Well, actually its the whole State of Oregon we love. We’ve been producing video content for Travel Oregon for over a year now and have experienced some pretty cool adventures around the state. But following this most recent project, my first inclination when I got home was to call up some friends and do it all over again. It was fun, exciting, delicious, relaxing, and EASY! From anywhere in Portland, you could walk out your front door on a Saturday morning with only a small backpack, and return Sunday afternoon having had a VERY good weekend. Yes, and that means leaving the car at home too… Give a ring if you are going, because I want to go to Maggie’s Buns again…
Photo by Jeff Snyder, Freesolo Photography http://freesolophotography.com
It’s hard to explain what the production of Treeverse looks like. But imagine this: lots of climbing gear, plenty of mud, ample rain gear, high tech helicopters, and a mix of rain and sunshine and you start to get a pretty good picture. Teamwork helps too.
“This collective production crew surpassed even my wildest expectations about what kind of “dream team” could assembled for Treeverse. And Brian and Will were so completely dialed for this expedition that they made something never before accomplished, or even attempted look relatively easy. I am elated,” said Director John Waller.
We’re currently out on location filming Treeverse, and we figured we’d bring you a few on-the-ground photos to see just what the production of a project of this kind looks like. Above is Allie Bombach of Red Reel swinging in the air as she preps to start filming.
We’ve got an excellent rigging crew that has set up plenty of lines for us to be able to get up close and interesting shots of our climbers.
We’re kicking off the filming of Treeverse this week, as we follow Brian French and Will Koomjian of Ascending the Giants on an unparalleled adventure as they attempt a pioneering effort to navigate a one kilometer transect through the forest canopy over five days.
A production of this kind takes a large team, and everyone from the climbers to the rigging crew has been working hard to make sure this project comes together. Beyond the usual planning the logistics of base camp, we’ve been busy doing everything from coordinating all the photo and video gear that will get us the best shots to dying rigging rope black to keep it hidden from the cameras.
Following the BP Oil Spill last summer, 22 Oregonians traveled to the Gulf Coast to bear witness to the impacts of this environmental disaster on the cultural, economic, and environmental fabric of the region. They would be introduced to a complex and ambiguous crisis, and leave considering how their actions a continent away could influence our evolution Beyond the Spill. Now, as we approach the first anniversary of the oil rig explosion that triggered the spill on April 20, the group PDX2Gulf Coast is gearing up to release the comprehensive products of their experience. This includes a comic book, a school curriculum, and a documentary.
Its always an interesting process to come up with a name for a documentary project and my experience may be a nice metaphor for life. I started by writing down some ideas on a blank sheet of paper, then started digging into a thesaurus to find some really catchy diction, then tried working and reworking phrases for some creative wordplay, until the sheet was full of ideas. And as I scanned my brainstorming, I kept gravitating higher and higher on the list, until I arrived at the first idea I had jotted down…Beyond the Spill. And it seemed perfect. My first idea! But I had to go through this long and arduous process of thinking and over-thinking to realize I already had my title. Its a classic example of how the best ideas can usually be very simple and the ones that come to us first.
Its been a lot of pixels to review and months in the making, but the story is taking shape and the full documentary ‘Beyond the Spill’ will premiere on April 20 in Portland, Oregon at the Alberta Rose Theater.
Help fund the post production of this documentary HERE.
Witnessing the Northern Lights has been on my bucket list for some time and so I sprung at the chance to take a week long trip to Iceland during a period of peak solar activity. As if on cue, the sun belched out a huge CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) which sent auroras rippling across arctic latitudes. Photographing a time lapse sequence of the aurora proved to be more challenging than expected due to the finicky, elusive, and flighty behavior of the glowing waves of light, and as a northern lights novice, I found myself afterwards saying “I could get it so much better next time!” But that is the way with most things I suppose…constant and never ending improvement.
Each year, we produce an independent adventure documentary that features unique stories, people, and locations. You may be familiar with past productions such as Flight of the Dunni, Ascending the Giants, and Into Darkness. This year, we are excited to announce our newest endeavor, Treeverse, conceived over a pint of beer at the Banff Mountain Film Festival in November, as we were considering what we hadn’t seen, and how we hadn’t seen it.
