Bike Touring Movie Preview... (opinions/suggestions wanted)
12-15-06, 07:45 AM
#27
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You've done some excellent work with you movie Mike, it was very enjoyable and I think if you make it full length, it will be that much more enjoyable.
I have never watched a movie about bike touring; but when I read people logs I like to read about the stuff that happened on the road. The best parts are where they meet interesting people. I like the scene where you ask to camp in the guys backyard. The other scene where you talk about the people that fed you pasta.
I really think you are on the right track, and it would be a loss on our part to whet our appetite, then not have more to share with us. I would love to see a full length version.
As for you complaining about the weather, that is one of the most important things concerning bike touring, as a bike tourist I think it is very important to emphasize the weather that you experienced, it is a huge part of any trip.
A question for you is about the stats of your trip. How many Km's was it?
How long did it take?
Could you post a map to show us your route?
How much did it cost? and what was the budget?
What would you change/keep the same if you were to do it again?
Did you also keep a written log?
What was the longest amount of time on the trip that you went without talking to another person?
Yeah I know, I have to wait for the movie to come out
.
Thank you, and keep up the excellent work.
I have never watched a movie about bike touring; but when I read people logs I like to read about the stuff that happened on the road. The best parts are where they meet interesting people. I like the scene where you ask to camp in the guys backyard. The other scene where you talk about the people that fed you pasta.
I really think you are on the right track, and it would be a loss on our part to whet our appetite, then not have more to share with us. I would love to see a full length version.
As for you complaining about the weather, that is one of the most important things concerning bike touring, as a bike tourist I think it is very important to emphasize the weather that you experienced, it is a huge part of any trip.
A question for you is about the stats of your trip. How many Km's was it?
How long did it take?
Could you post a map to show us your route?
How much did it cost? and what was the budget?
What would you change/keep the same if you were to do it again?
Did you also keep a written log?
What was the longest amount of time on the trip that you went without talking to another person?
Yeah I know, I have to wait for the movie to come out
.Thank you, and keep up the excellent work.
Last edited by !!Comatoa$ted; 12-15-06 at 06:37 PM.
12-15-06, 08:43 AM
#28
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i like the idea, but i'm not concinced by the trailer that i must have this.
partly it's because it's too long (i think one minute is plenty)
partly because it's giving away the ending (you made it!)
partly it's because we get shown a lot of 'the same shots': you on the bike.
now, i know this is what you do, when touring. however, in a documentary about a trip i'm not JUST interested in the 'moving', but also what's around you e.g. the people, the towns, the nature.
and, like another poster already mentioned: i could have done without seeing you in the bathtub and shirtless dipping your wheels at the start.
one other comment: when touring i do shave. and i would certainly shave if i were to make a movie about my trip. i mean, it's 'just' a trip trough canada, not an expedition across siberia.
please don't think i'm dissing you or anything.
i think it's great you made the movie.
and i like the way you mounted the camera.
anyway: good luck
jurjan
partly it's because it's too long (i think one minute is plenty)
partly because it's giving away the ending (you made it!)
partly it's because we get shown a lot of 'the same shots': you on the bike.
now, i know this is what you do, when touring. however, in a documentary about a trip i'm not JUST interested in the 'moving', but also what's around you e.g. the people, the towns, the nature.
and, like another poster already mentioned: i could have done without seeing you in the bathtub and shirtless dipping your wheels at the start.
one other comment: when touring i do shave. and i would certainly shave if i were to make a movie about my trip. i mean, it's 'just' a trip trough canada, not an expedition across siberia.
please don't think i'm dissing you or anything.
i think it's great you made the movie.
and i like the way you mounted the camera.
anyway: good luck
jurjan
12-15-06, 06:06 PM
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Originally Posted by jurjan
one other comment: when touring i do shave. and i would certainly shave if i were to make a movie about my trip. i mean, it's 'just' a trip trough canada, not an expedition across siberia.
jurjan
jurjan
What difference does it make if he shaves or not? Is facial hair limited to those crossing Siberia or climbing Everest? What an asinine comment.
