Nora Kirkpatrick on Leaving Beautiful Imagery and Her Debut Feature ‘A Tree Fell in the Woods’

Nora Kirkpatrick has been many things – an actor, a writer, a director, an accordion player in a Platinum Record-selling band… the list goes on.

She’s created a VR comedy series starring Snoop Dogg, sold shows to CBS, Comedy Central and Hulu, and has just premiered her first feature at Tribeca, ‘A Tree Fell in the Woods’, starring Josh Gad, Alexandra Daddario, Daveed Diggs and Ashley Park .

The multi-talented Iowa native graduated from UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television and immediately embarked on a creative journey that’s taken her on the road for seven years with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, in front of camera on ‘The Office’, and into writing rooms for ‘Daisy Jones and The Six’ among others.

Represented by Furlined in the US and Spindle in the UK, Nora’s short films have earned her grand jury prizes at international film festivals, and she has directed commercial work for Bud Light, Uber One, Duracell, Nestlé and Peloton.

With ‘A Tree Fell in the Woods’ debuting this week, and an Amazon series, ‘The Runarounds’, and another feature, ‘Gallagher V. Gallagher’, in the works, LBB’s Ben Conway caught up with Nora to discuss her path to this point, and how all her varied experiences shape her work with brands.

LBB> How did you first discover your passion for writing and directing? Was this a career path you felt supported in pursuing?

Nora> It was always my dream to be a writer/director but, growing up, I didn’t know anyone who lived that life. My parents were incredibly supportive of me living a life in the arts as long as I went to college. So, after UCLA I began acting. But, what I found is I was always sitting with the director, watching. I remember the day I had my first female director on a set. It opened my world a bit, let me see that this was a possibility. I’m incredibly grateful for my path to get to writing and directing as I now feel a great understanding of what it feels like to be on both sides of the camera.

LBB> Was filmmaking and writing still an ambition, or creative outlet, of yours while you were in the midst of your musical career with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros?

Nora> Absolutely. I was filming us on tour daily. I have hours and hours of footage. The band was such an interesting subject and our adventures were incredibly diverse and wild. I began writing my first TV show while on tour and was taking writing classes on the bus after we’d finish a show.

LBB> How has that experience with the band shaped your filmmaking and creative approach more widely? A 10-piece band involves a lot of collaborators - what did you learn about teamwork and the creative process as a group effort during that time?

Nora> It was the most incredible learning experience. 10 different people, with 10 different creative modes and personalities, all on one bus for seven years. It really taught me all the different ways someone can approach the same thing, and how different creative brains can be. In a beautiful way. It’s much like a set where you become a family for a period of time and it gave me a deep respect for others’ creative needs and desires and how to support them.

LBB> What were your first TV projects that got picked up? What do you enjoy about TV writing/directing, and how does it influence your commercial work?

Nora> The first show I sold was to Comedy Central. It was the first pilot I had written, and it was wild. About a home shopping network where the host dies live on the air and her disciples vie for position.

The TV projects have really informed me on story structure, arc, and the rhythm of a scene. Commercials are such a shorter amount of time, but if you can fit an arc, a great button and interesting visuals into that amount of time, you’re going to create something that stands out in the landscape.

Good writing and character development is key in everything I do. It’s such an invigorating challenge to try to do it in under a minute.

LBB> When did you start directing commercial projects? What are some of the projects that stand out as turning points or milestones for you in that sector? Tell us a bit about them!

Nora> I did my first commercial during covid. It was for Bud Light Seltzer and it was an amazing campaign where we got to build the inside of the human body as a workplace comedy. It was definitely a turning point for me and I was honoured to work with some of the greatest DPs and designers in the business.

That was really the place where I learned how a commercial works. I got to see first-hand the incredible organisation and prep work that goes into each second of the spot – and learn about the deep collaboration that occurs between a director and a client. I love these spots deeply. The sets are perhaps my favourite thus far – expertly designed by Andrew Clark.

LBB> Across all the mediums you work in, what are the key elements that attract you to a project or idea? What do you see as your creative impetus?

Nora> I’m always thinking about leaving beautiful imagery behind in my wake. I have folders on my phone and my computer that are specifically reserved for imagery that I find striking or interesting. World building is key, even if the premise and setting is based firmly in reality. So, imagery, character and conceit. What’s the concept? Can you say it in one sentence? If all of those areas are firing, you’re more likely to make something that people can relate to or latch into quickly.

LBB> You’ve experimented with emerging tech, like virtual reality. What is the potential for this technology, in commercial filmmaking or otherwise? How do you have to change your creative process when working with VR?

Nora> RIP VR. That’s kind of how I feel at this point. I loved working on it – some of the most innovative projects I’ve been a part of were during this time. But, it seems, that the tech just isn’t there to make it something that is as comfortable or as social as watching TV and film. But I think it’ll keep iterating and working its way towards us.

VR was all about the viewer, including them in the story, making them feel like a part of the world. So those lessons carry over to traditional TV and film.

LBB> Your debut feature ‘A Tree Fell in the Woods’ is set to premiere soon - what can you tell us about that project? What did you enjoy or find creatively challenging about the feature film process?

Nora> This is my baby! I love this movie and this process so much. I learned everything here about putting a movie together. I was lucky enough to be able to hire a crew where I had worked with almost every department head before. We shot in Utah, all living in a ski resort together. The most challenging thing was shooting it all in 20 days. That was wild, but forced us to be incredibly prepared and scheduled.

The weather really liked to delay us, but we made it on time. Truly it was a beautiful experience. The cast is unbelievable, both in performance and as humans. We had an incredible amount of fun, and I wish I could shoot it again, just for the joy of it.