“It was quite an adventure,” said filmmaker Jim Tompkins, talking about his experiences shooting his new travel film production, entitled The Alps.

Perhaps the most beloved mountain range on earth, the Alps are a favorite destination for travelers to Europe. “Few visitors see as many places in the Alps as we will,” Tompkins said of the presentation. Jim loaded up with thirty pounds of camera and other gear, hiking several miles every day for two months to experience the Alps first-hand. He traveled the countries of Monaco, France, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. When asked of his favorite place, he admitted, “that’s a tough one. Each area has its own character. Some places I’d like to go back and explore again, but there are other places where the atmosphere would be hard to match on a return trip.” He admits that his biggest surprise were the Alps of Slovenia. “I had no idea what to expect. It’s one of the most beautiful locations in the film,” Tompkins says. Another surprise were choral groups who would break into song while on their own tour of the Alps. One spontaneous performance occurred in a palace in the Lake Country of Italy. “A guide coaxed them into trying out the acoustics. It was an unexpected highlight of the tour.”

Jim says that the film is broken down into “ten chapters, each one a different mood of the Alps. It’s not just about one country. I wanted to try and get a flavor of all the different cultures and landscapes of the Alps.” Highlights he includes in the first half of the film include Monaco and Provence, the Lake Country of Italy, the Dolomites, Liechtenstein and the Jungfrau region of Switzerland. The second half focuses on the Matterhorn, Salzburg and the Salzkammergut region of Austria, the Bavarian Alps, Lakes Bled and Bohinj in Slovenia, topped off with the highest peak in Europe, France’s Mont Blanc. “It’s an ambitious project,” he said. “It’s like a brisk walk.”

Jim admits to doing a lot of walking on his trip. Accompanied by his brother Eric, Jim covered the entire trip by bus, rail and on foot. Jim credits his brother with doing most of the logistical work of the trip. “He allowed me to focus on making the film,” he said. “Live Cinema shows are a unique kind of performance entertainment,” Jim says, and encourages anyone who has never seen one to experience it in person. Using the latest in digital production and projection, the film will be narrated live by the filmmaker, accompanied by an original film score, location sound and “clear, bright, digital imagery.”

Jim Tompkins grew up among the gorges and waterfalls of the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, where he gained an early admiration of nature and landscapes. While attending Ithaca College, he studied Film Production and Art History, acquiring a Bachelors degree in Cinematography. After graduation, he moved to Southern California and spent several years working in the motion picture industry before becoming an independent filmmaker.

Jim retraced the two-thousand-mile-long Oregon Trail to produce his first travel feature, entitled Emigrant Road - An Oregon Trail Adventure. It is one of the first travel adventure films produced in digital cinema format. His second production, Four Corners, highlights the mountains, rivers, canyons and cultures of the American Southwest.

Although he travels about six months a year, Jim eventually goes home to Valencia, California. He has presented his travel films throughout the United States, including performances at the National Geographic Society in Washington, the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh and the Sundome in Phoenix. The Travel Adventure Cinema Society recently awarded him its “Hall of Fame” Award.