Travis Mathews

Born :

1975

"Oscillate Wildly" is in many ways a story of first love and how it challenges our hero's guarded sense of what's possible.

first-love hero challenges

I listened to a lot of The Stooges when I was writing "Oscillate," imagining our hero moving through his days naturally embodying the spirit of a real punk. I say real, because today's idea of 'punk as fashion accessory' doesn't even register with him, it's more about the way he engages with the world.

fashion real moving

I initially wanted to tell 'Oscillate Wildly' story because it wasn't one I had heard or seen before. The invisibility piece resonated most. Somewhere over the past couple of years I realized that I've essentially been making movies for my teenage self who struggled with isolation and my own brand of invisibility living in rural Ohio.

teenage couple past

The male intimacy and raw honesty was already developing on the page 'Oscillate Wildly' with these characters. Being explicit would not only distract and alienate certain audiences, it would limit who has access to the film, and that's something I think a lot about with this story.

honesty character thinking