12-15-06, 08:44 PM
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Originally Posted by jurjan
one other comment: when touring i do shave. and i would certainly shave if i were to make a movie about my trip. i mean, it's 'just' a trip trough canada, not an expedition across siberia.
Also, if you do it again you may want to pick up a boomstick. Similar type mount that you built but even more versatile. www.boomstick360.com (not affiliated, I just think they are cool).
Otherwise I liked the video. I am in now way a filmmaker so I can't make any useful comments other than I look forward to the finished product.
-D
12-16-06, 06:17 AM
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Awesome! Just wondering, did you find that actually filming it detracted from teh cycling experience? Like did it take up much of your time?
12-16-06, 05:32 PM
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I loved the movie preview. I loved how you were not afraid to show the struggle, the fear and the elation that you cycle through, pun intended, during a long journey on a bike.
I can't wait to see the whole product. Sign me up for the high-resolution DVD!
I can't wait to see the whole product. Sign me up for the high-resolution DVD!
12-18-06, 07:03 AM
#33
Senior Member
Really neat. You should post this over at www.roadbikereview.com in the touring forum there. There are a lot of people that would like it.
12-18-06, 07:44 AM
#34
Full Member
i'm sorry if i offended people about my shaving comment.
it's just that i hear a lot of people asking when i say i tour/camp: how do you keep clean, looking presentable.
i don't know who the intended target audience is, but (and this is pure conjecture on my part), if you are trying to get other people to try it, my feeling would be to try and be as presentable as possible ALL the time.
but... again.. i seem to have offended some people.. sorry for that.
have a nice day,
jurjan
it's just that i hear a lot of people asking when i say i tour/camp: how do you keep clean, looking presentable.
i don't know who the intended target audience is, but (and this is pure conjecture on my part), if you are trying to get other people to try it, my feeling would be to try and be as presentable as possible ALL the time.
but... again.. i seem to have offended some people.. sorry for that.
have a nice day,
jurjan
12-18-06, 10:56 AM
#35
Sore saddle cyclist
I enjoyed this video very much, what an adventure!! I also thought the music was perfect, and the phone calls and interviews were an excellent touch. Can't wait to see more, please let us know when the film is ready. Are you thinking of entering in film festivals? Keep us posted.
12-19-06, 12:27 AM
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i think the fact you are getting such good reviews about the whole thing is showing you enough motive to continue and try to get the full length one out. Part of me thinks its good, cause it might open up other peoples eyes to just how a beautiful, and peacefull coneption it is to right across your country, or nay part of the world for that matter, and another part of me doesnt want the whole country doing it, but then i think, why the hell not! rather have that then all of em driving their autos!.
I loved when you were on the wini radio station and just couldnt describe "why" you were riding across, but i know for myself atleast and im sure almost all of the other cyclists here, your words and their lack, said it all. and i think if you were to get a full length movie out there about it, other people, maybe non-cyclists would also feel that way. I mean what other reason do you need besides to promote cycling? anyways, great concept, and you seem like a really down to earth guy who other could relate to, so the best of luck! keep them pedals moving!
I loved when you were on the wini radio station and just couldnt describe "why" you were riding across, but i know for myself atleast and im sure almost all of the other cyclists here, your words and their lack, said it all. and i think if you were to get a full length movie out there about it, other people, maybe non-cyclists would also feel that way. I mean what other reason do you need besides to promote cycling? anyways, great concept, and you seem like a really down to earth guy who other could relate to, so the best of luck! keep them pedals moving!
