A Conversation with Alex Mallis & Travis Wood (THE TRAVEL COMPANION)

We’ve all seen a bad Q and A after a film screening. They’re awkward, often they overstay their welcome, and inevitably someone has to ask, “what camera did you use?” If you go to a lot of film screenings they seem inescapable and you might find yourself questioning whether you’re the only one who dreads with every fiber of your being the not so good ones. Directors Alex Mallis and Travis Wood’s new film, The Travel Companion, feels your pain. Their insightful comedy is set in the hyper contemporary world of independent filmmaking and what makes it shine are the details that they’ve culled from years of personal experience.

The film opens with a familiar ritual (you guessed it), a Q and A. We hear familiar questions and familiar answers as the camera slowly zooms in on a line of short film directors awaiting their turn in the spotlight. Eventually, there’s only one person left waiting, our protagonist, Simon (Tristan Turner), but before he can enjoy his time with the microphone, the Q and A ends. It’s a funny and heartbreaking scene that unfolds in one dazzling, unbroken shot that perfectly sets the tone for what’s to come.

The Travel Companion is about more than just the nuts and bolts of micro budget movie making, it’s a funny and bracingly honest film about friendship, romance, and what happens when things outside your control force your plans to change. Both Wood and Mallis come from a documentary background and their new film benefits from their eye for the real. Their often uncomfortable new film is an energetic comedy that gives viewers a privileged look into the world of young artists making films on the edge of (most often completely outside) a rapidly changing industry. If you’ve ever found yourself navigating the world of film festivals, mountains of footage, nebulous projects, and explaining just what the hell you’re trying to make to another person, then you might see a little bit of yourself in The Travel Companion.

Mallis and Wood spoke with me on a video call about their film fresh off its Tribeca premiere about what inspired this insider’s look at super independent film, the benefits of collaborative filmmaking, and crafting a character that is lovably cringe.

Hammer to Nail: What was it like watching it with an audience for the first time?

Travis Wood: It was exciting for me. I was just thinking about the actors. That was the first time they saw it, so I was like, oh man, I wonder how they’re feeling.

Alex Mallis: It was great. You kind of watch something so many times yourself, Travis and I have watched it a hundred times, and you start to have your relationship with it and it starts to morph into this other thing. And when you are in a room with a bunch of other people, suddenly you feel it’s like a whole new experience. You feel the movie so much differently. And I was kind of nervous, but people responded in the ways that we wanted them to and hoped that they would, and in some ways that we weren’t expecting. So that was awesome.

HtN: And did you two do a Q and A afterwards?

AM: Yep.

HtN: How did your Q and A go?

TW: I think it went pretty good.

AM: It was funny. I mean, somebody asked what camera we shot on and received a free hat as a prize. I think it went well. It was definitely a life imitating art kind of scenario. We had a lot of people up there too. We brought up some of the cast and crew. There was the mic being passed down the row and it hit a little close to home, but thankfully it went smooth. Nobody was unintentionally cut out.

HtN: We’ll circle back to it, but that’s just a tremendous scene that I think is really special and gets at something that people in the film community, especially very, very independent film, will enjoy. When I saw it, I was like, wow, these guys really got to the heart of the matter in a way. But to start further back, how did the whole collaboration on the film start? What’s the genesis, and the process from idea to writing to you guys making the film together?

TW: So me and Alex made a dollar pizza documentary together and had a great time doing that. And then we were at the IFF Boston Festival premiering that. I think right around that time I had the travel benefits, and I was telling him like, oh, yeah my buddy Pete’s got a girlfriend and it’s getting serious. And then we were out to breakfast with Alex and his partner Dara, who plays Renee, the programmer in the film. And Dara was like, that is so funny. This is it. You guys should write this movie. And so there was literally that inception point where Dara was like, that’s a funny idea. And we kind of looked at each other and were spitballing ideas during that festival and we’re like, okay, this is it. Let’s do it.

AM: It was just a long walk. We were sort of aimlessly strolling through Cambridge that afternoon, and I think by the end of the walk, we had a pretty decent outline for what the film would be.

HtN: I feel like that’s really reflected in the film, that kind of spirit of walking around, two friends kicking things around. So then when it came to the writing, how did that break down?

TW: So my last short, I had co-written with Weston, and so I kind of had this idea in mind of let’s bring together this trio. These are my two best friends I’ve worked with separately, and this could just be the Avengers if we can all unite. I hit up Weston, and then I think we had some calls and met up and just started just spitballing and having an outline of just where the story could go, and we just kind of picked different scenes to write and then ended up trading them around and just having these weekly deadlines of, okay, email out your scene by Friday night. Keeping each other accountable too. That was a big help with three people.

HtN: Then when the script was finally done, how long afterwards did you guys go into production or start shooting?

