TAMPA, Fla - A University of Tampa assistant film professor is celebrating a massive career milestone after serving as the cinematographer for actor John Travolta’s first directed feature film.
Paul De Lumen, who just finished his first year teaching at the university, partnered closely with Travolta to bring the aviation-themed story to life.
Tampa professor joins major movie
What we know:
Assistant film professor Paul De Lumen served as the cinematographer for the movie "Propeller One-Way Night Coach".
The feature film is based directly on John Travolta’s 1997 book of the same title, tracking an 8-year-old boy's growing obsession with airplanes during a 1962 cross-country journey.
The official title card for "Propeller One-Way Night Coach," a film by John Travolta. The project marks the directorial debut for the veteran actor, based on his semi-autobiographical 1997 book.
Travolta wrote the original book as a semi-autobiographical story reflecting his personal love for aviation and his path to becoming a licensed pilot.
De Lumen, a veteran of the film industry for more than 20 years, landed the role through a mutual connection and immediately began defining the visual style alongside Travolta.
Travolta directorial collaboration
What they're saying:
"Oh my gosh. I mean I had to always pitch myself, you know, like working with John," De Lumen said.
He explained that the visual storytelling focused entirely on capturing the world through the innocent eyes of a child experiencing flight for the first time.
"I want the audience to see this beautiful plane and how this boy is in love with this plane," De Lumen said. "It’s my job to pick the framing, the colors, the movement of the camera," De Lumen said. "All these things affect how the audience sees the story."
De Lumen noted that both he and Travolta shared a unified vision for the narrative perspective.
"It was so fun getting in that mind frame of looking at the world through this child who’s on this great adventure with his mom," De Lumen said.
University of Tampa assistant professor Paul De Lumen, left, poses for a photo with director John Travolta. De Lumen traveled to France with Travolta earlier this month to present the feature film internationally.
Earlier this month, De Lumen joined Travolta at the Cannes Film Festival to introduce the feature to international audiences.
"To go with him and to experience the festival with his team was so beautiful," De Lumen said. "Cannes is the top, top festival for filmmakers."
"He’s so kind, he is very well-spoken, articulate," De Lumen added when describing working with Travolta.
Hollywood experience aids Florida students
Local perspective:
De Lumen emphasizes that working on high-profile Hollywood projects gives him critical insights to share with his students in Florida. He recently completed his first year of teaching at the University of Tampa.
"I think the value of being a working professional simultaneously being a teaching professor is that I get to give them real world experience," De Lumen said.
The campus of the University of Tampa, where cinematographer Paul De Lumen serves as an assistant film professor. De Lumen plans to bring his real-world production insights back to his classroom.
Streaming platform release approaches
What's next:
The film, which had a $20 million budget, recently celebrated its domestic premiere at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Audiences can stream the movie worldwide when it releases on Apple TV this Friday, and it will be exclusively available on streaming platforms.
The Source: Information in this story came from interviews with University of Tampa assistant film professor Paul De Lumen and public information about the film, "Propeller One-Way Night Coach."