This is the end of our special series of interviews about the upcoming film Stranded by Shawn Burkett as we now turn our attention to the man behind the camera, cinematographer Travis Wilson. As has been the case with the other interviews, I talk to him about his past projects and what to expect with the film itself.
Me: Hello, and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, what got you into making movies in general?
Travis Wilson: Thanks so much for the opportunity!! What got me into making movies was honestly just pure fascination and I was lucky enough to just kind of fall into it several years ago. I’ve always loved movies in general and watching behind the scenes footage from all of my favorites over the years made me realize when I was younger that I wanted to be involved with film in some way or another. As soon as I stepped foot on a live film set for the first time, I completely fell in love with the entire experience and I knew that it was a career that I wanted to continue pursuing.
Me: Were you always into the genre? What films got you into the genre?
TW: Oh, absolutely. Horror has played a pretty large role in my life pretty much ever since I was a kid. I really have to give credit to my grandma for introducing me to the genre and setting me down the path to being such a huge fan of it. She was the one that first introduced me to scary things like haunted houses around Halloween, T.V shows like Tales from the Crypt, and different horror movies on 'USA: Up All Night' back when that was still a thing. Like everybody else, I grew up with Freddy, Jason, and Michael, but the movies that really stand out from my early childhood and still have a place in my heart are Pet Sematary and the Tom Savini directed Night of the Living Dead remake. Those coupled with discovering 'The Evil Dead' franchise a little later into my childhood really kind of solidified my place in horror movie fandom/obsession!
Me: When did you realize the passion for cinematography and camera-work?
TW: Since high school, I’ve always known that I wanted to, first, be involved in filmmaking, and second, I knew that I eventually wanted to be the man behind the camera. When I first started in film several years ago, I started as a Production Assistant and began paying my dues and climbing the ladder. Eventually, I managed to make my way up to Script Supervision and an Assistant Director role, but my sights were always set on being on camera. I finally got the opportunity to run a camera in 2016 when Tory Jones asked if I’d be interested in the role for The Wicked One. I knew that that’s what I wanted to do, so saying no just wasn’t an option! I completely fell in love with the extremely hands-on nature of the role and being right in the middle of the action while shooting. By the time we wrapped on that project, I knew that I’d made the right decision in taking the camera op role. I'll always be grateful for being given that opportunity because I feel like that was sort of the beginning of the road that eventually lead me to working with and becoming involved with Concept Media!!
Me: Having worked with Shawn on several projects before, does that create a sense of comfort to knowing what he wants in specific scenes?
TW: Most definitely! Shawn is an extremely driven filmmaker who usually has a pretty specific vision when it comes to his projects. It's always great to work with a director that shows up to set with a concrete idea of what he wants to accomplish that day. Shooting a movie is a completely unpredictable and sometimes complicated process though, and just because you go into a shoot with a specific idea for a scene in mind, sometimes Murphy's Law just decides to make your life a living hell instead. With Shawn, he always seems to have a backup plan and is quick on his feet when trying to figure out solutions to problems. The fact that he typically knows exactly what he wants and plans ahead in case of potential hiccups is a huge comfort because you know that despite what issues you might run into, you know that you can rely on Shawn to keep his cool and figure out a way to make a problematic scene work.
Me: So, speaking of Shawn, that brings us to your new film 'Stranded,' where you perform both cinematography and camera-work again. What can you tell us about your decision to do the film?
TW: My decision to be a part of STRANDED was probably one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made in my life. First off, I adore Shawn. He’s an incredible filmmaker and one of the most passionate and genuine people that I’ve met since becoming involved with filmmaking. Before finally getting the opportunity to work with him on Don’t Fuck in the Woods 2, he was always one filmmaker that I knew that I wanted to work with. I was such a huge fan of the first DFITW when it came out, so when he approached me to DP and run the camera for the sequel, I was thrilled and jumped at the chance. Since then, Shawn has become one of my favorite directors to work with and I’m grateful for any chance that I get to work on a project with him. Secondly, the cast and crew involved with this film is nothing short of amazing. I’ve been lucky enough to work with every member of the crew in some capacity or another over the last few years and these people have not only become great coworkers, but also amazing friends. The sheer amount of passion, know-how, and ingenuity that this crew brings to the table is astonishing and I’m stoked to see what we’re able to accomplish with this film. Filmmaking is one of the most rewarding things that I’ve ever done, and to work with a crew of people that I absolutely love just makes the entire experience that much more enjoyable!
Me: With the style of work planned, do your skills translate into the creature feature realm that Shawn has planned?
TW: I really think so! Don't Fuck in the Woods 2 was sort of my real introduction into working on a creature feature. Up until that point, I’d typically only done slasher films with the exception of a more dramatic short film here and there. So DFITW2 was kind of a trial by fire in which I really had to come up with new and more unique ways of shooting to help drive the story. With the experience that I was able to gain from that film, I now have a much better feel for shooting within the creature feature realm and can’t wait to get back into that realm and apply some of the techniques that I was able to learn on DFITW2 to STRANDED and Bigfoot!
Me: What do you hope to achieve with working on the project?
TW: First and foremost, I really want the fans to enjoy the movie. With the cast and crew that are involved and with Shawn at the helm, I really think that fans of creature features, even just horror in general, will love it. We have some really big things planned for this film and I really don’t think that fans of the genre have any idea what they’re in for! In addition to that, with every film I work on, I always want to improve and become better at the craft. I’ve learned something new on every single project up until this point, and I always look forward to the challenges that come with every new film. Bigfoot is new for all of us, and I’m sure that he will come with his own unique challenges, but I know that if anybody can tackle this monster and the challenges he presents, it’s our incredible team!
Me: Lastly, do you have any other projects coming up you'd wish to tell our readers about? Thank you again for your time.
TW: This is actually a pretty big year with a lot of new projects that I’m really looking forward to. We recently launched our IndieGoGo campaign for STRANDED at strandedmovie.net. We're all insanely excited for that film and we're really looking forward to tackling Bigfoot and putting our own spin on the legend! Aside from that, we are finishing DFITW2 this summer. I can’t tell you how stoked I am to get back into that world and wrap on that film. I promise you, the fans of the first movie will be blown away when they see what we did with the sequel, so prepare yourselves!!
I’m also very excited to be involved with a short film that is written and directed by the always lovely and hugely talented Brittany Blanton, which is set to shoot later this year. Toward the end of the year, I’ll be serving as the camera op along with Shawn as the Director of Photography for Wicked Ones, which is the sequel to the 2016 Tory Jones film, The Wicked One. I was the camera op for the first film, so I’m happy to be coming back for that and setting foot back into the mind of such a ruthless killer. On a more personal level, I am currently in the process of writing my first screenplay. Writing a screenplay is sort of uncharted territory for me, but I’m thrilled with how the story is developing so far and I’m really looking forward to whatever the future holds for it!!
And finally, I have a weekly web show called Heckles & Horror that I host and produce every Tuesday night with my good friend and partner in crime, Andrew Moore! I can’t even begin to speak highly enough of Andrew and everything that he does for the show. The man is a serious machine when it comes to producing the show and running the technical side of things. I say it all the time, but H&H wouldn’t be H&H without him. I’m so happy to announce that we recently entered our second year and we are well on our way to becoming affiliated on Twitch! If anybody is interested, you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch just by searching Heckles and Horror on all of those platforms! Thanks again for the interview and thanks to everyone that read it!
To check out their Indiegogo campaign, check it out HERE.
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