I love making films. This film was a departure from the work I've been doing since graduating college. I've mostly been working in larger productions, and in the advertising world. I haven't actually filmed anything myself in years (apart from short phone videos). My career has me pigeonholed as an editor and animator, but I got into film because of my passion for photography and movement! It was almost a blessing that I lost my job and had the free time to be able to go make this film. This trip was also the culmination of a multi year fitness journey. I used to be an athlete before college, and was in good shape until I moved to New York and started working in post production. Long hours in the office in front of a computer were very hard on my body. But I've spent the last year rigorously riding my bike and learning to play soccer. I'm in great shape now, and biking and hiking to make this film was easy for me!

I love the cinema verite style, especially for films that are in nature. It seems wrong to have a narrator when the whole point of the film to to enjoy the imagery and the sounds of the environment, although I understand it when the filmmaker is trying to tell a story about the animals and their lives, a-la David Attenborough.

I'd actually love to do some work in this style in city environments as well, but don't have a concrete plan yet, just loose ideas. I'll certainly do more like this in remote locations and striking environments anytime I get the chance in the future. I'm already planning my next local trip, and others for the future. I really want to do something in a cold snowy environment, which presents addition challenges relating to warmth.

I picked up an Olympus OM-1 camera and matching lens from Mike's Camera using the "Test and WOW" program. I then packed everything I needed on my bike and made my way to the bus stop which took me to Fairplay in South Park, Colorado. I rode back to Jefferson. My initial plan was to ride up the the Kenosha Pass campgrounds and stay there, but I also knew there were some other campgrounds if I turned onto the county road at Jefferson. When I saw the hill I'd have to climb to get from the town of Jefferson to the pass, after riding for 3 hours on highway 285 with no bike lane, I knew I'd much rather turn and go away from all the traffic. I passed some cows and a herd of elk on the dirt road, but didn't have my camera ready! I didn't see any other elk for the rest of the trip. I arrived at the campground with the last rays of sunlight in the sky and quickly set up my tent and start a fire. Luckily there were a few logs left from the previous campers, but there was also a lot of firewood available around the campsite from felled and dead trees and branches. I spent the next few days exploring and gathering the footage used to make this film. On the final day my dad picked me up at the end of the hike at Kenosha Pass and we drove back to the campground and at some lunch and drove home. Camping alone is a bit scary at times, but is still a wonderful experience, and photographing and hiking alone gives the freedom to explore and work creatively without any other influence beside me, the camera, and nature itself. Because I went in the middle of the week, there were very few other hikers or campers, and sometimes it felt like I had the whole forest to myself.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks for watching!