AM: It was a pretty fast process, but that was kind of like by design. I think we wanted to make this film, we wanted to keep the energy of that initial walk around Cambridge. We wanted to have that attitude and that energy throughout the entire process. We did not want to have to transition into intense Hollywood industry mode and start a three year pitch process where we’re going to have to wait for the powers that be to grant us permission. So in writing it, in producing it, in directing it, in editing it, and even in premiering it, we’re just like let’s aim for the path of least resistance, or at least create the path of least resistance. It’s not like we were compromising, but we were always looking to do what felt good and what felt honest at every step and make sure that we weren’t waiting on somebody else. We wanted to be in control of this process and make this thing no matter what.

HtN: That energy really comes through from when the opening credits hit. It has this kind of very lively, bubbly movement where I really did feel that. And then even with your two main characters, their relationship and their energy moving around the city. It feels honest and direct. But there are some things that seem like they took a bit of work to get. I mean, you’re shooting, in an airport

AM: Yeah, that was the number one question people had when they read the script. They’re like, Hey, it’s great. Before I say anything, you can’t shoot at an airport. What are you planning to do here? And we’re like, don’t worry. We have a plan. And that plan was to find an airport, and we did, I think Travis and the team, we identified Westchester Airport, and they were down to play ball and worked with them to get some of the dialogue scenes, and then all of the Simon walking around the airport and the B roll was stolen from JFK. So we just bought a one-way refundable ticket with a small camera package, kind of played vlogger for the day, and figured that the airports maybe turned a blind eye to vloggers. Then Tristan and I just walked around the airport and in some cases ran around the airport for about four or five hours on his very last day. So he likes to say that he wrapped his production when he physically entered his plane to go home. That was when he was done.

HtN: So how did you get connected with Tristan? He’s really great. He’s the heart of the film.

AM: Hats off to our casting director, Alan Scott Neal. We were just honestly incredibly lucky to work with this man. He just went all out. He brought this professionalism and thorough approach that made the film happen. He was pushing for Tristan. He said, you guys have to see this guy. I think he’s your guy. And when we saw him and auditioned with him and ultimately met him, it was clear that he was going to do exactly what he did do in the film, which is bring this humanity and warmth to a character that at least on the page, can at times come across as abrasive and maybe somebody you don’t want to spend time with. So I guess I could speak for myself when I say I was relieved when I saw what he was able to do and the things that he was able to bring to this character. So we really owe a debt of gratitude to our casting director for a number of different roles.

TW: Yeah, I just got to shout out his taste. I feel like some casting directors, it’s maybe more they’re helping facilitate the process, but Alan really brought taste and perspective. With Tristan (Turner), it was clear he was the one, but for Beatrice’s character, there was a lot of good actors that sent us really strong stuff, and I just remember him being like, “I see a lot of these tapes and these are some really good actors, but Naomi, she’s really, she’s got something special. She’s got that thing that makes me want to lean in, and I watch a thousand tapes a day. So when I want to lean in a little closer, I know this is a person that we should really be considering.”

HtN: That’s true. Your three leads are so well cast and really deliver. It makes the film really sing. Tristan is, so you’re right. If you would just take his dialogue and his character on the page, you would say, oh, this guy might be somewhat unappealing. But he has such an innocence to his frustration and how he experiences his predicament that it becomes a very unique character. So he’s based on your experience Travis, how far does he fall from you?

TW: I think at least the top level premise, it’s very much the kickoff point. And then I feel like that character really is this hybrid of me, Wes and Alex, just different experiences that we’ve had being in film and just being in the city. So it was fun to explore these ideas.

AM: I would add that Tristan was a really interesting character to write. And I think that we had some conversations at different points where we’re like oh shit, that’s a little cringey what he’s doing. Wide audiences and the world of Hollywood, they look to characters for parts of themselves that they aspire to in characters on screen. Oh, Tom Cruise, he’s so confident and heroic–I see myself in that. And so I enjoy watching him because I aspire to that. And I think at times we sort of discussed the opposite, which is like, Ooh, I see myself in that, but I don’t necessarily like it. Which is a tricky, careful balance that we were writing to make somebody relatable, but for the wrong reasons.

HtN: I think that really comes through because I mean, the milieu that you guys have chosen to set the film in is something that is, yes there is a history of films about filmmaking, but not many that really get into the nuts and bolts of this scale of filmmaking and this world of doc slash experimental slash essay filmmaking. And I thought it was very fun and powerful to see a very human character who was navigating this world.

AM: We’re getting a lot of messages from our friends who were filmmakers who were like, damn, I feel seen. This is how I feel.

TW: We got one where someone, he was like, I’ve had a buddy pass for 10 years, which has allowed me to make lots of docs. And he was so pumped. He was like, I give you my life rights. You’ve got it. This is it. I’ve lived this.