12-19-06, 12:30 AM
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Originally Posted by jurjan
i'm sorry if i offended people about my shaving comment.
it's just that i hear a lot of people asking when i say i tour/camp: how do you keep clean, looking presentable.
i don't know who the intended target audience is, but (and this is pure conjecture on my part), if you are trying to get other people to try it, my feeling would be to try and be as presentable as possible ALL the time.
but... again.. i seem to have offended some people.. sorry for that.
have a nice day,
jurjan
it's just that i hear a lot of people asking when i say i tour/camp: how do you keep clean, looking presentable.
i don't know who the intended target audience is, but (and this is pure conjecture on my part), if you are trying to get other people to try it, my feeling would be to try and be as presentable as possible ALL the time.
but... again.. i seem to have offended some people.. sorry for that.
have a nice day,
jurjan
12-19-06, 01:35 AM
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joseph senger> Thanks for all the words... very inspiring. The target audience thing is a good question, and one that I honestly don't have a good answer for. I'm not really thinking in terms of "target audience", I'm just thinking in terms of "making it good". The LAST thing I'm thinking of are things like my own personal appearance and how that might affect the target audience. If I cared about that, I wouldn't have filmed myself bandaging up a spider bite on my ass in the tent for example I thought for a few seconds about the language in the trailer when I was editing it, since I do drop the F-bomb quite a few times. But editing it out wouldn't be true to me, the trip or the footage.
People are going to be turned off by some stuff like that, and that's perfectly fine with me. If people are shallow enough to care that I grew a beard or had my shirt off at the beach, then let them not watch it. I feel silly even attempting to defend the beard thing... but as derath said, I did think it would be a neat way to show the passage of time and I did make it a point to film myself shaving my head (first time I ever did that) and face before I left for the trip and then shaving again once I got home. These aren't in the preview, but might be in the full version.
shifty> I"d love to do the film festival thing if festivals would be willing to show it. I'll persue that once I actually have a movie
flic> the filming was actually a good way to stay sane. Sort of like how most cyclists writie a journal (which I also kept) and take lots of still pictures (which I also did). When I didn't want to be bothered by it, I didn't bother with it. When I had nothing else to do, I'd work on the movie stuff. Then every night I got to cozy up in my tent and watch the footage at the end of the day.
brianmcg123> I don't have an account there, but anyone is welcome to post the video wherever they want. I didn't put it online so I could control what people do and don't do with it
derath> the big problem with that boomstick thing is that it requires the actual camcorder to be on the boom. I spent a lot of time on my design for the purpose of making everything weather proof, which meant the actual camcorder had to stay watertight in the pannier and powered by a large battery that could last weeks. This boomstick would have been great for the actual mount though.. done a lot nicer than mine that's for sure (but what do you expect from a broken tripod mounted onto the side of a bike? )
!!Comatoa$ted> The trip was 7300KM, and it took 109 days. I don't have a map, but you can piece together the whole route by checking the daily log stuff here: https://www.mikebeauchamp.com/crosscanada/?page_id=9
It cost me.. hmm. I spent about $1200 on the camera equipment and the mounting stuff I made, etc. I had my bike ripped off a few months before I was going to leave, so I replaced it with a new one for $700 and had that ripped off (long story.. it might be in the movie. grrr), so I bought a new one for $1000 (way more suited to the task than both others though, so worth it in that respect). I spent maybe $500 on all the touring gear like tent, panniers, stove, etc.. etc. Then during the actual trip I think I spent about $1200-$1500 in the 115 days I was gone or so. Airfare to vancouver was like $300, and airfare home from Halifax was $200. Post production stuff, I had to buy a few harddrives for editing.. $250 and for recording the soundtrack I bought a recording interface for about $400. So the actual trip (minus all things to do with the movie) was pretty damn cheap. The "Budget" was everything I had.. and then some. I kept a daily journal for myself and also did an online journal here: https://www.mikebeauchamp.com/crosscanada/ with pictures here: https://mikebeauchamp.com/crosscanada/gallery/
As for how long I went without talking to someone.. I have no clue... a few times I found myself talking to absolutely anyone that would listen... if nobody was around, I'd talk to the camera.
