mikebeauchamp

Hey all,
I posted a preview on youtube of a movie I'm working on about Bicycle Touring across Canada.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixMTu--gB2w

I'm working on putting together a proper full length documentary movie, and I have close to 20 hours of footage. The preview should give a basic idea of what the footage I have from my trip is like and some of the events that happen. I've been really struggling with a lot of things in trying to put together this movie, and I think the biggest problem I have is making it enjoyable for as many people as possible, while retaining some sort of integrity.

While I don't want to water down the thing, and concentrate on all the non-cycling stuff just to make it enjoyable for non-cyclists and non-tourers, I still want it to represent the experience of self-contained bicycle touring.

After making this 9 minute preview/trailer, I had a 16 year old friend tell me it was "boring" and that "it's basically just you *****ing about the weather". I couldn't really disagree, since he's essentially right. I explained to him that when you're on a bike all day, the wind and weather IS the biggest issue. That, and shelter and food.. and that's basically it. There are a lot of other little things that do get covered in the movie and stuff.. but it's not like I had the energy at the end of the day to go attend events in all the cities I stopped in and chum it up with locals, or even sight-seen in many of the cities I went through since I was usually camping in the bush and stuff. I did briefly meet a few people and get that stuff on tape, but when I was staying with people I never brought out the camera with them because I didn't really want to.

I guess I'm asking.. what sort of things would make sense to concentrate on in a movie about my trip across Canada? This was my first bike tour, so it was quite a learning experience. What things are important to show in the movie to someone that's already toured, and what would be good to show to someone who has never toured before?

I'm also wondering what sort of balance of talking/story vs. visuals would make sense? I know this is a hard question, and probably something I should know or figure out myself.. but it's not like I'm a trained film maker here. Would overdubbing narration be good for explaining things that aren't specifically explained by me in the footage at the time? (For example: "In the next city, I found out that the camp ground was closed because of Bears") Or would narration just cheese-ify the movie, by trying to add more to the footage than is already there and attempting to create drama and a story.

If anyone is familiar with the "Long Way round" series (motorcycles across the world), that is a pretty damn successful and nicely done thing. However, my footage is nothing like that. I'm not Ewan McGregor and I didn't have a camera crew following me and arranging TV friendly things for me to do along my trip, and I don't have some sort of editing team that can play up the emotional stuff. But at the same time, the movie obviously can't just be me *****ing about the weather.

I'm still not sure what my goal is with the movie, aside from making a nice movie that people might want to watch. I'd love to offer the whole movie online for download, and I'd also love to show it at a few film festivals or something. If people would want DVD's of it, I'm sure I could make them. If a network was interested in showing it on television or something, I wouldn't be against the idea (that is why I'm sticking to original music instead of just tossing all my favourite tunes in the soundtrack), but I don't plan on editing it with the idea of being TV friendly in mind.

Anyways, any ideas/suggestions/comments/questions would be appreciated.

cycledreams

Hey mike,
I loved the preview. I applaud you for making a video from your tour! As far as making the video appealing to non-cyclist, or the couch potatoe sitting at home on the internet every single day, this will not make much sense! most of them will look at your video and think you are insane for doing this. However with that said, People do love "drama". If you could add something in there to make a story line that people could follow, you may have people watching it just to see what happens to you. Some people, including myself will watch it as a Wanna-be touring cyclist, and some people will watch it just out of curiosity. I personally think you should narrate the film, and talk about the place's you visited, add in some fact's about the area and the people you dealt with along the way. This way you target the cyclist with the cycling portion of the film, and also you target the people who love hearing history of places they do not get to visit themselves. I fall in both categories, and would love to hear more fact's about your area. Also I would love to see some pain and happiness from the trip, I.E. the bad weather, the seeing of beautiful place's you would not normally see from a car, the solitude of being a lone cyclist. Either way mike, I think your on the right track, I did enjoy the trailer, please keep us updated on the release of more and Im sure you will have plenty of people viewing!
chris

EZ-SportAX Curt

Hi Mike,
I loved the preview too, it bought a few tears to my eyes and I envy you very much doing a tour like that.
I hope someday myself to ride cross the USA and maybe Canada too, but my wife and kids keeps saying NO!! don't do it something will happen to you, but I feel something just pulling on me to do it.
I would love to have all 20 hours of your video, I would even pay money to see them.
So PM me if you like and set something up with me to be able to view those videos.

