From time to time, we'll be asked, "what does Talus mean?" or "why Talus?". And we love it because it gives us a chance to share a little bit more about what our name means to us and how it came to be.
A Little Backstory
When Jordan and I (Madelaine) sat down for the first time - over dinner and drinks - to chat about starting a production company together, we likened it to climbing a mountain. We knew it wasn't going to be easy or straightforward, but it was going to be worth it when we reached that summit.
This is an analogy that has stuck with us.
I think we were drawn to it first and foremost because Jordan and I both grew up hiking, camping, and exploring. Fun fact - Jordan is a Eagle Scout, and I was in both the Boy Scouts (via Venturing) and the Girl Scouts (through Senior Scouts). We hadn't met each other at those young ages, but they set the stage for our mutual love of the outdoors and giving back to our communities.
So, when we began to brainstorm our name, we knew we somehow wanted to combine our love of storytelling and filmmaking with our love of the outdoors and nature. We still have a Google Doc in our files with words like mountains, awe, nature, valley, hiking, travel, adventure, climb, trail, switchback, production, studios, media, story, cinema, creative, Godzilla (just ask Jordan), talus and films.
So, "Why Talus?"
When you're summiting a mountain, a talus field or talus slope is a geological feature you might encounter. Essentially, it's a large boulder field made up of rocks that have broken and fallen away from the side of the mountain. When you encounter these sections on a trail, the trail tends to completely disappear and you're left to navigate your own way through the rock field. There are many ways through and typically not a right or wrong way. The main rule is to continuing heading up hill towards the summit. Depending on the size of the rocks and boulders, talus fields can sometimes be hazardous to your ankles, but a good pair of hiking boots and some old fashioned boulder hopping will get you through.
For us, this became another analogy - this time for storytelling. Much like when you're hiking a talus field and there are many different paths you could take, we've always been drawn to the human element of stories and have loved focusing on all the varied, unique ways we each (and our characters) navigate our circumstances and the world around us.
And thus, Talus Films was born.
If you're interested in navigating storytelling with us or maybe just want to climb a mountain, CONTACT US to get started today.
