Slowly, we have been luring renowned and colorful climbers of all eras to the call of this film. I’m excited, especially when these folks get excited too. That’s when I know I’m doing something right. That’s when I get the warm fuzzies and brew another pot of coffee.
So now that we have [a good amount of] the people we need to make this film, we enter the phase where we…throw our self-respect in the gutter.
It’s time to tighten up the concept, slicken up our image, practice the art of schmoozing, groveling, and a$$ kissing. It’s time to raise the rest of the budget!
How do we intend to lure the rest of the Benjamins? By showing exactly what we plan on doing.
I’ve been working intently on the demo video, an 8 minute piece that showcases the style and content of what the actual documentary will be like. It basically answers the “how” of the full length documentary.
Me: I’m making a documentary that captures the essence of adventure, the need for wilderness, the art of the American climber…
My Investors: Oh yeah, how?
Press ‘play’.
You get the drift. A picture is worth a thousand words — and a few hundred moving pictures with sound and music — will hopefully be worth a few thousand dollars…
Hence, hard at work on this video:
A barrage of equipment spread out neatly on a picnic table…remind anyone of any classic Tom Frost photograph?
Royal and TM Herbert go through their gear…
Me too!
If you don’t see the similarity, well who cares about you anyway.
We’ve been experimenting with the interview lighting setup and bagged the two interviews we’ll be using in the demo (Lars Holbek, Mark Moore) to illustrate how interviews will be used.
So far so good, although finding a balance between electronic firelight flickers which give me seizures and beautifully unnatural chiaroscuro side lighting has been a fun challenge.
Mark Moore, test interview subject 1
Lars Holbek, test interview subject 2
The demo is a segment on climbing in the 70s, in the middle of the Clean Climbing Revolution, and in the Red Rocks. In about two weeks, we may have some more stills to put up…or maybe the actual video (depending on the final say of our producer, Paul, who I have some exciting news about to be revealed in the near future).
Until then, wading through interviews, photograph, footage, broll, Doug Robinson’s timely package of Go Wild! Nevada and Larry DeAngelo’s much-awaited-in-my-mailbox ‘Red Rock Odyssey’. Preparing to go to the YCA Museum grand opening??
Again, if you are wealthy and have interest in putting the $$ in a$$ kissery, hit me up.
