Film enthusiast and aspiring screenwriter, Travis Beddoes, recently went through the complex production process of creating his first short film; Under the White Cross. However, an incredible project like this does not come without its struggles and in this interview we are given an insight into what the life behind the camera is truly like.

When you were younger you may have always dreamt of becoming a famous actor or actress, but as you grew up and begun living in the real world, you may have left these childish dreams behind. Acting isn’t for everyone, but despite being able to enjoy the wonders that bless our eyes on a cinema or TV screen, much little is known about the behind the scenes and what it takes to make a big-screen movie. Travis Beddoes on the other hand was never able to forget his screenwriting, and directing, dreams. He took his incredible ideas and hardworking ethic and decided to put his talents to use. I was able to interview him to understand more about the `behind the scenes` of filmmaking and what drove him to want to bring his childhood dreams to life.

Travis Beddoes, born and raised in Colchester, is a sixteen-year-old college student and amateur screenwriter. He has recently enrolled in an incredible scheme which, alongside working towards an A-level in film studies, has allowed him to create his very first short film.

Despite enjoying writing and using it as a creative outlet, Travis was initially inspired by American Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, whose work he finds “very interpretative” as well as American film director Stanley Kubrick, whose work also encouraged him to branch out into directing as well as screenwriting. Travis recalls himself as a “history buff” whose experience watching historical period pieces gave him the idea to create his own short film, Under the White Cross. When asked he stated that his film was about “two men in different generations and different times in life talking during World War II.” Set in the 1900s, during a dangerous and devastating period, Travis was eager to captivate and uncover the feelings and emotions of the two men who “learn more about each other as the conversation goes on.”

His favourite aspects are undeniably screenwriting, which gave him the imagination and skills to be able to write a five minute short film and he also “quite enjoys directing” as well. But I was curious to learn what aspects were his least favourite and wouldn’t fulfil him on a movie set. Due to having first-hand experience of being on a movie set and a deeper understanding about each role, he quickly answered “definitely a sound engineer” whose responsibility it is to assemble, operate and maintain heavy technical equipment, as well as record and produce sound. It involves “having to hold up really heavy equipment” to capture and later amplify and enhance sound and he quickly realised it was not for him due to the amount of “practical movement” involved- he also preferred to play a larger role in the creation of the film.

A project this substantial and intricate would, of course, not be as thrilling without a number of hurdles to overcome, to ensure the best output is achieved. A large-scale project like Travis` needed all the crew members’ best work and effort to receive the desired results, however, Travis did seem to encounter a few problems during the process- one including a member of the team who “wasn’t cooperating as well as we would have liked.” However, due to time restrictions Travis was adamant to deal with the problem quickly and efficiently and despite the chats he had “not getting through” luckily, “one crew member stepped up to eradicate the problem” and ensure that the uncooperative crew member did not ruin the project or jeopardize the fate of the film. However, on the flip side he has met many “talented people” with a “very strong work ethic” and were “willing to help me on anything”. Another common problem he encountered was there being “quite a few restrictions on the script” which limited his creativity, but, compliancy is key in producing a film and, with help and a little thinking, the script was altered and “turned out fine” and Travis was able to progress with his screenwriting dreams.

To turn his dreams into reality, Travis joined the Breaking Into Film scheme- a ten week course held by the British Film Institute. During his course, Travis had the opportunity to “learn how to use all the technical film equipment and speak to professionals to help you with certain aspects that you want to be involved in.” He learn about this opportunity through his film studies class and was fortunate enough to be able to attend a drop-in meeting which “heavily increased my chances of getting accepted as they saw me in person.” Despite the scheme being very demanding, he was eager to be given such an exciting opportunity and signed up online, via intofilm.org.

His advice to you all is to seek out people with the same interests and goals as you, so you can “establish a crew.” As well as “making as many connections as possible” is important and will enable you to more opportunities, so you can make your filmmaking dreams come to life!