Thanks
Curt

DavidARayJaxNC

That movie what amazing... Let me know when you plan on making a full length.

mtnbiktn

Dude, that is good. I would watch other YouTube video's and pick out the editing style that you like. I read somewhere 15 sec is a good time for each little clip, but that could be one person's opinion. A cool bicycle DVD is...... Share the Road....., a trip about some college age kids that crossed America. They did a good job of editing for sure.

DavidARayJaxNC

Can you tell me what kind of camera set up you have? What camera mount you used?

ernok1923

i like what you are trying to do here and i do have some suggestions for you. they are just suggestions however as you must decide the best way to create your film.

1 - i think the preview reveals too much. most movie previews are maybe a minute and a half long. some are even less than thirty seconds, but i think that is too short. the average viewer actually starts losing interest in a scene in only a few seconds unless they are really drawin in. i think your preview would be more successful if it didn't show so much of the journey and also didn't follow such a linear path. based on the preview i already know that you made it, and relativley un-scathed. if the viewer thinks that maybe you might not complete the trip for whatever reason, it keeps the ending more of a surprise and the viewer will be more likely to really want you to finish.

2 - your 16 year old friend is right. while people on this forum, as well as hikers, sailors, climbers, etc., understand the effects that weather has, most people don't really care unless you are biking through a hurricane. so maybe this doesn't need to be focused on as much. it appears that you have plenty of footage of you riding in rain and wind (which does look like it really sucks!) so viewers will get to see how bad it is. it seems redundant to also complain about it as you already look like you are having a tough time biking through it. i also noticed that the first thing you talk about, after your introduction, is about how alone you are (no people for 110K). if you have footage of that landscape where it is just YOU and NOTHING, i think that may be a much more powerful image than you looking upset in your tent.

3 - also, having on film that you entered a pay campground without paying (even though it is closed) may not be the best thing to do legally. i doubt anyone will come after you, but it is something to consider. if you use footage where you can see the name of the campground, you might want to edit that out.

some shots that were pretty good:
-rolling bike to the ocean (ATL. + PAC.)
-riding on bridge with camera pointing up
-pulling up to alberta sign
-walking on glass in CN Tower
-waving with the huge moose
-lying down on picnic bench
-riding in the wind

while i don't think that this is the case based on your preview, i think that it is important to make sure that this film does not become an ego trip. it is best to show how one person handles the tour, and not show how awesome you are for doing this. i know that reading that probably just sounded pretty snooty of me, but i have no way of explaining it better. but it is just something to keep in mind.

feel free to ingore anything i have written as they are just my thoughts anyway. keep us all posted on how the project goes. i am sure that there are people here, including myself, who would like to follow this films progress.

rustycool7

That was great fun to watch. I loved the footage of the giant truck roaring up behind you. I might cut our the part of you naked in the bathtub. Making a movie of your (solo?) tour was a great idea as it probobly kept your mind occupied during those long lonely miles. I could definitely see this as a nice addition to a bicycle film festival. It seems like they mostly focus and the gonzo....inacsessable aspect of cyling while your film show's that the rest of us can take on the monumental challenge of cross-continental bike tour.

Good luck and I'll watch for it in theaters

Sebach

I did the same tour this summer, except I went N to Edmonton after Calgary and I took the 11 instead of the 17 through NW Ontario. We saw a lot of the same stuff man. Thanks for this, I really relived part of my ride as I watched it. Check your Private Messages, I sent you one.

For only having 20 hours of footage (like 11 minutes per day), you have a lot of good shots man. You know what you have "in the can" so you'll know the strengths and weakness of your footage better than any of us. Narration wouldn't cheapify the movie at all (I don't think you'd do a bad job considering your early edit). Dubbing in something from your journal (assuming you had one) or something from that time could offer insight into your state of mind.

Dubbing in retrospectively (if you decide to go that route) might help to explain the importance or relevance of something. For example: the importance of weather is something that could use some elaboration. In order to 'justify' the wind and rain segments, you could add in "on a bicycle, if it rains and gets cold, there is really nowhere I can go. It's not like at home, where I could sit in a car or even hide under a porch. I could probably pitch my tent but if it rains for the next three days..." or something like that. Then perhaps go on to say how, in the Prairies, the wind controls you because if the wind is a headwind, you'll go 45km that day. But if it's a tail wind, you'll go 45 km per HOUR. The wind giveth and the wind taketh away.

