Pedal (Blog)

Post Production - Week 78

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:37:00 +0000

Sorry this took so long to upload - I recorded this friday afternoon, and wasn't able to edit it while in Kentucky like I'd hoped.

Post Production - Week 78 from mike ambs on Vimeo.

But here it is - just an update on how I've been combing through the footage for the trip and making sense of it. It's a basic approach, but the baby-step process seems to be helping.

Update from Ypsi HQs

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:59:00 +0000

I'm sitting by the open window right now, enjoying the smell that comes after a mid-west thunder storm, and an iTunes playlist from Jon. It's almost been 10 days since my last post, so I thought I'd better check in and give everyone an update on what I've been busy with.

FToM: First on the list, the film. I've still been very busy going through clip by clip and dropping what I like in the timeline. I'm probably 1/3rd of the way through the 2nd TB of footage.

Two days ago I sent a FCP project file to Amanda, she has the back-up drives in LA, and I've been waiting for feedback on what she thinks so far. The way it's cut now, it's not much to look at, but when looked at side-by-side with our notes on the arc of film, I can see a pattern emerging, and places where certain moods and points can be made. I'm anxious to be sitting back in-front of the typewriter again.

Stockpile: I've been pushing hard promoting Stockpile on Vimeo, ACA, and popular bicycling forums (like Crazy Guy on a Bike). We're already getting some great feedback and interest so far. And today a few more clips were shared in our group.

One reader replied, "I have a good feeling about the project. It looks like the personal essence of the moments will come through. Teaser number two shows, to me anyways, how profound it is to be insignificant. Good luck on the project."

Our main goal with Stockpile is to be able to visually show just how connected we are by the places we've been - how our experiences are intertwined in ways that are easily overlooked. We have a long way to go before we reach the number of videos needed to do that, but with steady pressure and outreach, by the time the film needs it, I believe we'll be prepared.

Kickstarter: Our Kickstarter campaign finished a few days ago and we were able to overshoot our goal by $105! I've adjusted the funding progress by by $1,105, which felt great to do. I can't thank everyone enough who donated, twittered, and help spread the word in anyway. It's by far the biggest jump in donations we've received since coming home from production two years ago.

It turned out to be a really impressive and supportive community of people. of all the sites we've joined that had fundraising support, it's been by far the most successful.

Also, of course, a huge thank you to those of you who have recently donated via our new funding site. I know we had a few people do so during the Kickstarter campaign and I didn't want to sound like I was leaving them out.

I'm excited about the next round of funding - and have been thinking of ways to incorporate a breakdown of upcoming expenses that we can split into individual campaigns.

t.minus: I've also been putting together the next t.minus project. If any of you have dropped by the site recently, you'd have seen our 'currently closed' splash page - hopefully after this weekend I'll have it swapped out with all the new info.

I can't say too much about it at the moment, but I can tell you it's a collaboration project that anyone can be a part of! And, if I can make up my mind on a design, there could be t-shirts involved too.

Teaser 015

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:55:00 +0000

Teaser 015 from mike ambs on Vimeo.

So, people have been asking me to post a FToM teaser that had a little bit of dialog in it for a while now. And I don't really have an excuse as to what took me so long to actually picking one out.

But, I have to give Erica some credit here... I had yet *another* quiet biking shot picked out and ready to go and she strong-armed me into saving that for another time and picking out something "different".

This group was one of the first people Larry ran into after having to say goodbye to his best-friend Jay earlier this morning. I know it must have been hard on Larry to carry on as if nothing was wrong or out-of-place.

edit. sleep. repeat.

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 04:52:00 +0000

I kept putting off updating the blog this last week - I was hoping I would be done piecing together all the elements I need for the next t.minus campaign, and that I could write a post announcing it was up and ready for people to look at. But... I've been running into some problems with that, and I needed to step away from it until I figure out how to fix them.

I realize that's not the most the exciting update - but the last few weeks have been incredibly routine. A lot of repetitive editing, repetitive tasks that I need to stay on top of: updating cycling forums about Stockpile, emails, newsletters, et cetera.

