Habits with Nate Laverty
If you live in Tofino or Ucluelet then you’re definitely familiar with Nate’s work. Heck, if you live in Canada and have any ties to the surf community here then we could put you in the same boat. As a filmmaker living in Tofino, Nate has worked on countless film projects in and around our little peninsula that have brought a different perspective to surfing in Canada. His films give local surfers like Pete DeVries, Mathea & Sanoa Olin and Reed Platinius a platform to showcase not only their talent, but also the lifestyle of living in a small remote community and what they do to get waves. Nate’s talent as a filmmaker have earned him global recognition taking home awards like Best Cinematography in multiple film festivals which is easy to see why once you watch any of his projects.
The other night Nate was explaining how cool it is to see international surfers come to Canada, a large premise in his films. We’re used to seeing perfect breaks and conditions in most films so seeing what these people are able to do on our waves makes for an interesting viewpoint.
Outside of the surfing world, Nate has put in a ton of hard work to make a name for himself in the commercial world as a cinematographer and director. One of the things I love about his work in this space is that he works just as hard on a mom-and-pop brand as he would for a corporate giant to make sure everyone is getting the best product possible on his end. The storytelling brought into some of these projects is unmatched and will always bring in a few hearty laughs.
After a lengthy film festival tour, Nate’s newest film “Creatures of Habit” has finally been released to the public. Do yourself a favour and enjoy this amazing piece of work. Find it here.
Congratulations on the launch of Creatures of Habit. What are some of the highlights of the film in your eyes, not necessarily the best surfing but moments around the making of.
I think the first moment I felt like oh we’re going to be Able to make a movie! Was a nice feeling. We had a Camping trip with Cam, Pete, Mathea and sanoa and Got fun waves, a really cool encounter with orcas andOverall just great vibes and that was the first time it Felt like yes we’re clicking. Particularly around the orca Experience because I really wanted this film to feel Different for people than other surf films and part of What makes Canada special is things like that but you Can’t exactly just script it and make it happen. Those Unexpected experiences were may dream moments For this project.
What was the inspiration behind the project?
I felt like Canada was really popular in surf media 10-15 years ago with Pete and Raph mainly at the forefront of that alongside international surfers coming to see what it’s about. Since then I had heard through the industry that they were losing steam on seeing the same two waves, so when Pete asked if I wanted to make a film I said let’s do something where we try and go to the places we always talked about but didn’t really go. The hope was to showcase some unfamiliar spots and get the younger Canadian surfers fired up to pursue similar paths to the original free surfers here and go to these “new” waves and just look a little deeper.
Do you find yourself watching old surf movies to inspire the ones you're making or do you find your inspiration elsewhere?
I would say anything I create always starts with a deep dive into past work from people I watch and respect. I was really inspired by Ben Weiland’s Island X because to me that was a true search surf film. They took a massive stab in the dark at a big risk and cost and created something authentic and true to what surfing is about. Stylistically I’m really into work by Russell Brownley, Andy Gough, Joe G, Andrew Kaineder and Ryan Thomas. I studied their stuff while making Creatures [of Habit]. During the making of Creatures I received some messages from someone here who has some insecurities about us making something that could potentially throw shade on their past achievements and I actually took it as huge inspiration to work harder to make something that was much different than anything they’d put out before. That meant scrapping footage we had from certain spots and in the end I feel better about the direction I took. Thanks for the message! It was enlightening!
Is there anything particular that’s inspiring your work in general?
For sure.. honestly doesn’t need to be surfing but anything where people are turning the tables on being a 'creature of habit'. It’s so easy to go with what you know and although I appreciate the ability athletes have to perform at a wave or spot they have a lot of experience at, I’m stoked on stories based around the idea that you don’t know until you take the risk and try.
You always have some sort of project on the go, what sort of projects are you working on right now?
Currently I’m pretty deep in the editing bay working on a Patagonia short film coming out this fall. On the commercial side I’ve got a couple of jobs that I’m fortunate enough to be able to be a part of the post work on which is rare. Most of what I do goes to an editing house, so it’s fun to be able to put my finger on the end result as well. Recently I’ve started working consistently with Endless Surf, a wave park tech company that has lots of rad projects on the go. So this month I’m headed to Saudi Arabia to work on the content capture for their newest pool and thats going to be pretty wild–and HOT.
Do you find that you have similarities between the way you work on commercial projects compared to surf projects?
I think there’s a lot that I’ve learned through working on commercials even just soaking in the process watching some of the best out there. Some notable people I’ve watched and learned from are; Nigel Buck, Chris Blauvelt, Liam Mitchell and Frank Mobilio. Often times there’s small pieces you can adapt from commercials into capturing story telling films like the surf projects I work on. Even just understanding when to shoot, what angles is best for light and how that will translate on the post side.
Outside of film making, I know you love a good time–what’s been keeping you busy these days?
Summers in Tofino make you go pretty crazy if you don’t have a boat or know someone with a boat, so that is pretty much my outlet. I hardly surf here anymore, so when I feel like I need to get in the water I usually book a trip, sometimes just South Island but often Cali or Hawaii.
How’s the surf been? What sort of boards are you surfing?
Haha based on my last answer perhaps I am not the right person to ask, but around home I rarely surf anything other than an Aftanas Slim Jim that I got made for my friend Jimmy that he doesn’t ride. It’s a 7 foot that has a pretty good tail for turns and helps you get around in the weak mush we have at here. I was in Cali last month and surfed this 5’10 step rail twin fin that I picked up on Oahu this winter from Northern Alliance. It’s been a good time in most conditions! I love the loose-slidey feeling you get on a twin.
Why Tofino? What makes this place so special to you?
Honestly it’s pretty quiet most of the time, easy living, there’s a beach in front of my house and the boating is right out of your backyard. The last 4 years have felt like I’ve had one foot out the door, but with what my brand has become as of recent, its hard to fully peace out. I’ve appreciated the community and everything I’ve experienced here but as a creative you can only find so much inspiration in the outdoors here. I hope soon I can have some kind of studio space nearby to get weird in with some lighting and backdrops.
I’ve heard rumblings of another surf project in the works, what can we be on the lookout for?
Yup, I can’t really ever not have something on the go. I’m pretty lucky to have a location right here that a lot of awesome people want to come check out, so I think we’ll be mainly working with international surfers on this one. Currently chatting with Parker Coffin, Pat Gudauskas, Cam Richards and of course Pete for this one. In addition I’m working on a new Bill Ballard (Blue Crush, Twelve, View From a Blue Moon) film that’s doing its first trip this fall. That has a crazy lineup of female surfers and it will for sure be mind blowing.
Local Knowledge
Favourite Beach: Outside Vargas
Favourite Surfer(s): Pete, Sanoa, Mathea, Reed, Vargas Dan
Favourite Board Shape: Twin Swallow
Favourite Coffee: Espresso at home, Tofino Coffee beans
Favourite Aprés Surf Pint: 49th Parallel Lager
Favourite Food Oulet: Wildside Grill