HtN: Could you explain the buddy pass? I was not aware of this as a thing.

TW: Yeah, basically, I think at most major airlines, the person working there as an employee gets to fly for free on standby. So if there’s an open seat, you can just take that essentially. And most can pick one person who can go with them, which typically is their wife or partner, can kind of fill that spot. And then in this case, for people that don’t have that, it ends up being a friend and can be a pretty valuable asset. You can just literally list yourself onto this standby list and then head to the airport. And as long as that seat doesn’t fill up, it’s yours to take anywhere in the world.

HtN: Can you talk about moving between narrative and documentary filmmaking?

AM: We’ve both done some narrative stuff, Travis, probably more recently than I, but definitely a lot of documentary and documentary is such a reactive form. You’re kind of chasing things and hoping for those incisive moments to happen in front of you and that you’re ready to catch it. And it is an incredible art form. But to switch over to doing narrative like this where you have total control and you can sort of imagine things and then execute them, it’s funny, it’s like they’re both filmmaking, but they’re so different. It’s such a different process to write a script, to pre-produce, to make a shot list, to execute on set. It’s like you’re following a map rather than creating one. So it’s incredibly gratifying for me. I have tons of doc experience. It’s finally getting to stretch a muscle or stand up after sitting for so long or extend my arm after having it bent for so long. It was like a release that just feels like, holy shit, there’s this whole other part that we have access to, this whole other form that we have access to.

TW: Think there’s some good overlap though, in just wanting it to feel genuine. I feel like when you make a doc too, you do film all these things that are true or happening, but when you watch the footage, it doesn’t always necessarily feel like, oh, this was a hundred percent genuine, or that’s like when you find that person or that thing or that interview moment, you kind of know it. And I think in the script, we were really always pushing to say, is this genuine? And I think we got lots of notes that maybe wanted to push something a little more traditional or towards a happy ending or towards making this person a little more likable in these scenes. And it always just came back to, well, does this feel honest right now? Does this feel like this is how this would go down? We really wanted to feel like this is honest. Scene by scene, this is brutally honest.

AM: I think documentary filmmaking has honed our honesty radar to a fine point. So like Travis said, when we are writing and watching back performances and stuff, you can immediately tell, is this real or not?

HtN: Just my own aside, I just want to say I think every filmmaker benefits from working in documentary and fiction. I think if you look at many of the greats, they have done both.

I want to talk about the first scene because I think it’s just a great opening to a film that provides an important insight into a world for people who aren’t familiar with this kind of filmmaking. But also if you are in the know it hits so hard. Can you talk about the kind of conception of the opening q and a, that one shot? Can you break it down a little bit?

AM: I think that was the first thing we thought of. That’s what got us fired up when we were like, what would this be? What could this film be? What’s the meat of this? And we started laughing, making each other laugh, talking about what would happen in the scene and sort of sharing. I mean, that scene is so deeply our experience. Travis and I have made dozens upon dozens of short films and in many cases have screened them publicly and stood in front of a room getting the mic passed to us. It’s such a funny place to be when you’re up there. It’s so dependent on the moderator, how on top of it they are, how sort of gracious or in some cases pompous the other people up there are, and you don’t get a lot of time. I mean, this is such a common experience for us. And I think to me, it felt clear early that this could be such a fun way to understand Simon’s world, that things are happening to him and that he’s trying, but often he finds himself at the end of the line without a chance to speak. In this case, literally.

TW: I feel like film festivals have this funny thing where it’s like you really do get a range of people in that short block where it’s like, wait, you’re a famous commercial director and this is your one-off project or you’re currently at grad school doing something big. And I felt like I’m always, I don’t know about Alex, but I feel like I’m always the one that’s like, oh yeah, I’m just happy to be here. I kind of put this together myself. This is a smaller thing. So it felt like a perfect intro to the world.

HtN: Formally, it’s also very funny because the idea is to throw the audience into it and the camera is finding who we arrive at, who is basically the character the film is going to follow, and then they get short shrift. They don’t get to talk. It felt like a documentary kind of approach of finding him with that one shot. But also, it’s like a gag too. Can you talk about the timing and how many takes you did? When was the decision to do that in one shot?

AM: Yeah, I mean, shout out to our DP, Jason Chu. He is a master, and that was some difficult choreography there. It was a massive camera with this ludicrous 35 to 4 35 on Zoom lens with a servo on it. And we weren’t a big budget film, so we didn’t have a chance to run this scene in a rehearsal with all of those actors. Those are all our friends, and they were coming out as a favor. And so they obviously had their lines memorized, but the timing of it, we were like, I think it’s going to be approximately this long, and the camera should come out and move this way.

