E21 • Taking The Off Ramp: From Gaffer to Director • NATHAN TAPE, dir. of ‘Off Ramp’ in Cinemas following Splat!FilmFest + New Orleans Film Festival

Past Present Feature with Marcus Mizelle

In this conversation, Nathan Tape shares his experiences making ‘Off Ramp’, now in cinemas after its World premiere at the prestigious Polish genre festival Splat!FilmFest, followed by the New Orleans Film Festival. Nate’s biggest inspiration: David Lynch’s 1990 film ‘Wild at Heart’ starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern.

Nathan dives into the making of his film ‘Off-Ramp’, a film about Juggalos, the super fans of the Insane Clown Posse, and their sense of community and chosen family, sharing that he wanted to make a road trip movie that explores the meaning of friendship and belonging.

Nathan and Marcus also reflect on their time working together on big film sets in New Orleans, which provided valuable experience and opportunities for growth as a filmmaker, such as building relationships in the industry and coming to understand how resilience and perseverance are key qualities for success. Also, each filmmaker has their path and timeline, so it's important to embrace your journey, and that the satisfaction of completing a film and seeing it come to life far outweighs the challenges and setbacks along the way.
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1. E21 • Taking The Off Ramp: From Gaffer to Director • NATHAN TAPE, dir. of ‘Off Ramp’ in Cinemas following Splat!FilmFest + New Orleans Film Festival (00:00:00)

2. Past Present Feature, Hosted by Marcus Mizelle (00:00:01)

3. Introducing Nathan Tape, dir. of 'Off Ramp' (00:00:19)

4. Meeting Onset in New Orleans (00:01:21)

5. Lessons Learned from Working on Big Film Sets (00:04:02)

6. Nate Tape - Cinephile Origin Story (00:08:51)

7. Taking Action and Making Films: Imperfections, Rejections & Growth (00:11:15)

8. Challenging, Changing Times in the Industry (00:18:28)

9. Knowing When It's Time to Make a Film - Pulling the Trigger on 'Off Ramp' (00:20:27)

10. Soderbergh, Altman, Fassbender + Embracing Your Own Filmmaking Path (00:25:15)

11. 'Off Ramp' - Production Challenges & Post-Production Discoveries (00:28:56)

12. 'Off Ramp' - Production Highlights (00:32:47)

13. Remaining Open-Minded as a Director - Best Idea Wins (00:34:20)

14. 'The Fall Guy' + Set Experiences Revisted (00:38:00)

15. Developing 'Off Ramp' - Juggalos, Insane Clown Posse, 'American Juggalo' (00:38:59)

16. The Decline of Community in Modern Society (00:41:57)

17. The Physical Media Generation + Film Releasing (00:43:38)

18. Finding Your Audience - Screening 'Off Ramp' at Splat!FilmFest + New Orleans Film Festival (00:48:30)

19. Screening in Poland + Film Sales & Distribution (00:51:38)

20. Alternative (Self) Distribution Methods (00:56:46)

21. Working with Sales Agency The Coven (00:58:32)

22. The Value of Art and Making Movies for Yourself (01:02:09)

23. Filmmaker Quote + 'Ali: Fear Eats the Soul' (dir. Rainer Fassbinder) (01:04:38)

24. Nate's Past Inspo: 'Wild at Heart' (dir. David Lynch) (01:06:06)