There are so many different aspects to touring and people experience it differently. The point is that this is your trip, so why not tell/show us what you experienced rather than worry about how we'll feel about it. For my trip, for the first 25 days, I had 22 days with rain. Like what the hell is that. I was so frustrated with always being wet, my finger prints rubbed off, everything was chaffed, everything was heavy, etc. If that was your experience, show it, don't edit it out because the audience will get frustrated. Let them get frustrated so they feel your pain.

mikebeauchamp

Thanks for the suggestions. The reason that the preview I made was as long and didn't leave the conclusion open-ended was that this wasn't meant to be a "Trailer" type thing that purposefully leaves people wondering and wanting more. I made this so I could better show people the editing style and how I plan to tell the story in the movie, and to give them a quick preview of the footage and events that happen in the movie from start to finish. I also thought it would be good for grant applications, etc. Probably not the best thing to publicly show people, etc. But I do plan on cutting a real "trailer" type thing once the full movie is actually done. There's also quite a few problems and things that happen in my raw footage that I purposefully left out of this preview.


I do totally see what you're saying here. and when I'm not trying to cram 20 hours of stuff into 10 minutes, I will definitely set up a lot of things like the "alone" thing a lot better. I see your point about it being redundant about the weather. I don't plan on dwelling on the weather bit the whole movie, but since there was maybe 2-3 really big weather incidents that happened to me.. I do plan on covering them because they meant so much at the time.

I understand this, and I was expecting someone to say this. I'm not sure where I stand on this quite yet. I will consider at least blocking out some details (like the name of the place(s)). But doing this tour with basically no money, I set up tent a lot of places that weren't exactly perfectly legal. It's part of my experience.. and I'd like it to be part of the trip. Touring is all about being resourceful, and stuff like this is how I managed.

This is a really great point, and it is also something I struggle with. It's hard making a movie by yourself, about yourself about something you did. I definitely don't want this to be a big ego-trip.. infact I want this movie to show that if I can do this kind of thing, anyone can.. and hopefully they'll be inspired to do so. But, I am definitely aware of the ego trip problem.. and I try my best to avoid it. That's why I suggested against narration, since having myself overdubbing talking about myself.. might be over the top. The only narration I'd consider adding is talking about the places I'm in, etc. I'm not sure exactly how to avoid this movie being an ego-trip, but it's definitely something I want to avoid. It's not snooty at all for you to say this, it's very honest.

mikebeauchamp

I spent a few months before the trip working on this rig, and I'm actually really proud of it. It's a tripod arm mounted to the side of my bike and at the end of it, there's a little security camera. The video goes into the rear pannier and into my camcorder (just a cheap miniDV camcorder.. all I could afford). I made a lexan box for the camcorder to sit in, so if I took a spill it wouldn't get crushed. On the handlebars, I made this control box that also had microphones mounted on it. From the control box, I could turn the camera on and off and start/stop recording.

There's some pictures of it here:

https://mikebeauchamp.com/images/show...da-preparation

I have a lot of cool video shot from when I was designing and building this setup and I do plan on having it in the final movie, or at least as a bonus feature-type thing for the nerds


cycledreams> You're absolutely right and I will definitely be thinking along these lines when I cut the full version. I -do- want it to be something my non cycling friends can enjoy, and seasoned touring cyclists can relate to. Narration for explaining the places I'm going through, giving some history, etc. isn't a bad thing at all.

rustycool7> I love that footage of the truck too. Definitely represents that whole section of highway for me. And yes, being able to talk to a camera was a good way to stay sane when I wouldn't have anyone to talk to for nearly a week at a time. I'd love to have this in bicycle film festivals.. since I think bike touring should be represented, not just extreme stuff like you mentioned. Glad you liked the preview! As for the bathtub thing, it will be less "revealing" if I decide to crop to 16x9. But anyways, being in that bathtub (it was at my grandma's house actually) was THE most relaxing thing in the world for me at the time, so that's why it's in there. If you don't like that footage, you probably won't like the footage of when I got really sick in a rest stop washroom.. or when I got weird rashes all over my body and ended up scratching myself till I bled and had to go to the doctor. Or the time when a spider bit me on the ass in my sleeping bag.. Oh, or the crazy fungus thing I got on my leg (https://www.mikebeauchamp.com/images/...rash%20006.jpg)


