Nathalie Zagar

When did it all start?

It all started when I was a kid because I was sure that I wanted to be in the film industry, except that back in the day I wanted to be an actor. I had always been involved in theater and musical theater in school and when I graduated I knew I wanted to pursue this career. I studied in Mexico the Bachelor in Communications and Performing arts, and got a better idea of all the different approaches to arts and communications from film all the way to sports journalism and political campaigns. When I graduated I felt it was time to concentrate on my career, so I came here to LA to pursue acting. This was during 2021, and the pandemic was still an important subject in the world so it was very hard for me to find any kind of job. Honestly, this made me realize that maybe I should try something other than acting, because sending self tapes and not getting replies and having to stay home waiting was not the best feeling for me. I stumbled across Script Supervising randomly, a friend of mine was filming a school project and he asked me to help him doing the job, I had no idea what I had to do. Since that first time doing the job, I started reading many books and learned from others and I keep perfecting my craft by taking courses with the best in the industry.

If you were an advertisement, what would your slogan be?

Look no more, your trusted script supervisor is here.

What does your career mean to you?

I consider myself a perfectionist, so every time I turn in a report or finish a project, I make sure that it looks as perfect as it can. When I get good comments on my turned in reports, I feel proud of my work and motivated to keep working and getting even better than I am. My job is very exciting because I always have to be one step ahead of everyone, I need to make sure that everyone is on the same page and they know what should be happening and when and where. I need to avoid mistakes before filming so that time is not wasted and we can get the best shots that will cut smoothly.

What is your main motivation?

I am a fan of going to the movies. I love to dive into new stories and new worlds with every different film. When I walk out of the theater I am always reminded that I love the career that I chose and it is the right path for me. There is a very famous phrase that P.T Barnum said, “The noblest art is that of making others happy” and for me, that is what the entertainment business does. There is no greater satisfaction than to make people laugh, cry or get scared and really connect with your story and your characters. To have them talk about the film after watching it, and to comment what their favorite part of the movie was or to empathize with a character’s situation. The film industry has evolved so much with time and I am amazed at all the crazy and wonderful things that can be done in order to have a story come alive and keep people on the edge of their seats.

What is the part you enjoy the most? And the worst?

Every time I jump on board a new project, I get to be immersed into a whole new story and world. I love reading all the scripts that I am preparing for and getting familiarized with every single detail of the story. When being on set, the Director and I are the ones who know the script the best, and I get to keep track of every single small detail so that the Director can be free to be creative with his story. The part that I enjoy the most of doing the job is to be the eyes and ears of everyone on set and make sure that everything flows smoothly and nothing is forgotten. On the other hand, the part that I enjoy the least is when there are lots of changes being done at the moment and I am not informed of them, so I have to check in and make sure that it wasn’t just a mistake and it was an actual choice to switch things. It is always extremely important on set to be communicative and let everyone know of what is being done and if there is a change to have everyone one the same page to avoid confusion.

Who are your idols?

I do not really follow the work of other script supervisors, but since we work very closely with directors, my idols are Steven Spielberg, Wes Anderson and Tim Burton. A few of my all time favorite films were Directed by Spielberg and I admire a lot his way of work and the vision that he creates when on set. Wes Anderson is not only a great director but also thinks like a Director of Photography, as everything looks very aesthetically pleasing and has perfect symmetry, he likes to tell stories not only with the narrative but also creating mini paintings whenever you pause his films. I love the entire aesthetic that Burton has created, he practically invented an entire genre. It is always fascinating to see his character sketches and what is going on in his mind when creating a new world and a new story.

In case you need a break in your career, what else would you like to do?

My dad and I are hardcore motorsport fans. So whenever I am not working I love to watch Formula 1 races. So, I guess if I needed a break I would definitely look into this world. I would love to explore the Sports journalism career. I find it very interesting to fly all over the world with the pilots and watch and comment the races. I find this sport very exhilarating, so if I needed to get my mind off film for a moment, I would do that.

Do you consider that nowadays there are more or less opportunities for new artists? Why?

I believe it is a bit of both because there are so many different ways to create art and to get exposure for it. I mean, anyone can shoot a film with their own cellphone if they wanted to. Creating art is so much more accessible nowadays because of technology and all the tools that we have available to us. On the other hand this advantage works as a disadvantage as well, because it is so easy to create art that everyone does it, so there is more competition and it gets harder to be really special.

What would your idyllic life be like?

There are a few things I have in mind when thinking about my idyllic life. I really love traveling, so I would really be the happiest if I got to be in a big production that was shooting in different countries. I also would love to direct at some point in my career, because working so closely to directors as a script sup. we learn so much from them and eventually we start thinking like directors and thinking of ways that we would have done a scene differently. I am also a really big fan of period pieces and historical series, so to put all of that together into one perfect scenario, I believe my ideal life would be directing a History fantasy series (like Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon) and to be shooting all over the world.

What are your next projects?

I currently am working on a few short films with friends of mine and a feature film in pre-production. I am particularly excited to work on this feature because it is a comedy and I haven’t really worked too much on comedies. It is very tough to have a well written and actually funny comedy and this script really works well. Also, I am currently studying a script supervising course to keep perfecting my craft. I always think that even though you think you are the best at your job, you can always learn more, so you are never really 100% perfect at it and you always have to keep learning to keep growing.