Goin' Mobile

On April 8th, Jeff and I shot snowmobiling, a segment we thought would be somewhat interesting, until we actually hopped on the snowmobiles. The shoot turned out to be one of the best to date.

This was my first time on a snowmobile. With no prior experience and only a quick spin in the parking lot before setting sail, I was a little nervous about keeping the ride smooth enough for my DP/Producer. He had to sit behind me and shoot from the vehicle. Aside from avoiding bodily harm to both Jeff and I, it was important that we keep all tracking shots as smooth as possible. After a short while, I soon got the hang of riding.


Bud Larson and his wife Alyssa, were gracious enough to be the talent for our sequence. They also provided the snowmobiles and land. The Larsons own and operate Thousand Peaks Snowmobile Adventures, a great touring company just 55 minutes from Salt Lake City. Located in the beautiful high country near Smith and Morehouse. This 60,000 acres of terrain proved a perfect location for our production. It had just snowed a few days before, so the only tracks to be found, were the ones we made.





Our first shots were in a large flat area near the river. It was overcast, which made filming the snow a bit difficult. Snow is always hard to shoot because it's either too bright or to flat (no depth). As we began to shoot, we had no problems getting great shots. However, because the snow was so white, is was hard to tell that the camera was even moving with the snowmobile. Only the background gave away any camera movement. It almost looked like the snowmobiles were sitting still on the snow. That said, we were able to get a variety of shots that won't trick the eye.




Next, Bud and Alyssa took Jeff and I up to the "Super Bowl", located at 11,000 feet. "The Bowl" is particularly profound because it's the location where Bud was paralyzed. The fact that Bud chose to return to this location for our project not only surprised me, but also made a huge impression on me. It's difficult for many people, who have had spinal cord injuries, to return to the sites of their accidents. It certainly takes courage. I'm thankful to Bud for going where he did, and letting us film him there. "The Bowl" is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Completely untouched. Powder as far as the eye can see.




Jeff and Bud shot in the bowl while I watched from afar. Afterwards, we followed Bud and Alyssa back down the canyon. Jeff and I tore through the powder. I was apprehensive, but Jeff egged me on, so I had to do it.



This was a fantastic shoot. Jeff got some really great footage and I'm excited to start cutting it together. Bud and Alyssa were really great to work with and I think everything went extremely well.



Next up: Southern Utah

Esmeralda and Hol Chan Cut

The production team, consisting primarily of Jeff and I, arrived in Ambergris Caye (pronounced "Keye") on March 27th. Due to financial restraints, we opted not to pay for a participant to come down and dive with us. Instead, I agreed to fill the role of "talent" for the scuba diving sequence. I was reluctant to do so, but figured it would be the easiest (and cheapest) way to make the production happen. Ambergris Caye is a small island located to the east of Belize in the Caribbean Sea. There are hundreds of dive sites surrounding Ambergris and many of the other Cayes. We decided to defer to our underwater videographer's personal preferance for diving locations.





Marty O'Farrell, a local underwater videographer, was referred to us by Amigos Del Mar, a local diving company. Jeff made the initial and subsequent contact with Marty. I had seen some of Marty's work online and was extremely impressed with his videography. Originally, Jeff thought that he could film the underwater sequences using SNUBA (a scuba like apparatus in which the tanks float on the surface and a tube runs down to the diver) since his scuba certification was outdated. After several discussions, he decided that it would be best to use someone who had experience shooting underwater. Jeff contacted Marty and filled him in on the production. Marty agreed to offer his services at no cost, which was extremely generous. Marty also put us in touch with Ambergris Divers who we eventually contracted as our diving outfit.

Jeff and I met with Marty on March 29th, the day before the shoot. We had already charted a boat, driver and dive master for the morning of our shoot. All that remained was working out a few logistics with Marty. I typically storyboard every sequence prior to a shoot, but this time, I decided to let Marty do his thing. Having seen his amazing photography, I was confident in his ability to get some great shots. We chatted about a few key shots and then made arrangements to have a boat pick him up in the morning.

In the meantime, I had gone on three seperate dives to prepare for the shoot. The night before production, Jeff and I transferred footage and discussed above-water-shots. Jeff brought an underwater housing for our camera, and planned to shoot me entering and exiting the ocean. Jeff would also shoot peperation shots on the boat (putting on mask, hand fins, etc.)
We didn't get to bed until 12:30 am.

ESMERALDA




Jeff and I drove our golf cart over to Ambergris Divers at 8:30 and met our boat captain and dive master. The dive company sent a small boat to pick Marty up and bring him back to "Baby Catherine", our boat for the shoot. Around 9:30, we departed the island and headed out beyond the reef to our first dive site: Esmeralda.



