Angel Morris | Editor and Filmmaker | San Diego, California
Although Angel’s skill set spans many areas of film production (with almost ten years of production experience under their belt), editing is what brings them the most joy, as it’s where all the pieces of the puzzle are brought together to make the story. They are passionate about natural history filmmaking, and aim to work on films that make an impact in wildlife conservation and beyond.
As someone who is a part of the LGBTQ+ community, Angel hopes to diversify the community of documentary filmmakers, and works to inspire others who are like them to chase after their aspirations so that more stories can be heard, and more work can be done to take care of our planet and those on it.
Angel is our OCL Storyteller Grant 2022 runner up, receiving a small sum of money to go towards their latest project:
My team and I are setting out to produce a series of short films featuring stores from marine scientists in marginalized communities. The next project is tentatively titled "Moronke: A Black Oceanographer's Story." This film highlights the journey of Moronke Harris, an emerging marine scientist, who has faced adversity in the field as a bisexual black woman. But Moronke is a force to be reckoned with. She has broken barriers and achieved incredible feats throughout her life, including pursuing her Ph.D. in studying the approaches for addressing potential use conflict between mineral and microbial resource exploitation in the deep sea. And now, she has her sights on the next step in her career; landing a Science Manager position on a major research and exploration vessel. Our goals for both this film and the broader series, are to highlight the challenges that black and queer scientists face in the pursuit of their careers, provide visibility through highlighting diverse, inspirational stories, as well as educate potential allies on how to make the marine science field a safer space for scientists of color/LGBTQ+ scientists.
What is a typical day like for you?
For me, a typical day can look like a lot of different things. When it's a work day, I grab my coffee and head over to the office for Day's Edge Productions, where I get to edit films all about wildlife, natural history, and other science-related topics. It's an incredible job that has taught me so much about our planet, and specifically about how to make films that communicate the threats against our ecosystems. However when I'm not at work, I can usually be found in the ocean, alongside my wife Nicole. We love to surf, free dive, snorkel, kayak....literally anything that gets us in the water. My wife is an emerging marine biologist, so I get to tag along with her to explore the oceans of California, finding and videoing species like stingrays, leopard sharks, and tons of other animals. Most of the time I have a camera in hand, whether it be a GoPro, my underwater 35mm Nikonos, or a full dslr rig, I love to capture the underwater world around me, in hopes to educate others about local wildlife.
When I'm not in the water or working, I do a lot of advocacy work for the LGBTQ+ community in the STEM field. I work closely with an organization called Jackson Wild, which is a film festival and nonprofit that brings together science storytellers from all over the world. I help Jackson build spaces for LGBTQ+ folks to come together and experience community, gain access to opportunities, and provide visibility that tends to be lacking in the world of science and film.
When did you first start documenting your ocean story?
I first started documenting my ocean story when I moved to California with my wife almost five years ago. Coming from a landlocked state, the ocean was actually a huge adjustment. I wasn't used to currents and swells, and the sea grass was terrifying (I know, I sound like a total wimp). But once my wife, who grew up here, showed me more of the ocean and I actually got to experience the incredible wonder of the creatures in it, I completely fell in love. I knew I needed to start documenting the things I saw so that others could see too. I practiced a lot with my GoPro, but finally got my hands on a real underwater dslr rig from my friend Nova, and it's been such a treat.
What are the fondest memories from your upbringing that you feel impacted your life choices and lifestyle today?
My dad used to be a professional photographer when he was younger, and he always owned some type of camera when I was growing up. As a kid I consistently pestered him to let me use it, and would sometimes sneak it out of his office to go take photos and videos of my dogs, or the birds in our backyard. Eventually he realized that he couldn't keep his gear away from me, so he bought me my first digital camera. Unlike most kids who were watching Lizzie MaGuire on TV, I always was watching nature documentaries. I've always had a fascination with wildlife, and I was so inspired by these films that took me out of my little neighborhood in Arizona and into the Amazon, or the Serengeti, or the Great Barrier Reef, in order to see these incredible animals. I grew up relatively poor, so I never got the chance to travel and see the world outside of those documentaries. Watching those inspired me to take my little Coolpix camera to my backyard, or to the zoo, or the park, and pretend just for a second that I was Steve Irwin in the outback, looking for animals to show the camera. I taught myself how to edit at age 10, and found a deep love for creating videos that utilized music and visuals to tell stories. I often would make little videos of my pets or put together little reels (before reels were a thing) of shots from the zoo. I didn't realize that those moments would build the foundation for what is now my passion.
What path did you choose after leaving school?
Very similarly to my wife's journey, I also gave up my dream to be a wildlife filmmaker once I realized that as a queer person, I didn't have the access, visibility, or community that I needed to succeed. I ended up going to school and getting my degree in theology, and pursuing freelance marketing video media on the side. I worked a barista job during the week, and on the weekends I made videos for small businesses and brands. Although it was fun, it wasn't fulfilling. Eventually in late 2020, I made the scary decision to quit my barista job and try to become a full time freelancer, to see if that would help to inspire me. However, something was still missing. It wasn't until the beginning of 2021 when Nicole and I had a very emotional conversation about why we didn't decide to pursue our childhood dreams. We never saw ourselves in these careers, and no one ever gave us the access we needed. So we both made the commitment to try and chase our dreams.
