Over 13 months.
That is the time length it has been since I first hit ‘record’ in northern Georgia in the U.S., to hitting ‘publish’ recently, for a full-length documentary.
Filming the documentary took only a week and a half, but the remainder of those many months is spent on editing the footage into a final product, all the while working full-time for the school board, running my private eco-tour business, writing for our local community paper, and trying to find time to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs lose in the playoffs!
In celebration of the publication, I wanted to share with you the creative yet gruelling details behind the scenes of making the fifth episode of my Hidden Corners nature documentary series. I will also tell you where you can watch it for free.
My computer acts like someone who spent too much time at the local sushi restaurant the moment I put all the new footage into it. It grumbles, groans, stumbles, and sometimes even crashes with the hundreds of gigabytes of data uploaded. I then sift through the 300-plus files, one by one, and immediately start categorizing them into folders.
First are the ‘money-makers,’ the shots that absolutely must make the final cut. They are the skeletal structure of the entire documentary, and are what make the documentary special. I then make folders for other themes, including great shots, educational, stories, funny, and then, The trip- a special folder designed to house shots of really visually fascinating scenes meant to wow and intrigue your mind.
Some of the money-maker shots include wrestling salamanders with ferocious bites and body slams, something I can’t even find other clips of on Youtube. How about seeing one of eastern North America's only wild elk herds after getting into a stranger’s vehicle after a night at the bar? I also loved finding a natural waterslide in the wild, with no one around and subzero water temperatures to greet my body.
If this sounds crazy, it’s because of a theme I coined many years ago called Hidden Corners-level Madness, where magical and unscripted stories seem to unfold at 100 miles an hour whenever I travel to make these documentaries. It never fails on any of these expeditions.
Creating a captivating and meaningful story with these shots is the paramount goal. Media and storytelling is an excellent vector to bring nature to your screen and into your hearts. Video editing is one of the few things I genuinely enjoy doing on a computer. I then edit the colour and lighting wherever appropriate. I like these documentaries to be visually stunning, although as many of us know, the footage will never do justice to the real life environment.
Then comes one of my favourite parts — inserting my music. Like wine and cheese, I feel like natural scenery and music have potential to be a match made in heaven. In all five published Hidden Corners episodes, the music is created and recorded entirely by myself, and sometime partnering up with my musically talented buddies. Hidden Corners: Appalachia does something special with the music. I dug up some unused old tracks I made back as early as high school, and combined them with modern tunes I have created within the past year.
Then comes another audio aspect, which I admittedly and wholly despise working with. This is where about half of my working hours on the documentary are spent, and where many swear words are said behind closed doors. Balancing volumes from four different types of camera is the first challenge. Secondly, a gushing waterfall and the placid crickets in the meadow are an appreciable contrast of decibels. Talking to the camera while driving the jeep makes for tricky audio editing, too.
Just when you think you’ve got it right, it sounds totally off on a different set of speakers. Back to the editing studio, again, and again, until I get it right.
Last but not least, at this point I have watched my documentary about 15 times. It is missing just one element to finally fill in the cracks and make the story flow as smoothly as the beautiful Chattooga River of South Carolina. It requires narration, which I write out by hand and then record into a high-quality microphone. This is where my important and pertinent research of the landscape comes into play, and can be presented in a logical message for the final cut.
I like to look at my Hidden Corners creations as a band who puts out albums. Each album has a slightly different feel or vibe to it, yet it will always have hallmark signs of who created it. All episodes share a classic nature documentary theme but with a highly curated blend of professionalism and blatant informality. I strive to create something that adults and kids can both get something out of, like Shrek!
There are passionate scenes about protecting biodiversity, sneaky moments of adult humour, and pointed monologues about conservation and the scientific importance of those beautiful mountains. In this episode, I recognize the historical weight of this trip, as many people around the globe were not permitted to travel for nearly two years straight, and I argue that travelling is one of the healthiest activities our species can do for global societal health and awareness of wild areas.
It’s me — unfiltered, unapologetic, and primed to inspire — just as the world's wilderness areas do for us. It is available for free on my Youtube channel, Owen's Hiking And Adventures. Enjoy!
