We were lucky to catch up with Nathaniel Beaver recently and have shared our conversation below.
Nathaniel, thanks for taking the time to share your lessons with our community today. So, let’s jump right in – one of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. Where does your self-discipline come from?
I would say that my self-discipline came from my parents, who worked hard and were able to balance the work/family life. I watched them go to work every morning, and I learned the importance of that role. This was certainly true when I worked my first job at a strawberry farm at a young age. Specifically, self-discipline is important to make and keep your promises and goals in your personal and professional life. It is always easy to NOT do something. It is so much harder to make a commitment, to fulfill a goal or hold yourself accountable, and to bring your best self to any situation. This year, I ran my first marathon, the LA Marathon! For months leading up to it, I had to run 5-6 days a week, and really put in the mileage and train my body to be able to endure the race. It was the hardest thing to do to find the time, to step away from the editing chair, and hit the streets of my neighborhood, running for hours on end. It all paid off when I crossed that finish line! I almost burst into tears at my accomplishment. I was thrilled with my race time of 4 hours, 5 minutes! But it all started with a few small steps, an hour at a time, a mile at a time. When it was all over, I looked back, and was proud of what I did to get there.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am the owner of Parry-Riposte Films, where I serve as director, producer, director of photography, and editor.
We strive for complete satisfaction through film and video production with fast and efficient turnaround on an economical budget. Whether you require assistance in capturing events, interviews, seminars, short films, documentaries, behind-the-scenes, or any other production, we can make it happen.
I have produced comprehensive behind-the-scenes videos on several feature films including, “The Mortuary Collection”, “The Old Ways,” and most recently “Aporia,” starring Judy Greer.
I also work with clients such as the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), The Colburn Music School, Adventist Health Glendale, The Burbank Chamber of Commerce, and various theaters such as A Noise Within and Write Act Repertory.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Self-Discipline, as I mentioned previously. It’s important to make a goal and follow through.
Practical hands-on experience (in whatever you are studying). For me it specifically was the video and film production training I learned at Indiana University (Bloomington). You can certainly read about how to edit, or how to operate a camera, but that knowledge needs to be backed up by experience. I worked at WTIU, which was our local PBS station, and we got real-world experiences of going out on shoots and production responsibilities that were not taught in classrooms.
Punctuality. I know it’s often challenging in LA, due to traffic, but for me it is extremely important. One quote, I have always carried with me, was from Bruce Burgun, a Theatre director at IU: “If you arrive ON TIME, you’re already late.”
As far as developing and improving these skills, I think understanding that these are the areas you want to improve, and set small goals to achieve them. Hands-on experience, try to find opportunities to just get on set through volunteering and getting to operate and learn about the gear. For being on time and navigating the various traffic patterns of LA, leave super early, get to where you need to go, then go get breakfast or coffee while you wait for the production. That way, you are able to mentally prepare and be ready to go.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am always looking to collaborate with people and build relationships in the film industry. You never know when a job will come up that you may need to give someone a call. This includes camera operators, sound recordists, re-recording mixers, editors, SFX and VFX artists, producers, writers, art directors, costumers, basically everyone involved in the production industry!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.parry-ripostefilms.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parryripostefilms/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParryRiposteFilms
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanielbeaver/
- Twitter: twitter.com/parryripostefms
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/parryripostefilms
- Other: VIMEO: https://vimeo.com/parryripostefilms
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1619471/
Image Credits
Well Go Entertainment, 2023
