We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Travis J. Smith & Janelle E. Nelson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Can you tell us about your new upcoming film, including the inspiration behind it, and the artistic and technical plans you had to make it come to life?
Janelle: The inspiration behind the film came from Travis and I’s recurring conversations about the perceived dullness of life. I would always ask Travis “Is this it? Is this all there is to life?” He normally laughs at my recurring “what is life” question but then we decided to explore this thought a bit further. We started to think creatively with “What If” statements (e.g. “What if life is really…”). We pieced together our What Ifs with concepts regarding physics and dimensions and voila! The script was born!
Travis: As Janelle mentioned, the genesis of this film arose from our profound discussions about life and the universe. Personally, I’ve always been fascinated by quantum physics, space, philosophy, and theology, and this film amalgamates all those themes into one narrative. Many individuals share similar encounters with unexplainable phenomena, affirming their reality. Without divulging too much of the plot, this film promises to delve into the enigma of reality itself. Bringing such a film to fruition poses challenges, particularly in visually depicting space, time, and quantum concepts, which necessitate costly visual effects and CGI. Simultaneously, we aimed to keep the audience grounded, hence our decision to film on location for authenticity. The scenes you witness were authentically shot in Egypt, Paris, Rome, Florence, New York, and Atlanta. Being self-funded, we managed to minimize expenses while fulfilling our creative vision. Recognizing the logistical demands, especially for international shoots, I conducted numerous tests and devised a portable camera rig for swift filming with my cinema cam. As of this article there is still filming ongoing in Atlanta.
You traveled around the world filming in Paris, Egypt, Rome, and Florence; can you touch on the complexity of coordinating something like that?
Travis: Once the locations were chosen, Janelle and I embarked on plotting the story and crafting a pitch deck. Subsequently, I penned the script and meticulously organized the entire trip and shooting schedule. Our ambition knew no bounds; we aimed to cover three international countries and five cities within a mere eight days. Every detail was meticulously planned, from which scenes to shoot on specific days to the logistics of filming without checked bags, enduring 14-hour shoots daily. Despite encountering challenges due to location restrictions, we managed to persuade authorities to grant us access. Filming across New York, Paris, Egypt, Florence, and Rome within such a tight timeframe might have seemed daunting to some, but driven by our mission, we pressed on. It was undoubtedly a test of our resolve, and we found divine favor from God guiding us every step of the way. We really did that!
Janelle: Wow! Come to think of it, we really did that! Travis came up with the locations that would yield aesthetically pleasing shots. (Travis is a Taurus and he’s extremely organized.) He led the charge of synchronizing the flights and lodging. I oversaw the costumes / apparel for each shot.
Now to answer your question, Was there complexity – Absolutely! We traveled around the time the international conflict between Israel and Gaza was just starting up and we were concerned with how it may affect the trip. However, the complexity was manageable due to us taking the time to list and address obvious and not so obvious concerns. In summary, we hoped for the best but prepared for the worst. Also, to anyone reading this, when traveling internationally ALWAYS enroll to receive the states advisory alerts!
Could you provide some background on who you are and your professional journey in the film and TV industry?
Janelle: Well, I’m not in the film/TV industry however a lot of my skills were easily transferable to this project. So, I’m a Naval vet who’s performed many roles over my military career. I’ve assisted in navigating ships, controlling fighter air jets, managing tactical data links as well as creating curriculum and teaching thousands of sailors preparing them for fleet operations. Many times, as a sailor, you must prepare to travel internationally sometimes on short notice. So, I was used to traveling and all the requirements. Now as a Learning Content Designer, I create storyboards and scripts for building curriculum and this skill seamlessly translated during our (Travis and I) collaboration when developing the script for our film.
Travis: Over the past eight years, I’ve dedicated my professional career to the film and TV industry, primarily focusing on live television production. Working closely with renowned studios such as Fox, Warner Bros, ESPN, NBC, MTV, CBS, and the NFL, among others, has enriched my expertise in broadcast and video engineering, as well as technical management for live TV shows. In addition to my extensive industry experience, I’ve also ventured into filmmaking, where my short film titled “The Shores on Paradise: Remastered” garnered significant acclaim, winning a total of 11 prestigious awards worldwide between 2022 and 2023.
As a black filmmaker, how do you believe representation and diversity within the filmmaking industry impact storytelling, and what steps do you think are crucial for fostering more opportunities and voices from underrepresented communities?
Janelle: Black representation and storytelling go hand in hand. Our stories help shape the past and define the future. Hence why it’s so crucial to afford opportunities to those who come from all walks of life. Our voices and dreams liberate not only those who look like us, but people all over the world! To impede on such an impact would be equivalent to purposely sabotaging humanity’s soul and all its’ expression.
To ensure we are fostering more opportunities for less represented people, we should bring film to all primary schools, like we had music. Just look at all the creativity we see created with just a phone from both young and old alike. There’s a HUGE untapped treasure trove just waiting to explode onto the scene.
Travis: As a black filmmaker passionate about sci-fi, fantasy, and action genres, I face challenges in an industry where opportunities for diversity are limited. It’s rare to find films in these genres with predominantly black casts or black protagonists. I’m determined to create such films, but it’s disheartening to see black representation often confined to stereotypical roles like comedy, family drama, or crime. This film aims to break that mold by embracing science fiction, highlighting the need for greater diversity in black cinema.
I aspire to secure funding for ambitious projects, whether it be a big-budget sci-fi or fantasy film that showcases the richness of black storytelling on a grand scale, or a moderate-budget horror film that explores themes of identity and culture in a gripping narrative.
What are the plans for this film, and what else do you have in the pipeline?
Travis: Our primary focus right now is to complete the filming process and proceed to post-production. The title of the film will be revealed at a later date and time. My vision for this project, as discussed with Janelle, is to submit it to major film festivals such as SXSW, Cannes, Sundance, Tribeca, and Toronto, with the aim of garnering attention for its potential adaptation into a full-length feature with a larger budget. While securing funding for the project has been difficult, we remain committed to seeing it through to completion, as we have been doing with our own money. Looking ahead, we’re constantly exploring new storytelling opportunities, but our immediate priority is to finish this film for a planned release in 2025.
Janelle: Our plan for this film is to raise funds and awareness going forward, so that we finish strong and deliver an insightful and intriguing film to the masses! We have some strong talent helping to bring this vision to life and I’m so excited to be able to assist in its manifestation! All I can say is “Stay tuned (wink)”!!
Contact information:
- Travis J Smith Instagram: director_of_productions
- Travis J Smith linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travisjsmith1/
- Travis J Smith IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm14084734/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
- Janelle E Nelson linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janelleenelson/
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