High Definition Web cast of A.T. thru-hike

[themeaty]

I want to get thoughts from fellow A.T. hikers about filming a thru-hike. To summarize, a first-time thru-hiker will carry an HD camera and film his experiences on the A.T.

The thru-hiker will film the hardships of living in the outdoors for months, physical and mental challenges, interviewing other hikers on the trail, and even observing other thru-hiker's challenges (with permission, of course).

How do other thru-hikers feel about this? Is it an invasion of their privacy while enjoying the solitude of the A.T.? Will folks be offended if they encounter a hiker, camera-in-hand, inquiring about their experiences on the trail, why they are hiking, what drives them, etc?

The video will be published daily to an online video blog. It will be available in streaming video and high definition downloads. If popular, a documentary could be released on DVD and Blu-ray.

All thoughts and opinions welcome. Thanks!

[hobojoe]

several films exist on the trials and tribulations. How about a film about the actual community surrounding the trail. that might actualy be watchable...

[HikerRanky]

Plenty of work has already been done on the hikers.... I believe that a documentary surrounding the people in places like Suches, Erwin, Damascus, and Harpers Ferry among others that perform trail magic, build businesses around the hikers, and their lifestyles would be a much better use of your work.

Just my 2 pounds worth...

Randy

[wrongway_08]

Yea, that'd be cool. Have the person do some hiker stuff of course but learning about the towns, the history, places to stay, local eats.... that would be cool :)

[error]

I want to get thoughts from fellow A.T. hikers about filming a thru-hike. To summarize, a first-time thru-hiker will carry an HD camera and film his experiences on the A.T.

I'm a first time thru hiker (leaving approx. March 11-13) and I was already considering bringing my mini-DV camera on the trail. I still haven't decided one way or the other, though until I read this I was leaning toward leaving it home.

Here are some thoughts I had about it.

First and foremost is weight. The camera, accessories and a few mini-DV tapes weigh almost 3 pounds. I have a tripod and it is another couple of extra pounds. I'm not sure yet I can afford the extra weight. Maybe I can manage it, but I'm trying not to carry too much weight!

Second is resupply. Getting hold of extra mini-DV tapes along the Trail would be tricky without car support or maildrops, and I'm planning to go the entire way with no maildrops at all.

Also, without car support it's impossible to upload video daily. It could be done (roughly) weekly, though. Without car support, this would also require a laptop in the backpack, as public computers in hostels and the like generally won't have video editing software. Fortunately I have an ultralight laptop which clocks in at 3 pounds.

The other issue is what to film and when. I expect to spend much of the time in camp too tired to do anything other than cook up some noodles and go to sleep. As for filming other people, I expect you just ask permission first, and people who don't want to be filmed will say no.

With all that in mind, I'm willing to think about it more and maybe give it a shot.

[Mausalot]

I'm all for it. Hikers we interviewed seemed to enjoy it. That's a major part of trail culture, sharing stories. You will need releases for all of the hikers you interview. We never had a problem with anyone signing them. But doing interviews and such seriously cuts down on your own hiking time. You can lose an hour or two without even blinking. I can't imagine what a daily blog would take. I think you might want to be more realistic and hope to do something once or twice a week. And you need to be in AMAZING hiking shape before you start if you hope to do both. You should practice both hiking and videotaping a lot before you go.

High def is certainly worthwhile, but not for a video download. It will be worthwhile for Blu-ray down the road. But if you're going to shoot in high def, make sure your composition and lighting make the extra pixels worthwhile.

Doug

Director, 2000 Miles to Maine www.grandfatherfilms.com

[naturejunkie]

I am doing a SOBO HD Doc this year. It is all about respecting the other hikers and respecting your own hike. Hike first, film second. Good luck!

[fiddlehead]

The thru-hiker will film the hardships of living in the outdoors for months, physical and mental challenges, interviewing other hikers on the trail, and even observing other thru-hiker's challenges (with permission, of course).
All thoughts and opinions welcome. Thanks!

Sounds very negative to me.
I don't want to watch another video showing how rough people have it.

If that's what you are looking for out there, go to Bangladesh or Africa, many of those people have it rough and not because they want to.

I'd much rather see a video about the good side of hiking.

[Jaybird62]

I'd much rather see a video about the good side of hiking.[/quote]


I agree. I would like to learn some more about trail towns and the community of hikers. Everybody knows it is hard and can be wet cold etc......It would be cool if a film could capture the allure that draws us to the trail....I am not saying that there are not good videos out on the A.T., just saying something fresh would be nice.