We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alix Moad Evan Runkle. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alix Moad below.
Alix Moad, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
When you make your creative pursuit your work, it can be very easy to hit a creative block. The way we’ve been able to keep our creativity alive is by diversifying the kind of creative work we do. When we feel burnt out on writing, we edit or shoot photography. When we feel burnt out on being on-set, we turn to writing. It’s also important to us to engage in creativity in more passive ways, by watching films and listening to music. While those things aren’t actively helping us create, they allow us to take a break from the work of creating and they give us inspiration.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
We are a filmmaking team working out of Fort Collins, Colorado where we co-own the production company Deescalated Pictures with founders Calvin Shepherd and S.T. Williams. Our focus is being able to make projects that we believe in on our own terms – if no one will give us the money, we’ll either get the money ourselves or figure out how tell a story with a limited budget.
Independent filmmaking is really special; filmmaking overall is a team sport, but independent filmmaking requires so much trust in your team due to the fact that that team is usually incredibly small and made up of people wearing multiple hats. It’s always a learning experience – if you’re not learning a new skill out of necessity, you’re finding new ways to use your existing skills in order to make the project you’re working on the best it can be.
This past year, we released our first feature film, Field of Screams. After a limited theatrical run, Field of Screams released digitally and physically in May 2025 and is currently streaming on Tubi and Roku TV, and available for purchase on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
We’re currently assisting with post-production on two films directed by frequent collaborators of ours and are in pre-production on the second film we plan on directing together.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three skills that have been really important during our creative journey are communication, adaptability, and the ability to collaborate.
Of the three, we always say communication is the most important. Effective communication is an important part of most workplaces, but it’s crucial for filmmaking. Because there are so many different people all trying to make one single project, everyone needs to be on the same page during each step of the process. Whether we’re communicating clearly about production details over email, having to quickly communicate between crew heads on-set, or being able to keep a cool head during a disagreement in the editing room, we’ve found that most of the job of directing is communicating.
We always advocate for people that are just starting out to find their community and start helping on sets. Filmmaking isn’t a solitary activity – you’ll need other people around to support you, no matter what you decide to do. Finding that community before you’re ever running your own set will teach you how to communicate well, be adaptable in less-than-ideal situations, and how to be a good team member.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
The biggest way we’ve grown in the past 12 months is our ability to manage our stress and energy. Filmmaking at our level means that filmmaking isn’t our only job – if we’re not working on a project (our own or someone else’s), we’re working our day jobs. Since devoting more time to filmmaking, we’ve had to learn how to manage our time in a way that allows us to give as much energy and creativity as possible to our own projects and other’s projects. We’ve had to learn to say no, both to others and to ourselves. We’ve had to learn how to take breaks – and we’re getting better at it everyday.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.deescalatedpictures.com/
- Instagram: @fieldofscreamsfilm.com
Image Credits
Evan Runkle, Alix Moad, Jasmine Day
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