Visting Filmmaker: Travis Wilkerson

April 18th-CSUSM

Travis Wilkerson

A fast speaking yet incredibly intelligent filmmaker came to our class to present various films from his personal collection and another. We watched segments of a newsreel from his inspiration and friend Santiago Alvarez, to a film that researched the mining town of Wilkerson’s hometown, Butte, Montana. His insight on history, his passion for change inspired and caused a stir within. Travis Wilkerson’s filmmaking style is one that is set out to cause an emotional uproar. That feeling comes with truth being exposed. The term 3^rd Cinema refers to an aesthetic political movement that engages the world to want to make a change. I know that after viewing Santiago Alvarez and Travis Wilkerson’s films I was left in a vulnerable state and many images that sat heavy on my heart. They spoke to me, causing me to want to make change and not be ignorant of the world that is happening around me.

This film was at its very essence 3^rd cinema. The feeling after watching really makes you re-evaluate what you had just seen. It is a film that makes the audience make a decision on the type of change they want to make. It was one that caused me to really think about political situations in the world and especially America. I know that after watching this film I need to truly be more aware of what is going on in my generation because it will be someone else’s history one day. 

This filmmaker used many aspects that I found to be relevant in our class. He used text, and pictures to create his film. There were many new ideas through his film that inspire me to think about how people (the audience) perceives one's work of art. I feel that in class we talked about much of this. Also the fact that he related to the world around him is something that artist should talk about.