings a lot of his own life to the part.”
Filming the Movie: Scene Locations
Being that the film is based in Wisconsin, the obvious choice for Nathan Deming to shoot is not only Wisconsin, but more specifically, places he is familiar with. Most Hollywood films are shot in a studio of one type or another, but for the film February to get the genuine feel of ice fishing the scene had to be shot on a bona fide Wisconsin lake. “Filming on the ice was kind of Crazy. A lot of the people from L.A. were freaked out about being on the ice,” Deming said. “We wanted to shoot on Lake Tomah, but there was some construction or something that scuttled the plan. So, we ended up shooting the ice fishing scenes on Lake Altoona, outside of Eau Claire. It was funny, because Ritchie kept saying, ‘There are no good fish in this lake.’ I then told him, ‘This is a movie, it doesn’t matter.’”
Deming enjoyed shooting quite a few scenes in his hometown of Tomah. “A chunk of the filming for February was done in Tomah. We shot at the AmericInn, where the owner was super nice. But my favorite place to shoot was the Tomah Cash Store. John Rose, the owner, was extremely nice and let us film there. It was so cool to put something that has such a Tomah vibe on film. The actors from California loved it. They also bought tons of Carhart items.”
Deming informed the Herald that quite a few scenes were shot on Superior Avenue, with many exterior shots around Tomah, as well. Deming says that he looks forward to continuing more filmmaking in the area in the future.
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