Mike
I thought for a few seconds about the language in the trailer when I was editing it, since I do drop the F-bomb quite a few times. But editing it out wouldn't be true to me, the trip or the footage. People are going to be turned off by some stuff like that, and that's perfectly fine with me. If people are shallow enough to care that I grew a beard or had my shirt off at the beach, then let them not watch it. I feel silly even attempting to defend the beard thing... but as derath said, I did think it would be a neat way to show the passage of time and I did make it a point to film myself shaving my head (first time I ever did that) and face before I left for the trip and then shaving again once I got home. These aren't in the preview, but might be in the full version.
shifty> I"d love to do the film festival thing if festivals would be willing to show it. I'll persue that once I actually have a movie
flic> the filming was actually a good way to stay sane. Sort of like how most cyclists writie a journal (which I also kept) and take lots of still pictures (which I also did). When I didn't want to be bothered by it, I didn't bother with it. When I had nothing else to do, I'd work on the movie stuff. Then every night I got to cozy up in my tent and watch the footage at the end of the day.
brianmcg123> I don't have an account there, but anyone is welcome to post the video wherever they want. I didn't put it online so I could control what people do and don't do with it
derath> the big problem with that boomstick thing is that it requires the actual camcorder to be on the boom. I spent a lot of time on my design for the purpose of making everything weather proof, which meant the actual camcorder had to stay watertight in the pannier and powered by a large battery that could last weeks. This boomstick would have been great for the actual mount though.. done a lot nicer than mine that's for sure (but what do you expect from a broken tripod mounted onto the side of a bike?
)!!Comatoa$ted> The trip was 7300KM, and it took 109 days. I don't have a map, but you can piece together the whole route by checking the daily log stuff here: https://www.mikebeauchamp.com/crosscanada/?page_id=9
It cost me.. hmm. I spent about $1200 on the camera equipment and the mounting stuff I made, etc. I had my bike ripped off a few months before I was going to leave, so I replaced it with a new one for $700 and had that ripped off (long story.. it might be in the movie. grrr), so I bought a new one for $1000 (way more suited to the task than both others though, so worth it in that respect). I spent maybe $500 on all the touring gear like tent, panniers, stove, etc.. etc. Then during the actual trip I think I spent about $1200-$1500 in the 115 days I was gone or so. Airfare to vancouver was like $300, and airfare home from Halifax was $200. Post production stuff, I had to buy a few harddrives for editing.. $250 and for recording the soundtrack I bought a recording interface for about $400. So the actual trip (minus all things to do with the movie) was pretty damn cheap. The "Budget" was everything I had.. and then some. I kept a daily journal for myself and also did an online journal here: https://www.mikebeauchamp.com/crosscanada/ with pictures here: https://mikebeauchamp.com/crosscanada/gallery/
As for how long I went without talking to someone.. I have no clue... a few times I found myself talking to absolutely anyone that would listen... if nobody was around, I'd talk to the camera.
Mike
12-19-06, 10:40 AM
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from my personal view, i would love you to make this movie for you and who you love. let if show you who you are maybe, if it can do that imagine what it will do for everyone else. I am an artist, as are you, perhaps not full time as I, but ive discovered, to truely create, you must not concern yourself with the sesires of anyone else, but yours, and that assertion honeyed in intergrity, will share such love, im sure you wont beleive. your on your way tho, JUST DO IT, hehehe.
ive alraedy show about 10 people the trailer! anyways thats enough from me. take care.
ive alraedy show about 10 people the trailer! anyways thats enough from me. take care.
12-26-06, 11:41 PM
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I liked it. It's the max I can download that may be as long a version I as I ever see.
No sure how you make the best use of it.
