Today, we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Amondson.
Hi Nathan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up on Vashon (a small island in Puget Sound near Seattle).
My father, Gene, was a preacher, painter, and politician. My mother, Nancy, worked for the airlines and became a counselor, missionary in Kenya, and professor. I fell into theater in high school (Woodinville, Washington), leading to a BFA at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
After SMU, I worked various jobs in Dallas while exploring filmmaking with a group of friends from school. In 1997, I left Dallas to pursue an acting career in Mumbai, India, with my brother Andrew. I had a brief stint as an evil British officer on the historical TV serial YUG before pursuing a film career in Hollywood with my brother Andrew in 1998.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s never been a smooth road, but that’s all part of the fun.
My most challenging experiences have often been the most rewarding as well. I’ve always faced the challenge of delivering the best vision possible when the constraints don’t align, but there’s always a way around it if you have the fortitude to make it work.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have worked in entertainment design for the last 25 years, starting as a storyboard/concept artist for “Legally Blonde” and “The Italian Job” and then as a production designer in a broader range of films, from Wim Wenders to Nicholas Cage action pics before transitioning into theme parks and experiential design in 2014.
I’m known for various specialties, genres, and projects, from the artistic to the conspicuously commercial, from history to horror, superheroes to super freaks. Each experience has allowed me to explore new realms and discover different stories and experiences. I always seek new opportunities that push the envelope and challenge my norms.
My favorite projects have often been my most challenging. My first film with Wim Wenders was a small independent project titled “Land of Plenty” (after its original title of “Angst and Alienation in America” seemed a little too dire). It was my first feature film as a production designer, and I was way over my head. I had no experience designing a feature film, especially for a renowned director, but I found a way to make it work with my team.
I was given a tiny budget and a minimal crew (only one assistant). The assistant director, Josef Liek, introduced me to two art directors, William Budge and Nicole Lobart, who were willing to work as a team (and for the budget), and we crewed up with a small army of free interns. Wim later mentioned that this film worked only because the crew “didn’t know they couldn’t do it.”
I had no idea that a feature film required a production designer, art director, prop master, set decorator, construction coordinator, picture car coordinator, and all their much-needed staff. We just made it happen with what we could cobble together. I drove the art truck, designed the graphics, manufactured specialty props, and managed the fluctuating team of free labor. William and Nicole worked tirelessly to pull off the impossible every day.
We only had a budget for one police car, but the script called for two. My brother Isaac (who I convinced to work for free) and I rented a police light bar (wired to the car battery of my black 1993 Honda Civic), each of us holding on to the ends of the precarious prop out the window to pull off the illusion of a police car arriving late at night for a pivotal scene.
We shot in locations where we used the existing furniture rather than renting set dressings and maneuvered around the impossibility of each situation. There were long days and nights (my first 23-hour shift), but the experience was exhilarating and ultimately rewarding.
The film was later accepted into the Venice Film Festival; Wim and the producers were gracious enough to host my family and me to attend the festival. It was indeed “the little film that could.” In the following years, I was fortunate to work on larger projects with bigger budgets and crews as time passed. I managed a team of over 200 people simultaneously in Argentina and China for “Blood: The Last Vampire,” I designed epic theme parks worldwide.
But even on the most significant projects, you still must roll up your sleeves and do the work required to get it done, as there’s never enough time and money to accommodate the vision. My experience with “Land of Plenty” tempered my resolve to accomplish the impossible and ignore the fact that it “can’t be done.”
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Collaboration has always been the key to my success. The design process is incredibly collaborative, and I thrive on that interaction and ideation with others.
I admire the auteurs, but collaboration creates the best outcomes and the most satisfying process. Iteration is another key to success; I start the discovery by exploring various options, playing with epic, even outlandish, aspirations. Budget and schedule usually reign supreme, but beginning with the “Big Ideas” pushes the possibilities and invites better results.
Taking risks is also an essential part of my creative journey. When I started in film, I needed more experience and had not gone through the usual process of climbing through the art department ranks. Rather than starting as an art department PA and working my way up, I began at the top as the production designer, but on tiny student films, where I did most of the work. I gained the knowledge and experience I needed as time passed and the projects grew. I worked for little pay and often for free, but those bro bono jobs led to connections that paid off much more than a paycheck in the long run.
I took a similar path when I transitioned into themed entertainment. I entered the fray as an art director for the world’s largest indoor theme park, Warner Bros. World, in Abu Dhabi. There were similarities between the two worlds, but the learning curve was also steep. I dove in and learned quickly, asking for the advice of colleagues, and eventually got my “Sea Legs.” I’m still learning and discovering more about themed entertainment a decade later, but it’s been an exciting journey that’s pushed the bounds of my abilities.
I continue to take risks, venturing into city planning and collaborating with my brother Andrew Amondson on a permanent art installation at the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, Italy. Stepping outside one’s comfort zone and exploring other possibilities adds to one’s skill set and makes for a richer experience.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amondson.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-amondson-94a2446/
