The life of the working artist is beautifully explored in Nathan Ives’ Somewhere in the Middle, out October 15.
We spoke to Ives, whose last film was the very-different though no-less solid The Basement, ahead of the release.
You’ve a much different film here than The Basement. Was it a conscious decision to do something different with Somewhere in the Middle?
Nathan Ives: Shortly after I finished ‘The Basement,’ my wife and I welcomed our second child into this crazy world. I wanted to do a project that was smaller in scope that I could do in and around changing diapers. ‘The Basement’ was also a very draining project for me emotionally and I needed something a bit more personal to clear my head.
When and how did you come up with the idea for the film?
NI: It originated from a conversation I had with Griffin House, one of the artists in the film, a couple of years ago. I’ve been a fan of his for some time and hired him to write a song for a narrative film I did a in 2016, ‘A Christmas In New York.’
Griffin had a show in LA and we were talking afterwards. I made a comment about how I was impressed with his success and longevity. For over twenty years he has both made a respectable living and has been true to his art. He was very humble about it all, but also relayed a story to me which he references in the film. The story was basically this: Griffin was playing a sold out show at The City Winery in New York, a venue that holds about 300 people. After the show, a couple came up to him and said ‘we just love your music and just know you’re going to make it someday.’
Griffin said some version of this happens at most of his shows. Here’s a guy who has made a legitimate living through his music for two decades, owns a house in Nashville, and supports his family – and people just know he’s going to ‘make it’ someday. This conversation really got me thinking about what it means to be a ‘successful’ artist. ‘Somewhere In The Middle’ gave me the opportunity to explore this idea further through the lives of five artists who are living it.
And did the idea change much over the course of development?
NI: Having never done a documentary, I can’t honestly say I knew what it was going to look like going in. I just had an idea I wanted to explore. I tackled the writing portion in the same way as the narrative work I’ve done. I put all of my favorite lines/concepts on index cards and built the film on our dining room table. For hours I’d stand there, Earl Gray tea in hand, staring at this mass of index cards laid out in front of me.
I think when ‘Somewhere In The Middle’ was completed, what struck me most as the strength of the film, was the honesty and vulnerability of the artists. They really give you a window into their lives. Getting back to your question, to say it changed would assume I had a clearer idea of what it would be going into it – which I really didn’t.
Are the artists in the film the ones you wanted from the get-go?
NI: Since the seed of the idea came from my conversation with Griffin House, I knew I wanted him. From there I just sort of cast a net. Jasika Nicole I worked with on another film. I’m good friends with Matt Nathanson’s tour manager and he recommended Aaron Tapp, Matt’s guitar player. Jeff Nishinaka is a friend of the DP I’ve used on this and my last three films. Dan McCaw is a friend of Jeff Nishinaka’s. I guess really just through word of mouth and a bit of the universe helping me out.
Anyone you would’ve loved to have gotten in there, but didn’t?
NI: Not specifically, but in hindsight, I would have loved to have interviewed a children’s book author. Having two small kids, I read a ton of children’s books and absolutely fascinated with how wonderfully simple yet complex many of them are. I also think they are outside the scope of what many people think of when they think of artists, so that would have been interesting. Oh, I would have also loved to have interviewed Max Gomez for it, I’m a huge fan of his music.
How different was it directing Somewhere in the Middle to The Basement?
NI: Night and day. ‘The Basement’ was a twenty two day shoot with a crew of I think around seventy five people, a Lamborghini, and a prosthetic head that gurgled blood. I shot ‘Somewhere In The Middle’ in five days with a crew of three – no prosthetic heads.
I was hired to co-write and co-direct ‘ The Basement’ and with that, most times, you give up artistic control. That’s not to say ‘The Basement’ would have been a better or worse film if I’d had complete control, only to say it’s a different role for me than doing one of my own films. I was hired to do a job, and I did it to the best of my ability.
‘Somewhere In The Middle’ is my film. I maintained complete artistic control. Without question, it was an easier film because of scope, but also I was emotionally more attached to it and it’s more in my wheelhouse as far as subject matter.
The message behind the movie – what is it?
NI: Being a working artist isn’t what most people think – for better and worse. I hope the film will inspire and educate those considering a career in the arts. I also hope that people who are working artists, can watch it, and get that ‘I’m so glad I’m not alone’ feeling.