There seems to be a lot of interest among cyclists in reading long winded travel logs of people's trips across the country. I don't know how many hours you filmed, but if there wasn't the hosting problem there would probably be some interest in seeing an uncut version. Toruing cyclists seem to have an insatiable desire to see stuff that pre-runs the trip for them. Let's say there were 6 really bad climbs coming through the rockies, why not watch them all live. The funny part for me is that the more I research, the more little nuggets or really important information I collect about certain points of a trip, these should be key. When I get there, the particular little gems I salted away all turn out to be completly misleading or irrelevant. There is something about what people write that just never gets to what seeing it on TV gives you.
For the more general audience, human interest always seems to be the main point. Most people don't like riding bikes, camping or seeing Canada. Despite what some folks said about the weather talk, and so forth, I don't think it dragged any more than the shows on TV about climbing everest. As long as there is enough tape to show how the weather is affecting you it should be good.
No sure how you make the best use of it.
There seems to be a lot of interest among cyclists in reading long winded travel logs of people's trips across the country. I don't know how many hours you filmed, but if there wasn't the hosting problem there would probably be some interest in seeing an uncut version. Toruing cyclists seem to have an insatiable desire to see stuff that pre-runs the trip for them. Let's say there were 6 really bad climbs coming through the rockies, why not watch them all live. The funny part for me is that the more I research, the more little nuggets or really important information I collect about certain points of a trip, these should be key. When I get there, the particular little gems I salted away all turn out to be completly misleading or irrelevant. There is something about what people write that just never gets to what seeing it on TV gives you.
For the more general audience, human interest always seems to be the main point. Most people don't like riding bikes, camping or seeing Canada. Despite what some folks said about the weather talk, and so forth, I don't think it dragged any more than the shows on TV about climbing everest. As long as there is enough tape to show how the weather is affecting you it should be good.
01-02-07, 10:40 PM
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Wow, Mike your trip and video is really inspiring especially since I'm about to go across the USA starting tomorrow!!! Your camera rig is AWESOME as well. It looks really professional like you have a film crew following you. Can't wait to see the final film.
Ben
https://bengarland.com
Ben
https://bengarland.com
03-12-09, 01:30 AM
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Finally done!!
Wow.. it's been almost 2 years since I firstposted this. I'm sure many of you have forgotten about this completely. I found myself overwhelmed by the amount of footage and the idea of making something that a lot of people could relate to. I also had to pack up and move everything from Canada to New Zealand, but maybe 4 months ago I decided to revisit this project and finally get it done. I had everything I needed, and eventually I just sat down and edited this movie into something -I- wanted to watch. I thank everyone in this thread and all the people that private messaged me.. I definitely took your feedback and encouragement...
In the end, I think the final movie (60 minutes long) is a pretty nice representation of my experiences bicycle touring across Canada and I hope it will be a nice introduction to people that don't understand why we do things like this. The only thing that I think didn't get documented too well is the occasionally loneliness, but that's hard to get across on video. Looking back at this footage was really interesting for me though, because it was definitely a changing point in my life... since then I've done several other tours and gone a lot of places and met a lot of people I wouldn't have met if I didn't decide to do this tour.
Anyways, I hope you guys like the movie... if anyone enjoys this movie, I hope it's you guys! I'm just happy it's done! Thanks again for all the encouragement everyone... I was definitely thinking about you when I was editing this.
https://mikebeauchamp.com/crosscanada
https://vimeo.com/3451015
Mike
In the end, I think the final movie (60 minutes long) is a pretty nice representation of my experiences bicycle touring across Canada and I hope it will be a nice introduction to people that don't understand why we do things like this. The only thing that I think didn't get documented too well is the occasionally loneliness, but that's hard to get across on video. Looking back at this footage was really interesting for me though, because it was definitely a changing point in my life... since then I've done several other tours and gone a lot of places and met a lot of people I wouldn't have met if I didn't decide to do this tour.
Anyways, I hope you guys like the movie... if anyone enjoys this movie, I hope it's you guys! I'm just happy it's done! Thanks again for all the encouragement everyone... I was definitely thinking about you when I was editing this.
https://mikebeauchamp.com/crosscanada
https://vimeo.com/3451015
Mike