Marty chose both of our sites for their visual aesthetic and animal life. For this shoot, our dive master brought along some chum for the sole purpose of attracting some nursing sharks for the sequence. The chum was placed in a long PVC pipe with holes throughout. The pipe had a rope attached which our dive master held.


When we arrived at the site, the boat anchored to a bouye and all onboard prepared to enter the water. The boat driver and dive master lifted me to the side of the boat and then helped me secure my BCD and 16 lb. weight belt. Marty was already in the water, with his underwater camera rig ready. After a quick signal back in forth, Marty rolled camera and I dove into the warm water.

I let the air out of my BCD and began to descend into the water below. Visibility was perfect and so was the weather above water. So many of our productions thus far have been cancelled due to rain or snow. This wasn't the case today. I sank towards the ocean floor and began swimming alongside the dive master. Before too long, there were six or seven nursing sharks sticking their noses into the tube of chum. The dive master and I drifted gently to the sandy ocean floor where he proceded to pet the sharks. Marty continued to film as the dive master grabbed one of the sharks and handed it to me. It was a surprise to say the least, but an incredible experience. The animal was fairly heavy and I began to sink under its weight. I decided to let go and swim ahead to a small canyon. Marty followed, filming from all angles.


As I floated into a narrow canyon, Marty and I coordinated several shots from different angles. Underwater direction and communication is a tricky thing, but we were both on the same page at all times. I felt like my buoyancy was perfect, to the point that I could move up or down with every breath in and out. The deepest I dove on this dive was 65 feet.




When my oxygen reached 700 PSI, I re-connected with the dive master and we ascended to 20 feet for a 3 minute safety stop. After that, we surfaced and returned to "Baby Catherine". It was an amazing dive.

HOL CHAN CUT


After picking up some additional equipment, we sped off to Hol Chan, a popular dive and snorkel site. Hol Chan is a shallow dive with a maximum depth of 30 feet. After a brief explanation of Hol Chan's underwater currents and layout, Jeff and Marty jumped in the water and prepared for a second shoot. Again, I sat on the edge of the boat and dove into the water. This time, it didn't take long to reach the ocean floor. As I swam away from the boat, Jeff shot from above and Marty shot from the side. As the floor gradually dropped away, we swam to a depth of about 30 feet.



There was a substantially greater amount of underwater life on this shoot. No sharks, but several Eagle Rays and a Barracuda, which caught me off guard.


As we circled around and headed back to the boat, it became increasingly difficult to cover distance due to the strong current. I swam as hard as I could, but never seemed to get anywhere. It was extremely difficult. The harder I swam the more air I consumed. Marty kept rolling, but I soon forgot all about the shoot. Totally preoccupied with how I was ever going to get back to the boat. Marty caught my attention and signaled for me to grab the dead corral and use it to propel my body through the head current. At first I was reluctant, as I didn't want to disrupt the integrity of the reef. But finally, I used the corral to crawl along the floor. It felt like rock climbing, the dead corral my hand holds.


When we approached to boat, I noticed that I was becoming increasingly buoyant. At one point I drifted to the surface. The dive master did the same and suggested that I dump the air out of my BCD. Apparently some air had made its way in, causing me to float to the surface. After emptying the BCD, I returned to the bottom and captured additional shots, both from Jeff and Marty.


The dive lasted 48 minutes and then it was time to head back aboard the ship. Marty was extremely pleased with the footage. I was also happy with the way things went.

We returned to shore and dropped Marty off. Then Jeff and I headed back to the dive center and thanked our driver and dive master.

Later that afternoon, Jeff and I drove over to Marty's office to review the footage. It was amazing! I couldn't believe how great everything turned out. Mission Accomplished!


Looking back, the entire experience was unbelievable. Ambergris Divers were wonderful and very accommodating.


And a very big thanks to Marty. Marty was amazing to work with and very giving of his time and expertise. I thank both of them for helping bring this production to life.

Everything seemed to go smoothly. I really hope Marty is happy with the finished product, once we cut the footage together with our other sports. As for the diving itself, I've never experienced a more beautiful environment. Scuba diving is an ideal activity for individuals with paralysis because it allows you to go anywhere. On land, I and others like myself who use a wheelchair, are forced to find accessible routes. Underwater, the ability to fly over a canyon or glide through a tunnel are so simple to accomplish. There is so much freedom beneath the water.

Ice Ice Baby!

"A number of images put together a certain way become something quite above and beyond what any of them are individually." -- Francis Ford Coppola

Last Saturday, I dreamt that it was the evening premiere of this project. The audience, consisting predominantly of individuals with disabilities, had just spent the day sailing with several local adaptive recreation programs. Many of these individuals were still wearing their PFDs (Personal Floatation Devices) as they filed into the theater. In my dream, I knew the film wasn't ready, but the theater was filling up rapidly, and we had to show the audience something. So, I decided to run the video, even though the music and graphics hadn't been added. Just before showtime, I made my way to the stage and gave a brief introduction about the project. As I prefaced the film, I noticed that everyone had begun to leave. Apparently, most of the people attending the screening had bussed in for the day and had to leave in order to catch their rides. It was devastating.

