By Travis Johnson
The film, Travel Warning, sees a wealthy businessman stranded abroad during a time of plague, forced to make his way home as best he can when he’s cut off from his usual technological crutches. Only the crew and the lead actor will be aware of the film’s nature – everyone else on camera will be locals improvising with the lead. With plans to shoot in October and a Kickstarter campaign nearing completion, it seemed time to delve into this intriguing project.
What inspired Travel Warning?
Firstly, travel itself has become increasingly worrisome for many people, mainly due to recent terror attacks and its subsequent reporting by mainstream media. Also, several years ago I was sick overseas and had my passport seized until payment for medical care was made by our travel insurer. It was touch and go as to whether I could get my flight home, but everything worked out fine. But what if I didn’t get my passport back? What if I was stuck in a worse and more dangerous situation and couldn’t get home? I find situations and stories like this quite terrifying, so it was a perfect basis for the film.
Are the budgetary and crew size strictures you’ve placed on yourself a matter of practicality, artistic invention, or both?
Both. We wouldn’t be able to do the shoot we are aiming to do with a large crew and long setups. In guerrilla filmmaking, you have to be as quick and inconspicuous as possible. The budgetary restraints also gives us the opportunity to be creative and practical. We are very conscious in our efforts to show other creative artists and filmmakers what can be done with limited resources.
What are the biggest challenges you believe you’ll face?
There will be a lot of challenges, but I think the biggest is the unknown. Although we have a script, we have one actor interacting with real people, getting real reactions. To make matters more interesting it’ll be in a foreign land with neither of us having any experience with the language. As a director, this means I will be thinking on my feet a lot, working out how to capture these moments. For our actor, Richard Plummer, he’ll have to be ready for spontaneous improvisation whilst staying in character and furthering the plot. It’s kind of crazy really.
What are your plans for distribution and exhibition?
I’m a realist. I know this film is ambitious and experimental, to the point of almost being absurd. I mean, it’s a one man crew, shooting overseas on location for six days. How does a distributor know it won’t be some amateur filmmaker’s holiday video? They don’t. I need the product to speak for itself. Therefore, I will be contacting distribution companies after the film’s completion. Self-distribution is also very much an option with VOD and Blu Ray. With such a low budget, releasing the film for free is not out of question either. Again, this is all an experiment. Ultimately, I just want people to see the film.
What do you want audiences to take away from the film?
I want people to enjoy the film more than anything. If people choose to learn more about the making the film, I hope it inspires others to undertake their own creative ambitions regardless of money, equipment or any personal circumstance holding them back.
Take a look at the Kickstarter campaign for Travel Warning here.