Force Collider it’s all about highlighting artists who are changing film and television for the better. Do you know who has such an impact on the industry? Someone who made such a significant impression that we can already see the ripple effect she started? director and operator, Rachel Morrisonthe first woman to ever be nominated for an Academy Award.
In honor of Morrison’s work as director on the third season The Mandalorianshe joined me for an interview with Collider Forces to discuss how she managed to break through in the male-dominated sector of the industry and then do it again by making a name for herself as a director in addition to continuing her work as a director. cinematographer.
But before we get to her accolades and franchises, we had to go back to the beginning, and for Morrison, that meant getting back to reality TV. While this filming format didn’t fit her long-term goals, it proved vital to staying afloat after accumulating school debt. She explained:
“Room Raiders” came out right after the first artificial internet boom/bust, right? I graduated from high school as a student at the time and I had a minute where I made really cool documentaries, traveled the world in Argentina and Russia and did things that were much closer to my heart. And then the first internet crash happened and all of a sudden we were all jobless and what made people get paid again, at least in my world, was a reality show. And I knew that while the money was good for a 21-year-old, or whoever I was, it was so far away from what I really wanted to do, and I felt like I was moving away from a dream, not closer to her. to that. And so I ended up going to AFI to really focus on cinematography and ended up with so much debt again that I got back into reality TV to pay off some of the debt I was in but gave myself a deadline and it was, for example, once I hit that milestone, getting rid of some of the financial debt, I was going to stop and really focus on the film, which I did.”
It’s good that Morrison remained adamant on this issue, because in the end it meant crossing paths with someone who became a frequent collaborator, Fruitvale station And Black Panther director Ryan Coogler. Morrison explained how this creative partnership began:
“Without a doubt, Fruitvale Station has been a film that has transformed us in many ways. Interestingly, I ended up on Fruitvale because I met with Ilyse McKimmy at Sundance Labs about a possible lab, and she asked me to describe what kind of film I wanted to make. At the time, it was a year before Ryan was looking for a DP, but I accidentally described Fruitvale. So, a year later - I’m really grateful to her for cataloging and memorizing. I didn’t get tested but she remembered our conversation and Ryan was looking for a DP and he wanted someone - it’s actually to make reality [TV] full circle or documentary full circle - he needed someone with experience in documentary filmmaking and subjective single camera storytelling, decision making on the fly, lighting for unique experiences, experimental filmmaking. And that actually played a role in getting me hired.”
From this point on, Morrison continued to be hired not only by Coogler, but also by other extremely talented directors, including Rick Famuiva For Drug And Dee Rees For filthythe film that ultimately earned Morrison an Oscar nomination for her work, making her the very first woman ever to be nominated in the cinematography category.
This is the first big deal. This achievement has probably inspired countless aspiring directors to believe that a career in film is possible because Morrison set such a wonderful example. In addition, her nomination paved the way for more female nominees in the category. Morrison’s 2018 nomination was followed by Ari Wegner be nominated for dog power in 2022 and then Mandy Walker received a nomination for her work on Elvis this year.
So yes, Morrison’s appointment is a game-changer and that will no doubt make a difference going forward. But Morrison also noted that what happened after her Oscar nomination prompted her to make some career changes. Here’s what she said when asked about the misconception about what it means to be nominated for an Oscar:
“It doesn’t quite look like the floodgates are open. I think just like how people still like to classify you for what you do, I made this very small film that was nominated for an Oscar, so it’s not… well, I think that’s part of it. also in that they don’t actually do that many $100 million dramas anymore. But it wasn’t like the floodgates had opened for all of my $100 million dream dramas. $100 million dramas: Nolan has DP, Scorsese has DP. None of the big mega directors with these budgets were on the hunt for a new DP, so the scripts I got, if anything, I felt they weren’t as good as the versions of what I had. did. You know, big movies that weren’t Black Panther, little movies that weren’t Mudbound and weren’t that craftable… And so I guess I just found it in a weird way for me instead of trying to surpass these achievements that I made, it was the right time to turn to directing, which was leaking more and more. And the Ryan Cooglers of the world, Ricky Famuyiva, all these people told me: “You have to direct. You think like a director. You have something to tell. Leave. And so I think it was like, okay, I’ve reached this amazing career milestone, let me start over and start from the bottom, and try another new thing that piqued my curiosity.”
Another decision to stick to and follow because, after all, Morrison ended up directing episodes of famous TV shows like American crime, morning show, American Crime Storyand now, The Mandalorian.
Yes, become an episode director The Mandalorian is a huge opportunity, but it also comes with a lot of pressure—pressure from diehard fans, pressure that comes from working with a significant amount of franchise knowledge, and the pressure of working on a giant production, period. With all this in mind, I asked Morrison if he subscribed to The Mandalorian was easy, or if there were certain issues or concerns that she needed to resolve before committing. Here’s what she said:
“I wanted to be honest with everyone that I’m not - I feel like historically a lot of people who work in the Star Wars universe work there because it’s their world, right? They live, eat, breathe it. They’re comic book fans, they’re Star Wars fans, and they’re getting there with this encyclopedia of knowledge. And I think that was true for at least the first few seasons of Mando directors or the first season and a half, and then I think they made a conscious decision in some part to bring in some people who could maybe bring in something other. Table. I didn’t pretend to have this wealth of Star Wars knowledge because I don’t, but I also feel like my episode was almost matched for me. It was a very visual episode and the little one managed to save the day, which is always fun. This was easy for several reasons. I was curious about Volume, the technology that The Mandalorian laid the groundwork for, this whole new way of capturing things. And I’ve seen it in action, but I’ve never really been the person behind its lens, and that piqued my curiosity. Rick [Famuyiwa], who was the supervising producer that season, supervising producer-director, we are very close. We made films together. I trusted him. He thought I was right for it and I said, “OK, I trust your judgment.” I too was just, “What the fuss? I want to meet little Grog and take this crazy ride.”
Seeking more from Morrison on her journey from reality TV to star Wars? You can find it in her full Collider Forces interview in the video at the top of this article, or you can listen to the conversation in podcast form below:
Source: Collider
I have worked as a journalist for over 7 years and have written for many different publications. I currently work as an author at Daily News Hack, where I mostly cover entertainment news. I have a great deal of experience in the industry and am always looking to learn more. I am a highly motivated individual who is always looking to improve my skills. I am also a very friendly and personable person, which makes me easy to work with.