So why do I mention this dream, other than to prove how random my subconscious tends to be? Well, I've been obsessing over this project for a while. I constantly think: How will this thing look when the last cuts are made? I'm optimistic, and encouraged by the footage we have so far. Still, I've yet to assemble any of the shots and it's intimidating to think of how difficult it will be to compile 32 different sports into one cohesive display. Usually, a film doesn't even begin to take shape until the images, graphics and sound are combined.

SLEDGE HOCKEY


Yesterday, Jeff (DP/Prod) and I flew to Sacramento to shoot sledge hockey (or sled hockey for those who dislike associating with or using words that end in "ge". The whole sled hockey sequence has been very frustrating. Particularly the selection and coordination with willing participants. Originally, we had planned to film our local National Ability Center team. Unfortunately, they don't have many players with SCI on their team right now. So, we had to search elsewhere. Next, we contacted the Colorado team. I met with the team a few months ago and was really excited about working with them. However, try as we might, we could not nail down a commitment from the team, which was too bad.

...And then...the Sacramento Lightening struck. Eager, willing and ready to help us out. Our unit manager made all of the arrangements with the team, and this time we nailed down a shooting date. It seemed that at long last, we were finally going to be able to shoot sled hockey. I'm not sure why it has been so difficult to coordinate with talent, but it has. That's not necessarily any one person's fault. People get busy and windows open and close. It's all about timing and pouncing on those moments when they appear.


Jeff and I brought the shoulder mount and jib arm down for the shoot. That ended up being a lot of equipment for a four hour shoot. I'm glad we did bring the jib because we managed to get some killer shots of players scoring goals and checking each other into the side walls of the rink. I think we may now have to reconsider the rating of our production.


To get around Sacramento, we used a rental car and Jeff's sexy and reliable GPS system, affectionately known as "Nüvi". With her sultry English accent, Nüvi never failed to get us accurately from point A to point B. At times, she got irritable and condescending. But by the end of the trip...I had found a new love. And no, contrary to what Jeff may tell you, I did not sleep Nüvi. You never, ever steal another guy's GPS.


Sacramento is very flat and very spacious with strip malls a-plenty. I'm not used to the absence of large landmarks such as mountains. There were also a large number of people standing around holding advertising. Practically every corner had some kid holding a sandwich board, making every attempt to attract potential customers.




At 3:00, Jeff and I (and Nüvi), arrived at Skatetown Ice Arena. We took a look around and felt very, very old. The average age of everyone in the Center was 13. It was a little awkward. We met and discussed shots and politics before unloading all of our equipment. We dressed warm since we were going to be spending the next six hours in a refrigerator. Ice arenas get very cold. So cold, in fact, that by the end of the shoot, I had lost all sensation in my lower torso, legs and toes.


The team began to arrive around 4:30 and they were a great bunch of athletes. They were easy to work with, friendly and extremely patient, given the nature of a shoot* (see "nature of a shoot").



We began shooting locked down shots first and then moved on to handheld. The team ran scrimmages, three on three with a goalie. It was great. For many of the shots, Jeff and I wore helmets to avoid being hit in the head by flying pucks. And let me just say, I came close to getting nailed more than once.


At 7:30, we took a snack break and offloaded our footage to a backup hard drive. Twenty minutes later, we were back at it. We broke out the jib arm to capture some sweeping shots of players slamming each other into the side walls. I purchased a pack of white Mentos, hoping a few of the players could spit them out like teeth. It didn't work out as well as I'd hoped.


Towards the end of the shoot, Jeff hopped in a sled to shoot some tracking shots. We didn't bring the steadicam because the ice provides a very smooth surface for hand-held tracking.


We wrapped the shoot at 9:05 PM and cleared off the ice as fast as we could. Jeff got a ride on the zamboni and I finished filming interviews with each of the players.

Both Jeff and I had a great time shooting the team. They were a joy to work with and were very accommodating. After all, it isn't easy to play a full contact sport like hockey with a production crew constantly getting in your way. In addition to being very professional, the Sacramento Lightening team is fast. The team name is very appropriate.


The footage turned out great and I'm excited to see how the sequence cuts together.

Jeff and I spent the night and took an early flight back to Salt Lake this morning. We've now shot 11 sports, 10 of which are completed. We still need some pick up shots for alpine skiing, but we will have to shoot those in April or May.

Up next...



*NATURE OF A SHOOT: shoot, stop, wait, setup, shoot, stop, wait, setup, shoot, stop, bathroom break, wait, setup...