Treeverse will follow Brian French and Will Koomjian of Ascending the Giants on an unparalleled adventure as they attempt a pioneering effort to navigate a one kilometer transect through the forest canopy over five days. Set within a visually spectacular oak savanna landscape in Northwest Oregon, this film is primed to engage audiences with stunning cinematography and an exhilarating adventure story. The Treeverse will take an intimate look at the friendship, trust, and teamwork between Brian and Will essential to their success, and the innovative methods and equipment they must design and deploy to accomplish their goal. The film will also showcase a vulnerable ecosystem in Oregon, the oak savanna, of which there are few intact forests left of a size through which an adventure like Treeverse could take place. This project will build upon the efforts of Ascending the Giants to aid forest conservation with a non-confrontational approach.
Treeverse is an ambitious project and we are working hard to assemble a production dream team. In addition, we have launched a Kickstarter fundraising campaign. Funds raised through this campaign will be applied directly to support the production of Treeverse. A large volunteer production crew is being assembled and some direct costs incurred during the five days of filming will include transportation of crew, food, and purchase of gear and equipment for the Treeverse athletes, rigging crew, and camera crew, that has not been secured through in-kind donations and sponsorships. Additional expenses will include rental of specialized camera equipment.
Please consider contributing to our campaign and help bring this adventure story to life. Donations can be made quickly and securely through The Treeverse Kickstarter Page
One of my favorite parts of this work is the diversity of people that we meet, and stories that we encounter. And it is great to hear back from clients who have successfully leveraged their new video assets. Here’s a fun testimonial from Don Rush of West Coast Classic Cougar… “Because John provided such excellent footage to the GEARZ show, they gave us more air time then anyone else who has given some parts in trade for airtime! HUGE boost to our business since airing Aug 15th and now has rerun 10 times…” At Uncage the Soul we really enjoy our longstanding relationships with past clients, and are always excited to cultivate productive relationships with new clients!
Registration for the Spring Intro to DSLR filmmaking workshop offered through NW Documentary is open, and is filling up. The new DSLR cameras are turning the video world upside down. They are quickly becoming the preferred tool of photographers and cinematographers alike. Using the latest Canon cameras from Pro Photo Supply, we will shoot a special performance by a Portland musician, then transfer and edit the multi-camera footage. You’ll get hands- on experience with these amazing new cameras, learn shooting and editing techniques for working with DSLR HD, and in the end, you’ll have a cool music video to show off. We are excited to be working with the wonderful and talented singer / songwriter, Ezza Rose, who should provide some beautiful material for us.
Take a look at a video of The Dimes shot by the fall DSLR class and edited by student Kate Raphael.
Class is capped at 10 and intermediate to advanced FCP skills required. Register HERE.
A lively crowd gathered at the Oregon Historical Society on January 22nd to view the finalist photos and support the MESD Outdoor School. See photos from the Awards Gala.
The online voting produced 10 amazing finalist photos, which were voted on at the Gala. The voting was CLOSE. In the end, Lois Settlemeyer (a multi-year POTY alum) came out on top. Her photo of an Arizona slot canyon pierced with sunlight won the title of Photo of the Year 2010. KGW’s Matt Zaffino presided over the event as Master of Ceremonies, and did a great job leading us through the Awards Ceremony. We were lucky to have presentations from Outdoor School and a fruitful Ask done by 99.5 the Wolf’s Amy Faust. We even met a handful of the Finalist photographers, and got to hear them share stories about their photos.
Click HERE to view the winner and finalist photographs
In the end, POTY 2010 was a record success. With your help we raised over $18,000 for the Outdoor School program!! Amazing. That is a record by far. Thank you!!
Here are a few more stats on POTY 2010
1484 photos submitted
310 submitting photographers
Photos submitted from around the world including Britain, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.
Thanks for making Photo of the Year 2010 so incredibly successful! Stay tuned for details about our upcoming 10th annual contest, Photo of the Decade.