Sebach> I think its closer to 16 hours of footage during the trip, and then 4 hours of pre-trip stuff (like building the camera setup, having a few bikes stolen a few months before I left (no joke), trying to make money to actually afford the trip, etc, etc. Thanks for the encouragement about making the movie.. and I do and will end up making this movie how I want, I'd just like to get the views of others that I'd hope would also enjoy my movie. As for narration, saying something like "on a bicycle, if it rains and gets cold, there is really nowhere I can go. It's not like at home, where I could sit in a car or even hide under a porch. I could probably pitch my tent but if it rains for the next three days..." would come off as a little preachy to me.. and slightly ego-trip-ish. as someone else already mentioned, this IS something I'd like to avoid. I know the crap I had to put up with and it did suck, but I put up with it and I'm not superman or anything. I was hoping people would realize the ****tyness of the rain just by showing the clips of it being ****ty.

Thanks for all the kind comments on the preview thus far!

Sebach

I totally hear you on the ego-tripness with the "rain" stuff. Sometimes it's really hard to convey, to those who don't know, the difficulties and challenges without sounding preachy. I guess the difficulty is in conveying the difference from our everyday experiences without.... sounding like a prick. Depends on how you show/say/talk about it I guess. The good thing about fellow tourers is that you just have to show them the footage and they'll know exactly what it means.

countrydirt

I loved it! Can't wait to see the finished product!

Portis

First of all good job. I too envy you for being able to complete that journey. Personally, I have made several amateurish "documentaries" and learn more each time that I do. I have also watched countless documentaries as my Tivo will attest. What I have learned the most I will share.

1. People. Despite the subject matter. People are always the most interesting part of any documentary. At the end of the day, we are all social animals and despite scenic mountains, fast race cars, antique farm machinery, etc., the most interesting thing is always the people.

If you have footage of your encounters with people along the way and your interactions with them, i would lean heavily on that.

2. Music. There is a real art to learning how to use music in a documentary. I can't say that i have mastered that but I can give you my suggestion: Less is more. There were some scenes in your trailer where the music interfered with the sound of your tires on the road etc. Let those sounds be the "music" occasionally. After awhile, music becomes unwelcome. Like I said there is an art to knowing where to place it. The main thing is to try and track your emotions as you view the video and place music accordingly.

Lastly, I might add that in your trailer, there were a lot of scenes that were cut far too short. Let the entire sequence be shown so it all makes sense and tells the story. I know that this is just a trailer and perhaps that is an effect of that.

That's all i got. Good work and I'd be very glad to see all of your footage in raw form, let alone after it is refined.

The Human Car

This is a great line and is sorely missing from the preview. If you are too humble it’s boring and too egotistical is a turn off, the ideal is something in-between. You documented a dream, a challenge that did not come easy but in the end doable as long as you stick to it. Don’t cut the inspiration short just to avoid being egotistical.

rustycool7

Mike,

I only mentioned the bathtub scene because as I watched it at work, the guy in the next cubicile looked over my shoulder just as the bathtub scene came on. He seemed to be concerned about me watching a man take a bath. It didn't bother me personally. I'd like to see all the real stuff like puking in a dirty public bathroom, open sores etc. That would be powerful in expressing the hardships encountered on a long tour.

Carry on

ReptilesBlade 

Yes I know about "Long Way Around" and I would love to get a copy of this once it is done. Please keep me informed of your progress!

Sholto

Mike,

great work, I loved it. Everyone else's comments seemed apt, but I think if you make the completed movie to satisfy yourself you'll have done allright.

Personnally, I just love long cycling scenes with nothing but bikes and great views and the sound of the tyres on bitumen (as Portis said), but your music is ok too. Watching TdF video's very late at night after a little drink perhaps I'll turn off the TV audio and put a favourite CD on th stereo and let it rip.

Ken Brown

I think your video is excellent. As Sholto said, while it is good to get advice, it is important to follow your own instincts. I wouldn't say that if the trailer was boring or amateurish.

