His Best Shot

HSE Grad’s Documentary Chronicles Unique Journey

Writer / Julie Yates
Photography Provided

Gorgeous vistas and breathtaking views are abundant in the documentary “Skoolie,” a full-length feature film by Kyle Thacker and his company Red Dot Video. Viewers experience the highest highs and lowest lows, while vicariously experiencing the trip of a lifetime. Thacker, a 2010 graduate of Hamilton Southeastern High School, and his wife, Naomi, left their conventional lives for nearly eleven months to travel across the United States in a converted school bus.

“Skoolie,” which premiered in September at Noblesville’s Emagine theater, has been well-received. It recounts the couple’s rationale behind the decision to uproot their life, converting a 2001 Thomas international school bus, and the reason for the abrupt ending to their journey. It all began when the Thackers took their first vacation together.

“When we were dating, we took a trip to North Carolina,” Thacker says. “One of the places we stayed was a tiny house outside of Asheville. It was a blue bus parked in the woods. It had hanging lights and furniture. I loved the romance of it. A converted bus is way cooler than a regular RV. There are tens of thousands of people who have skoolies, converted school buses. They range from people just out of college to retirees, and converge together at meetups. I started to go down a rabbit hole thinking about it.”

“I found a bus on Facebook that a couple from Vicksburg, Mississippi, was selling,” Thacker continues. “It had a raised roof, and that was important because I’m 6 feet and 5 inches. Sawing a bus in half, raising a roof and welding it back together was something I didn’t want to have to do. We tore every seat out except for the driver’s and one for Naomi to sit on while I drove. With the small deck on the back, it is 39 feet long.”

The filming took place from November 2021 to September 2022, often by way of a tripod-mounted camera and a drone while Thacker drove the bus. It was important to him to tell their story honestly and portray exactly what the lifestyle entails. The film shows the good times, but also moments of exhaustion.

“There were a couple of things that surprised me during the experience,” Thacker says. “One was how hard it was to convert the bus into a home. We made a promise to see it through and I’m so glad we didn’t give up. The second thing was how hard it was to drive the bus. It’s like driving a house through winding roads and down mountains. I worried constantly that it would break down or fall apart.”

By day Thacker is a corporate filmmaker who works with traditional businesses. Although he likes to be innovative and portray clients’ products in fresh ways, his own company, Red Dot Video, allows his creative and artistic side to shine. Since he was a teenager, Thacker has been photographing high school senior portraits, families, and milestone celebrations, so the shift to videography was natural. Although he has done shorter documentaries, “Skoolie” is his first full-length film.

“As a child I was obsessed with movies,” he says. “I loved the storytelling. Documentaries are like long-format stories but there is no rubric, syllabus or rule book. The ending hasn’t happened yet and you don’t know exactly where it’s going to go. I love shooting the scenery and adding the musical transitions. I put it up on YouTube and not a subscription streaming service because I want people to be able to watch it for free. It wasn’t about making money out of the gate, although it might lead to more work. We have entered it into several film festivals. The experience has given me confidence and I’m looking for the next story.”

For more info on Thacker’s videography and photography services, visit www.reddotvideo.com, or email Kyle at kyle@reddotvideo.com.