Following on from the review of The Reel Adventure Diaries Film Competition a few months back, we have had word that one of the films, Under The Eye of Jackdaw, by Charlie Chambers, has been selected for the Vancouver Mountain Film Festival which is great news.
If you would like more info on the competition then just take a look here.
Happy viewing
So what actually happens at a film festival then?
That’s a good question, especially as the UK’s biggest and best outdoors film festival is just around the corner.
Kendal Film Festival has been doing what no other outdoor festival has managed to do for years, well since 1980 in fact.Following a hibernation period it came back to earth with a big hard bump in 1999 and has been growing ever since.
It is now without doubt the best one of its kind in the UK and possibly Europe too.
The Festival is, unsurprisingly, in the wonderful setting of Kendal and there are lectures and film showcases in a whole host of different venues and locations across the city.
There is an incredible selection of high end top line speakers and lectures throughout the four days including people like:
Simon Yates, Major Phil Packer, Ueli Steck, Suzy Madge, Karina Hollekim and countless others!
The show piece film is the Asgard Project with Leo Holding.
http://www.theasgardproject.com/article/Leo_Houlding_announces_the_start_of_the_Asgard_Project
But it isn’t just limited to that.
there are over 50 plus films being shown as well as book show cases, award ceremonies and of course the ubiquitous party that ends up being incredibly messy and, more often than not, a good place to embarrass yourself!
For more information have a look at this link and tell me it doesn’t look good!!
I have just seen a trailer for this amazing looking film called Mount St Elias in Alaska. For those of you not in the know, which includes me, Mt St Elias is the second highest mountain in both America and Canada. The mountain was first sighted by a European in 1741 by Vitus Bering of Russia. it was first climbed in 1897 by Prince Luigi Amadao Di Savoia. Its second ascent was not until 1946. Few people apparently attempt to climb in now becasue of the terrible weather conditions that tend to hit caused by its close proximity to the sea.
Here endeth the Geography lesson…
It turns out that it is the perfect place to try to attempt the longest ever ski descent in the world (18,000 vertical feet). Not only is that pretty impressive but the conditions look treacherous, the terrain ludicrous and every step death defying. And that’s just to get up there!
Check out this picture:
The film itself is incredibly well shot, perhaps verging a little bit on the over polished side though. I like a slightly rough, rugged edge to an outdoor film and the more “Hollywood” it is the skeptical i become and the less real it feels. However after nominations at numerous film festivals this certainly works well.
There was clearly a decent budget behind this and there is an over riding influence from one brand in particular throughout and fair play to them for that as this is truly a voyage of discovery, heart and tragedy.
have a look at the trailer here:
http://www.mountstelias.com/en/movie/trailer
I would be really interested to hear other peoples thoughts on it as well as other films out there that have a similar look and feel, as well as feats of bravery and almost stupid audacity.
Happy viewing!
By the way, reckon they had insurance?!?!?
So, you want to be an extreme sports film maker then do you?
But how do you propose to do that especially when all you have got is a simple hand help camera, a bit of dirt and a retro BMX bike. The new Coppela you definitely aren’t!
That was the problem 6 lucky winners earlier this year managed to over come.
The Reel Adventure Diaries Film Competition gave them a platform to get out there and have some fun, learn some filming techniques and even bag a wicked trip away with a professional athlete.
But what is it I hear you say…
TRAD, as it is also known, asked wanna be film makers to send in 2 minute clips of their work and then sit back and wait. The 6 winners were then selected and then paired up a professional extreme sports athlete. The athletes they used were:
Tim Emmett- a base jumping, ice climbing adrenaline junkie who has featured on Top Gear and flying wing suit programes (http://www.timemmett.com)
Joharra Sykes-Davis- The UK Kitesurfing Champion and general all round god sort (http://www.joharafreedom.com/)
Laurent Niol- A French athlete who knows no limits, free skiing and jumping off pretty much anything he is and eve isnt allowed to (http://www.zapiks.com/_laurent-niol-1/)
Andy Kirkpatrick- A British Ice Climbing Legend (http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com)
John Ross- AKA Shaggy who is a mountain bike guru based in Bristol, and has some serious stamina
Andrew Price- One of the UKs most up and coming survival and bushcraft guides (http://www.dryadbushcraft.co.uk)
The 6 winners were sent off to places as diverse as South Wales, Scotland, France and even a 10 day trip to Kenya to get to know, film and learn about why these athletes do what they do. They were given their kit, all their travel and expenses paid for as well as expert guidance before they were sent on their way. The film makers had to story board the films, film it, edit it and put the whole thing together. Not bad considering they were complete amateurs.
The 6 final films have now been put onto a DVD and can be picked up from the TRAD website.
If you need or want any more info on the event or the competition then take a look here (http://www.tradfilms.com/index.shtml) as there is a rumour that it is going to happen again next year.
To check out the trailer have a look at this page as it looks pretty cool:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIg753SAg4U
As I hear more about the 2010 event I will let you know
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