EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Ian Truitner, Writer & Director of 'Beyond The Trek'

Writer/Director Ian Truitner describes his new movie, Beyond The Trek  as one that reflects back to classic Sci-Fi in its aim to challenge how we see the world and ourselves. It's not the frantic spectacle of special effects extravaganzas made by huge studios, rather we aimed to draw audiences in with suspense, multidimensional characters and thought-provoking themes. 

After a successful a festival run that saw the film screen for Sci-Fi fans around the world, Beyond the Trek is now available to everyone. In keeping with that, we have an exclusive interview with writer/director Ian Truitner where we discuss his new movie, filmmaking, and the damages of piracy in the film making industry.

MARLA REED: When did you decide you wanted to make movies?

IAN TRUITNER: My first conscious memory is seeing Star Wars in the theatre. I later became a Sci-Fi junky, with favorites like Blade Runner, Brazil, Robocop, Alien, Aliens, The Thing, They Live and Star Trek. I was in the military (Army) and studying theatre at the same time. Along with my love for movies, both things merged into becoming a filmmaker. Theatre filed the creative side, while military filling the mercenary side of film production.

MR: Did you have a lot of support in that decision?

IT: Where I grew up in Minnesota there wasn’t a lot of professional filmmaking being done, so I did as much theatre as I could and then moved to Los Angeles and just started winging it. 

MR: How did you start out? Did you enroll in film school or just go out there with your camera and start filming?

IT: A lot of time and money put into my own projects before someone finally hired me.

MR: How did you come up with the very interesting name of your production company?

IT: Thousand Mile Media is based on the Lau Tzu proverb “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” This pretty much sums up what it is to make a movie. 

MR: Regarding your latest movie, how did you come up with the concept for this film?

IT: The plot of 'Beyond the Trek' is based on the first screenplay I ever wrote back in college, but the unique twists came from separate articles I read in 2013 about space travel and human genetic modification. One article was about the primary problem with long-term space travel is the psychological and physiological effects on the human body. The second article was about how scientists are conducting tests to alter humans en vitro, with the expected result of the first crop of elevated IQ ‘superbrain’ babies being born in or around 2020. If they can make babies smarter, they could also make them better fit for long term space travel. I mean, messing with human DNA, what could possibly go wrong?

MR: So, what made you decide to make the movie now?

IT: The themes are very topical. Both humanoid artificial intelligence and human genetic modification are becoming realities. 

MR: In terms of VOD channels, do you have any that you like the best?

IT: I’m fans of shows rather than platforms. To me platforms are only as good as the content in them. 

MR: What’s your take on all these pirate boxes – like KODI. Will the powers-that-be be able to stop them?

IT: They need to be stopped, but I’m not sure how. Piracy will always exist in some form or another, it’s a matter of having the right tools in place to stop them. 

MR: How much do you think piracy hurts filmmakers?

IT: It certainly hurts, but I’m not sure if it hurts as much as the macro industry trends. Content is easier to make so there’s a glut of it, and VOD platforms have created the perception that everything should be free. Filmmakers are having a harder time making money. 

MR: What are your hopes for this movie?

IT: That people enjoy it or it makes them think, hopefully both. 

Beyond The Trek tells the tale of five genetically engineered “perfect” humans who are sent on a rescue mission to Titan, where only one man has survived a ruined expedition to retrieve a vital cargo. Under the stress of isolation in outer space, the five perfect humans begin to exhibit formerly-concealed character flaws that threaten to tear the mission (and their chances for survival) apart.   

Sunny Mabrey (Snakes on a Plane, Species 3), Michael Nouri (The Hidden, TV’s “Damages”), and Lance Broadway (Olympus Has Fallen) star in this Ian Truitner film, available on VOD and DVD (exclusively from Walmart) right now!

A big shout out to Writer/Director Ian Truitner and October Coast Publicity for the opportunity to do this interview.

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