TW: Jason just has a masterful eye and is a masterful operator and really, really just nailed it. He added, I feel like just the timing, the way things are revealed. And yeah, I think we had seven takes. We had three or four before lunch, and then we went and got lunch and we’re discussing it. We’re like, oh, I think maybe one or two is usable in there, but what would we want to improve on? I remember we got lunch with Alex’s mom, one of our executive producers, it was like we had a little workshop at lunch and came back, and then I think in one or two takes after that, we were like, boom. Got it. Perfect. Let’s do one more because everyone’s here, but we got it in the bag.

AM: The one other thing I wanted to say is that we were aware of the idea that the first shot of the film should be so important. The first shot of the film sets the tone. The first shot of the film is where you introduce the character and we’re like, damn, are we really going to do this thing where the protagonist of our film does not speak and you don’t even see him? You know what I mean? You don’t even necessarily know it’s about him until five minutes in. And then when you finally get to him, he doesn’t say a word. We even debated having him say one or two things, but ultimately just committed to this idea of him being sort of gagged or not denied his chance, which just felt appropriate.

HtN: Can you talk about being co-directors, how that breaks down on any given day? Who has what responsibility or are they all shared?

TW: I think they’re pretty shared. I feel like usually we’re on the same page so it can actually be more efficient. I feel like it can be something where we’re watching a take and we kind of have a quick second, and it’s like, okay, cool, you go talk to Tristan. I’ll go check in with Anthony, and then you give this note to Jason, I’ll talk to Laura, the production designer, and then we kind of come back and watch another take from there. But it really did feel shared. I don’t even think we really discussed how this would work but I feel like we have a good flow and get along. And so just naturally decisions would make themselves, and I think we both knew we need to make decisions quickly, and so I feel like we found ways to get it done and make it more efficient because I think there’s a lane where it’s like two people can make the process longer, but I think in this case it made it twice as fast, maybe 1.75 x.

AM: Yeah, I agree. I mean, one thing that we’ve been saying is that we had this kind of unspoken approach to tricky decision making where it was by and large, if one person felt passionate and the other person felt neutral, we would just default to the passionate person. I would feel really excited or passionate about something or vice versa. And we were able to go with the passionate approach because we have a trusting relationship and we have a creative history together, and we’re just friends who trust each other emotionally. And so it was easy to relinquish control in these small moments because you knew you were relinquishing it in whatever way to somebody who you trusted. And that, I think to me, is the ideal collaboration.

HtN: I’m seeing a trend of multiple directors or two to three people on films of this scale, and it’s really impressive how it works. But I think it also seems to speak to, like you said, the efficiency and the timetable of two people doing it rather than one where you’re like, you can share some of that labor and you can do these things more quickly. But also it’s the collaborative spirit and the kind of community spirit. This feels like a newer thing. Before everyone wanted to be an auteur but I think this approach is politically and socially meaningful as well as practical.

AM: We’re both part of Meerkat Media. That’s how we met. And Meerkat’s whole fucking thing is collaboration, is trying to reassess what power means as it relates to collaboration and understanding that you can have different roles, you can have directors and producers and editors and PAs, but it shouldn’t default to one person having more power than the other person. It’s more about specialization and skill. And if you can acknowledge the difference between specialization and power, your collaboration will be so much stronger and so much more enjoyable for everybody. And one thing I also wanted to add too real quickly, is that people always ask, oh, how did you guys, if there’s two of you, how do you make decisions? How did you make creative decisions? And that’s a great question, but I think another question to ask too is how did you manage anxiety? How do you manage uncertainty? Because when you’re alone, who do you look to?

Sure, producer, other people on set can help you, but they’re always looking to you to make that final decision. And when there’s two people, if you’re feeling insecure, uncertain, or anxious or whatever, you have somebody with you who’s number one fucking job is to share that with you and to help you process that and come to a resolution of some kind together. And that actually ended up being so key because on a set like this, every single second you’re a hair away from disaster, and that kind of pressure is intense. It’s so intense, and so we were able to share that load with each other and dilute it to a degree so that it felt more manageable.

HtN: Real talk Travis: how did you deal with Alex’s anxiety?

TW: He’s not as anxious as he says. Yeah, I feel like it was, honestly, it was chill. I feel like the stressful moments were more like matter of fact than emotional. I feel like it was obviously emotional, but I feel like when something would be going awry, it was very much just like, all right man, well, what are we doing here? It felt pretty even keeled for most of the project. And I honestly just think about maybe being an auteur, these singular visions, there was a time and a place where that worked when you had this massive machine, but I literally think if Alex and I weren’t to do this together, it wouldn’t be possible. Not even just the time on set, but the producing time, the pre-production time, the writing, all of these things, it’s just like you can only send so many emails in a day, and having two people doing that makes it possible.

Editors note: You can read M.J. O’Toole’s review of The Travel Companion here

– Chris Shields