To be honest it's been a bit emotionally draining. I know some might argue that I need to keep a reasonable positive spin on my updates and what I say publicly, you never know who's reading or paying attention to your project. But I think all filmmakers go through different funks during each stage of production. It's hard not to - and it's even harder when you're going through it alone.

I guess I would just love nothing more lately than to focus on editing - to be able to pass off all the areas of responsibility to someone else. But I know everyone reading this could use an extra hand and 8 more hours during the day.

Some of you reading might already be aware that currently Amanda is currently volunteering in Thailand with under-privileged children. So... perhaps I'm just feeling more on-my-own than I normally do.

I can say that music has been a huge, huge help recently, I've been able to catch up on a lot of the suggestions from our ♬ suggestion page. As always, if you've heard any great music recently that you think would be a perfect fit in For Thousands of Miles, be sure to drop us a comment in our Disqus thread.

We do listen to all of your suggestions - almost all of them are added to an iTunes playlist that I try to keep current and use as a source of inspiration when writing and working.

Teaser 016

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:25:00 +0000

Teaser 016 from mike ambs on Vimeo.

Maybe someone better with words could explain why it is abandoned houses always feel so fascinating when on the road.

I used to spend hours in them on my first bike trip... Tim and I would drag our bikes off the road, make lunch while sitting on a dirty, glass-covered floor. I would poke through old dressers, look for things that used to be important to someone. Baseball cards. Magazines with notes scribbled on the margins.

It was late when Larry came across this old farm-house - he stopped, took a few pictures, wandered around the back and peaked inside... but there wasn't enough light to really find your way around.

He was only there a few minutes, and then he was back on his bike... I wondered when I was filming this when the last time anyone payed any attention to this empty home.

DIY

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:48:00 +0000

A friend and follower of Pedal sent Amanda and I a link to an upcoming Film Independent workshop. The focus is DIY film distribution, and it's speaker is Jon Reiss, the author of an upcoming book called the DIY Bible.

At first glance, the program sounded really interesting to attend - it pushes hard the idea that using digital distribution and a self-release approach, you can get your film in front of many more people. Rather than waiting around at countless film-fest to be picked up and carried out on the shoulders of some generous big-budget studio.

But the part that I found disappointing was the cost of a ticket: $250. That's for a 3 hour group class. Which... isn't much tiome when attempting to squeeze in even a few possible solutions to digital distribution.

I think Film Independent is an important group, I think they are strong voice in the film community. I think groups, like FI, that focus on the DIY movement are smart and, at best, pushing a progressive (if sometimes disorganized) business plan for the future of film-making... and maybe at worst, just exploiting the buzzword to sell seats.

I'm not writing this with the intention of making enemies at FI - I just feel strongly that the DIY approach is more than a business model or a how-to, it's a community, one that was grown out of the idea of sharing and finding creative ways to release your work.

The DIY Days workshops that are put on through the WBP are free to attend - and they still manage to pull in very high-level and successful filmmakers who have done things their way. The last DIY Days I attended in LA featured: Robert Greenwald, and Ondi Timoner. It was a very educational, and very inspiring day - and it lasted twice as long as the upcoming FI event.

If you want to teach a DIY workshop and you have to charge to $25, $50 a ticket to make ends meet and to see to it that the event actually happens - then fine. I wouldn't think twice about paying that kind of money for a 3 hour class geared towards poor, ambitious, indie-filmmakers. If you have to charge $250... then you're doing it wrong.

I'm not making the point that professionals, authors, experts, hobbyists, etc shouldn't charge to share their process, especially one that took decades of experience to shape. But there is a time and a place... and a line that can be crossed where you go from helping others, to exploiting others to the point of defeating the purpose (of DIY).

Indie filmmakers don't have that kind of money to spend on workshops. And even if they did, in my opinion, they shouldn't be putting it towards group workshops (taught by a person who never had to pay someone else $250 to teach him how to do what he is teaching you how to do). That kind of money can go a long, long way in pushing your project online.

If you are interested in DIY distribution: then you should be able to name 2 or 3 films off the top of your head that took that route. And if you can do that: then you can probably track the steps they took in getting to where they are today (blogs, interviews, meet-ups). And if you can do that: they you should be able to pick and choose what approaches are still relevant, which fit your ideal model, which can be condensed and built upon.

