About a week ago we told you about the upcoming Running Wild Films Kickstarter Launch Party that will be taking place on October 12th at the Film Bar in downtown Phoenix (click here to read all about it). I decided to reach out to Travis Mills and ask him a little bit about the event, one of his new features, and the independent film scene in Arizona.
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| Travis Mills |
Christopher Coffel: You're in the process of working on another feature, THE MEN WHO ROBBED THE BANK. The title seems to be self explanatory, but can you tell us a little bit about this film?
Travis Mills: The title does explain just about everything you need to know about the movie. See, this isn't about the robbery at all. As the title suggests, the bank has already been robbed. The movie is about what happens after, the split. But more importantly, it is about the robbers. As one of the lead actors, Jonathan Medina, articulated best on our last day of shooting principal photography: "this isn't about the robbery, it's about the men, the character of the men."
CC: THE MEN WHO ROBBED THE BANK is your fourth feature, correct? What have you learned in between working on your frist film, THE BIG SOMETHING, to now? Do you feel like you've grown in that time?
TM: If you make movies consistently, it is impossible not to grow. It's like working out, you tear your muscles up and then they get stronger. So yes, I have grown since my first feature THE BIG SOMETHING and every new film is a learning experience. Each film has provided different challenges: The Big Something (shooting a full-length movie for the first time), The Detective's Lover (acting, producing and directing at the same time), Black Eros (which is still shooting... co-directing with Gus and experimenting with the monologue format), and The Men who Robbed the Bank (operating a camera while directing an ensemble cast). Each film I believe I get closer to telling the right story well.
CC: I know you and Running Wild Films have a lot going on in the near future, specifically with the goal of 52 short films in 52 weeks in 2013. Can you give us a little tidbit on what we should expect from those shorts?
TM: The 52 Short Films in 52 Weeks project is definitely our most ambitious effort yet. All of the shorts are based on public domain material from such writers as Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe and James Joyce. They have all be adapted to present day Arizona. I think viewers can expect a variety of styles and genres. They can expect to see the short film taken very seriously, not as an exercise or a means to an end, but that each of these movies is given the same commitment and passion as a feature film.
CC: What do you hope people take away from your films?
TM: I don't see cinema as a way to preach or communicate a specific message. That is a bad way to approach filmmaking. My aim is only to tell stories, for those stories to entertain, and to provoke a variety of thoughts and emotions from the audience.
CC: What do you think of the current indie film scene in Arizona? It seems like it's really picked up in the last year or so.
TM: I am excited to hear that the indie film scene is picking up here. Though I still believe there is a strong division in Arizona between two kinds of local filmmakers: those who are making films to be noticed by Hollywood and those who are true Arizona filmmakers, telling AZ stories with AZ people with no intention to replicate, impress, or move to Hollywood. For that reason, the "scene" is very divided. I would love to see two things which seem to contradict each other but do not: 1. More of a sense of community and camaraderie. 2. More of a sense of healthy competition to make great films.
CC: Anything else you'd like to plug?
TM: Please check out our website http://www.
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