Cyclist0094

I enjoyed the trailer !very goodI The part where you are alone in your tent and in an emotional voice are talking about the loneliness is very compelling and one of the best scenes in the trailer. But rather than cutting the shot from inside the tent and showing you and the bike alone on the road with the audio, as suggested previously, I would suggest leaving the tent scene in and precede it with a shot or sequence of shots of you riding alone in silence to setup the tent scene. The tent scene should also be more in the middle of the film IMO.

Erick L

Absolutely great film Mike.

Not sure what to suggest since you're already doing a good job. I would add pre-tour scenes. Talk about the filming. Play with contrasts, parts with narration, others silent (like the wind). Add a little comment at the end ("this went on for x hours). Sceneries can look better in stills, so make a small slide show. Watch expedition films like National Geographic for ideas.

skin flute

Hey Mike,

In planning my cross Canada tour this past summer, your blog—out of all the journals I found on the internet—was by far the best. Unlike most I came across, you offered insight into things most others barely scratched. Also, your commitment to camping outside sanctioned sites was of great interest to me. I have a lot of respect for someone willing to repeatedly endure discomfort in order to meet a goal.

I thought the trailer is great. My only advice is stay true to the trip. You can't please everyone; and if you try, you'll likely produce an inferior film.

BTW, some friends I met on my journey have a short trailer here if interested:

https://www.peternies.com/HopeToNewfie/

Here's my trip blog: https://thederthspeaks.blogspot.com/

sth

Hey Mike,

I was following your journal as you progressed along across the country. I really enjoyed it and looked forward to each new installment. Congratulations on completing the ride and for providing such a great journal. Since then I have often wondered what had become of the movie.

I enjoyed the trailer and while I cant really offer any creative tips I can tell you what I would like to see. I think you should place greater emphasis on the postives of the trip: the good weather, interesting places, great vistas, neat people. Place lesser emphasis on the lonliness and the poor weather etc. Not to say you should gloss over the negatives, rather, add them in as a bit of drama. The part in your tent whne you show the emotion and loneliness of it all was great as were some of the really bleak weather bits.

Less graphic overlays and dont let the music over power the whole thing. I think sometimes just the sound of silence or your tires rolling along would say enough.

I think you have the talent and will create something interesting. Good luck with and keep us informed.

Paul L.

My daughter liked the video (although we did fast forward the bathtub part (saved a lot of questions from my daughter)). She said she might even do a short tour with me if I carried most of the stuff (she is only 7 so I guess it is up to me to humor her on that).

mikebeauchamp

Paul L.> Glad to hear it inspired someone!

sth> Thanks for the complements. The trailer thing just had lots of music in it because I wanted it to make a big impact I guess.. the full version isn't going to be a music video.. I couldn't agree more with the statement of the road noises being important and I think the microphones I put on the bicycle picked that up really good.. so I will have that!

skin flute> your friends pictures are awesome, and so is their movie! I agree about not bothering to please EVERYONE.. good point.

Erick L> All great advice.. thanks!

velonomad> That's my favourite scene too, I'm glad I captured one of the suckiest parts of the trip. It's really hard to take out a camera when things SUCK, but easy to do it when things are going smooth. As for it being in the middle of the movie, that can't really happen. BUT it won't be right at the beginning there's a lot that happens before it, including all the planning, etc.

Ken Brown> Thanks for the complements.. I will in the end follow my own instinct.

Sholto> I agree.. I love watching videos and surfing everyones touring pictures. just that alone satisfies me! So I don't think I can really go WRONG if I present this footage nicely.

ReptilesBlade> When I have the movie done, I will definitely post it on here. The plan is to put the movie online and to burn some DVD's with coverart and some extra stuff on it for people to buy at a cheap price, and hopefully I can use the money to offset some of the cost of the movie.. but whatever.

rustycool7> Fair enough

The Human Car> That's some of the best advice I've heard.. but very hard to impement and follow. I will do what I can..

Portis> People I totally agree with, same with music.. and it will be used sparingly during the final movie I'm sure. Also the scenes were cut short because it was a preview.. if I let the scenes go as long as they could, the thing would end up being 30 minutes and basically the whole movie I have no intention of using MTV style quick-cut editing stuff for the full length of the movie.. hehe

countrydirt> Thanks, hopefully I'll actually get done it!