Find people that inspire you - follow filmmakers who take risk, who make mistakes. Ask questions, and remember that finishing your film and releasing it isn't always a straight line. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this.

Teaser 017

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:46:00 +0000

Teaser 017 from mike ambs on Vimeo.

I've mainly been using instrumental music for these teasers - but to be honest, I've always wanted to use music more in line with this teaser.

If I can help it, at least half of the soundtrack will be music you're used to hearing in these teasers, and the other half will be more... old, lonely, love-related. There's a good reason for that - but one I'll save for the film.

Until then - here's a shot of Larry pushing slowly back against the winds in ND... alone on the road with nothing left to do but think about everything his life has been, and everything he wants it to be.

Help us burn up the lat of our 9,735 HD embeds by posting this teaser on your own site. Just copy & paste the code below, or you can tweet this post to all your followers.

There's more than one kind of free

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 03:01:00 +0000

I just finished watching a really inspiring video, twittered by Zak Forsman, of Nina Paley at the Phily DIY Days meet-up, that I mentioned recently, presenting the revenue results for her Creative Commons free-distribution approach. Yep, that's right, she has made money by giving her film away for free.

My favorite part of her presentation was early on when she defined "free" as having more than one meaning: there's the free as in "free beer", and there's the free as in "free speech".

Nina released her animated film, Sita Sings the Blues, five months ago under a Creative Commons Share Alike license. Now this site, has for several years, published under a Creative Commons Noncommercial Share Alike license, and that license applies to all the content we post here; the episodes, the teasers, the production updates, etc (unless specifically said otherwise).

What these licenses mean is pretty simple and straight forward; under both, people are free to share your work - this includes downloading it, making copies, uploading it to a bit-torrent site, etc... any means of sharing are allowed! They are even allowed to make changes to your work - in a film's case, they could re-edit or re-mix scenes - as long as they released that modified work under the same license.

But what you can't do under our project's current license, that you are allowed (and encouraged) to do under Nina's is sell the content. It's not even required that you cut a percentage of the profits with the person who created the work. Although, in most professional cases, that person or organization does share their profit.

She brings up a specific example of this in the video, a Film Festival downloaded her film, put it in their schedule, and sent her a short email afterward saying something along the lines of, "hey, we put your film in our fest'. We'll send you a check in a few weeks". Her film played there, did very well, and she received a check for a few thousand dollars.

That is how film distribution should work! It's not there yet, but people like Nina are working very hard to prove that it is a viable option for both filmmakers and theaters. It's really inspiring and encouraging to see this model working, and working so well, even in it's early stages of approach.

The way in which Nina makes most of her money is through selling "containers", more specifically: DVDs and merchandise. This has been a hard sell for other filmmakers and distributors, a huge majority are still hard-pressed to understand that just because someone can stream or download a film for free, doesn't mean they will not pay for it.

The more people that see Sita Sings the Blues... the more festivals it plays in... the more people who watch it online - enjoy it - and suggest it to a few friends... the more word of mouth: the more DVDs Nina sells. It's as simple as that.

The distribution of FToM has always been something I knew would have to be different - it's just not a film that is designed to be played in theaters all across the US. It's not a blockbuster, or a sleeper hit, or fun for the whole family. And I'm okay with that. I'm going to plan according for it, which means I won't be submitting to all the major film fest' with the hopes of being picked up. I'll still submit, but I won't be holding my breath.

FToM is guaranteed to do far, far better with a release approach similar to Nina's. And honestly, whether the film is more or less likely to be successful under this model is besides the point - I want to help push this form of distribution forward. I think it's important.

I think as more and more theaters upgrade their projection equipment to include digital, the more they tap into the internet, the more unavoidable it is to see organizations and companies come forward and help showcase film's with Creative Commons licenses. Most likely using something close to an on-demand / streaming / bit-torrent approach.

And that, to me, sounds like a very, very good thing.

Post Production - Week 88

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:05:00 +0000

Post Production - Week 88 from mike ambs on Vimeo.