What do you value most in life?
I think the thing I value the most in life is being present. This year specifically I've really been trying to tackle that, and get myself out in the world and really truly experience it in real-time, taking in the sights, sounds, smells and every other aspect of the moment, all while letting go of stress or fears. I recently got the chance to free dive with a giant group of mobula rays in Baja. Being able to swim alongside them was the most present I've ever been in my life, and it really reminded me how nature can bring us back into our bodies. It was so inspiring, and I hope to do more things like that in the future.
What brings you the most joy?
For me, getting to explore the ocean has brought me the most joy as of late. As I mentioned earlier, I grew up in a landlocked state, so the ocean was brand new territory. It was like getting dropped on Mars. Both exhilarating and frightening at the same time. It's a challenge that I was super proud to overcome, and I'm still learning to this day more and more about the ocean and how it works. Every time I go into the water, I'm discovering new things. Maybe it's a new fish I've never seen before, or a beautiful kelp forest that I can swim though. Specifically, getting to explore the ocean with my wife and my friends is something that is so special for me. I love being able to share my experiences with the people I care about the most, and getting to bring them into the ocean with me is something I cherish.
Who/what currently inspires you?
Currently, my wife is my biggest inspiration. When she was younger, she dreamed about being a marine conservationist. Unfortunately, she faced a lot of barriers to that career. As a queer woman, she didn't see herself in any of her role models, or any of the documentaries she would watch, or even in the textbooks she'd read in her free time. Her parents encouraged her to pursue other careers because that wasn't a reasonable career path. So she eventually gave up the dream, and moved away to Arizona to pursue other things. But after experiencing the heartbreak of losing her passion, and also doing a lot of work to become a more authentic version of herself, she moved back to CA and slowly tried to see if she could make it work. With some extremely hard work and dedication, she recently got scuba certified, and got accepted into grad school for an animal biology program, despite having no background in science. She inspires me so much to keep pursuing my dreams, and to not let the lack of LGBTQ+ visibility scare me away from the things I want to do.
What would you most like to change in the world/environment today?
I think I really would love to change the individualistic and jaded mindset that our society (or at least western society) has. I think that so many people are consumed with themselves that they forget to look around and see that the rest of the world is also struggling. This leads to being jaded about the threats to our planet, and it also leads to discrimination and bigotry, which is something that I face all too often as a queer person. In my work, I really would love to make films and other media that wake people up from that slumber. I want to showcase both the beauty and the devastation to our planet, in a way that makes people begin to care, and not in the "doom and gloom" way that often will make people even more jaded. I really think that the reason why people don't care is because they aren't able to experience other ways of life, and so of course all they know is their own experience. Maybe all it would take is once video they come across on instagram that inspires them to make a difference, or change their perspective.
Are there any books/documentaries that have guided your thinking?
This might not be exactly the answer you're looking for, but one of the turning points in my career was in early 2021 when I was considering pursuing documentary filmmaking. My wife and I watched a documentary on Disney+ about women in conservation. It was a really amazing film that featured female pioneers from all different backgrounds. They featured women from all over the world, all different religions, and socio-economic backgrounds. My wife and I were like, okay, they're totally going to show a queer woman. But then we reached the end of the film, and not a single person in the LGBTQ+ was featured. It made us way more upset than we were expecting. It was because we both realized exactly what was keeping us from pursuing these careers earlier. The guiding line of the film was a Marian Wright Edelman quote, "You can't be what you can't see". Watching that film made us realize that for some of us, you have to be your own visibility.
What legacy do you hope to leave?
I really hope to show other people in the LGBTQ+ community that they can do whatever their heart is calling them to. I've made it a point to be extra visible and vulnerable, which is scary, but I know that there are other people out there who are in the same situation I was. I want them to see the things that I can achieve and be inspired to pursue their passions. But I want to go a step further and give people access. Unfortunately, LGBTQ+ folks are overlooked and discriminated against in STEM, specifically in marine sciences (there's a great research paper that explains this, which can be viewed here. One of the biggest barriers queer people face is getting access to the same kinds of opportunities that their straight peers do. I want to one day be in a place where I can offer those opportunities to LGBTQ+ folks, so that we can bring new perspectives to the field of marine science, conservation, and exploration.
What advice would you give to anyone looking to follow their dreams as an ocean Storyteller?
My best advice would be to not wait for someone to give you permission. Start seeking out mentors and help from others who can help you gain the access you need in order to pursue your dreams and goals. If you're able to, get out in the ocean and just start telling a story. Even if it's just about your local fish that you see on a daily basis. Even if you don't have access to the best gear, or any gear at all, find a way that you can tell the story you want to tell, and don't be ashamed to tell it to everyone that you meet. You never know who needs to hear the story, or who might be inspired by the story to take action.
WEBSITE: www.theonefrontier.com/portfolio
INSTAGRAM: @angelmorris.edit
LinkTree: www.theonefrontier.com/mylinks
