We recently connected with Tristan Wauchope and have shared our conversation below.

Tristan, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I was probably in 1st grade – when I’d look up news for upcoming films on a Windows XP computer.

At that time, I was really excited for Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3. I started following the development of its production as closely as possible. And it was very enlightening to me.

I’ve seen “Making of” documentaries off DVDs for a number of films, but I never fully grasped the nitty-gritty process until I paid attention to the making of this film in real-time.

When Spider-Man 3 finally released in theaters, this was the first time that I watched a movie where I couldn’t stop thinking about all the creative and technical choices behind it. This viewing experience awakened the notion that I could be making those choices as well. I was no longer interested in playing out cool sequences with action figures – I wanted to be a film director.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was a shy young kid that loved to make videos like clip montages, mini-documentaries, fake trailers and short films years before I decided to go to college for film classes.

Eventually, I stepped away from college to focus on saving money for a bulk purchase of camera equipment. I wanted to take everything I learned and practice – which I did, for a couple of years.

Then, my grandfather passed away. My grandfather loved movies. And that love was undoubtedly a catalyst for why I ended up pursuing this path. So this was a devastating loss that pushed me to work more actively on becoming the filmmaker that I know I could be – that I wished my grandfather could’ve seen.

Now I’m super grateful to reach a point where my films have been selected into wonderful festivals and I’m able to connect with amazing creatives in the community. It reassures me that I do have a unique voice in my work as a storyteller.

I can’t say that I’m bounded to a particular story or genre. I’m always looking to step out of my comfort zone to challenge myself and learn new things, because it’s fun for me that way. But I’ve always been drawn to emotional or philosophical topics. So creatively, I’m always trying to find the most interesting and unexpected ways to execute what I’d hope to be a satisfying viewing experience – that feels real for the audience.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Aside from having an excuse to work with cool creatives in the film community, I can’t deny that it’s the anxious thrill of presenting a completed film to an audience at a theater. It’s this culmination of a collaborative process, and it’s going to take on a life of its own after being watched. So as a director – that’s for me, really the most rewarding part in what I do. It’s why I do it.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Being an independent filmmaker, I’ve embraced that this path is more of a lifestyle than a career. I think if you compare this to a standard office job structure with benefits, you may wonder if it’s sustainable to invest time and energy into projects that don’t always guarantee financial success. But it’s a personal choice to commit.

It was important for me to recognize that it’s very likely going to be a long and demanding road before stability. But I’ve considered how much the process fulfills a deep need to express myself creatively – and I’m going to make it work, because I want it to work.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @tristanwauchope

Image Credits

Clifford Coleman