New Article about "See Girl Run"

The Wall Stree Journal published an article about "See Girl Run", written by its Director, Nate Meyer.



SXSW 2012: ‘See Girl Run’ Director on the Allure of Locations
By Nate Meyer


Nate Meyer is the writer director of “See Girl Run,” which debuts at the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Tex. this week.
When John Cassavetes would corral his usual cast of rebel rousers to start thinking about a film, one of his primary considerations was to pick a city in which to set the story. He liked to start to conversation by asking, “What city has great restaurants where we haven’t eaten yet?”


To read the rest, click on Read More.


Thanks to Miah for the heads up.


Location can be key to a film for any number of reasons. For independent film in particular, because there generally aren’t any resources for building sets or imagining elaborate computer-generated worlds, location is crucial to setting a specific, unique tone and providing a rich backdrop for storytelling. For my new film shot in 2011, “See Girl Run,” southern Maine beckoned and Adam Scott, Robin Tunney and the rest of my incredible cast and crew heeded its call.


From 2004 to 2006, my wife and I lived in Portland, Maine. We moved there from New York City for the express purpose of making “Pretty in the Face,” a no-budget feature film shot purely on nights and weekends while we held day jobs to support our quixotic adventure. The screenplay simply took place in a small town. It really didn’t matter exactly what small town it was. In actuality, it could have been any town.


As a filmmaker I felt like I had hit the jackpot. Portland, Maine turned out to be the perfect place for all of our needs. I was immediately blown away by the openness and supportiveness of the arts community. Why are there not more films set against this picturesque backdrop? Is it the unpredictable weather, leaving too few non-snowy months? Does it have something to do with a lack of production tax incentives? Was there something else I was missing?


As I prepared to make “Pretty in the Face,” I realized that with our low grade video format and lack of production resources, there was no way to capture the Maine I saw and do it real justice. I resisted the urge to shoot the Cape Cod style cottages or the awe-inspiring seaside sunsets. I kept everything tight, focusing primarily on faces and interior locations.


After “Pretty in the Face,” I knew I needed to set another film in Maine in the hopes of getting back there with a great cast and crew and an overall production robust enough to really get it right and take advantage of the one-of-a-kind milieu. Part of my pitch to actors and crew was the fun they would have spending time in Maine. I promised them everything I so loved about the Old Port downtown: the incredible cuisine, the coffee houses and old world charm.


The tactic worked. In my new film, “See Girl Run,” Emmie (played by Robin Tunney) takes a break from her adult life in New York City and returns to her native Maine to attempt to rekindle her romantic youth and imagine how life might have been different if she had stayed there as her high school sweetheart (Adam Scott) did. Our production mirrored her pilgrimage in a magical way. Our first week of shooting took care of the New York portion where locations owners, savvy to film production, charge exorbitantly fees; where getting permits for shooting is a major task unto itself; where finding production vehicle parking and bathrooms for cast and crew takes weeks of planning. It’s no secret that making movies is difficult. As many know, production in New York City creates additional challenges, particularly on typical independent film budgets.


As we slogged through the rigors of that initial week, our producers often said, “We’ve just got to make it to Maine… that’s where the heart of the film is.” That sentiment proved sage. It isn’t that filming in Maine was easy; again, all movies require great collective effort. But there was a warmth and enthusiasm from the communities in Portland, South Portland and Damariscotta that fed the spirit of the film we were making. Mainers embraced us openly, eagerly pitching in to be a part of our process as movie extras or by graciously allowing us access to great locations or any in many other ways large and small.


We were therefore able to have the experience we had hoped for both in production as well as by immersing ourselves, cast and crew, in the delicious, singular experience that is Maine. This fed our day-to-day production grind and kept everyone well stimulated on our few days off. Most importantly, it provided the setting I had dreamed of returning to in order to, hopefully, get it “right”.


Maine is home for Emmie, and, although I only lived there for a couple of years and went back for “See Girl Run” for a just few weeks, in a way it feels like home to me, too. Sharing a powerful group experience in a new place is truly one of the great delights involved in making a film. I hope it comes through in the finished product. I’ll begin to find out when it premieres this weekend at SxSW.


“See Girl Run” is about, among other things, the unrealistically romantic facade that nostalgia creates. For Emmie in the film and for me during production, returning to a memorable, pivotal location in our lives proved immeasurably fulfilling.


My next film takes place in the neighborhoods around Prospect Park. Did I mention how much I love Brooklyn?