I was up late last night working - and decided a video update was long, long overdue. I've been finished up on a huge step of post-production for almost two weeks now, and I've been waiting to make that announcement on video.

Also - and more importantly, I need people's input on what the next step for me should be.

the next step

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:40:00 +0000

I've had several days to think about the two possible directions I mentioned in my last video update. First off, thanks so much to everyone who gave their advice and helped me weigh the pro's and con's.

After a lot of consideration - I've decided the next step in post-production is continue moving forward with FToM, and to hold off longer on another addition in the 64 Days series.

There's a lot of little reasons for this, but for the most part, I left LA behind with the idea of focusing 100% on the film.

I feel that 64 Days, being a supplemental aspect of the project, needs to take a back-seat while I'm being so heavily supported by Erica. She has been bearing a great deal of financial stress the last three months - and I am trying to not waste any of support she has been willing to give.

On a related note - for whatever reason, we've been getting a sudden increase in donations and I wanted to stress how amazingly helpful they have been. The recent PayPal donations and the $1,000 Kickstarter campaign we ran in June have helped me work full-time on FToM and narrow down 115+ hours of footage into a 4 hour rough-edit segment. And that has been an huge step towards finishing the film, so thank you so much!

That's all for tonight - I'd like to write a separate post about the specific steps ahead, as always I'd love to hear questions and comments regarding any aspects of the project.

the next step - cont'd

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:02:00 +0000

FToM + KSR = ♥ from mike ambs on Vimeo.

Amanda and I just launched a brand new Kickstarter campaign to help fund the last stages of post-production!

Help support 'For Thousands of Miles', plus get awesome stuff like Pedal buttons, posters, autographed scripts, a 64 Days DVD with audio commentary and even my personal typewriter.

Here's the (long) description from our campaign page:

Our 1st round of initial post-production funding was a great success on Kickstarter! And because of the amazing 18 backers, which helped raise $1,105, I've been able to work full-time on FToM for the last three months.

Recently, I finished editing a huge chunk of this ambitious documentary, cutting down over 120+ hours of footage into a near 5 hour rough edit. Which brings us to our 2nd round of funding:

So what's the next step? I have a long road of writing still ahead of me. The script, which mainly deals with several narratives blocks in the film are still rough at best, and in most cases detailed treatments and outlines.

The few connecting pieces of FToM that have yet to be filmed - that mainly deal with the experience of coming home from a long ride - need to be story-boarded and added into the editing sequences as place-holders for pacing and mood.

During the length of this KSR campaign, I'll be hard at work writing / story-boarding. The goal is to be done writing when this campaign ends and use (if successful) the raised funds to carry out the following steps as quickly as possible:

Pick-up shots: it's time for Amanda and I to travel to Northern California, where our main character in the documentary, Larry McKurtis, is currently living and working. FToM deals a lot with the hardest part of a long-distance experience... waking up one morning in your bedroom, and realizing it's over.

That is to say, your entire experience on the road shifts when it begins to sink in that it's over. Moments that, at the time, felt slow and uneventful, blur together and begin to represent something more. You try to move on with your life, your routine, but so much of your mind is still stuck on the road.

There is a very, very short list of needed equipment (mostly simple hardware-store lights, an SLR adapter, and a basic DIY dolly cart) that we'll have to secure for the 1-2 weeks of controlled shooting.

From there, we'll need to purchase additional hard-drive space (because I'm working on two completely maxed out Lacie drives as it is) to import the new footage (as well as inexpensive USB LaCie drives for redundant backups... can't be too careful). Several more weeks of heavy editing will follow - which will mostly involve replacing all story-boarded sequences with the actual footage. Recording any temporary narration track (we have someone professional in mind for narration, but that's a different adventure all together at this moment).

At this point - we should have a watchable edit in Final Cut. Amanda and I will begin to work closely on making adjustments, and doing small personal screenings to receive outside feedback on the project. Make more adjustments. Repeat.

From there we'll need to ship off a locked edit to Belgium where Olivier will color correct the film. As well as hire a visual effects creator (for "I'm doing this because I love your film" wages) for a small number of simple and subtle layers to scenes dealing with imagination on the road.

I know this sounds like a lot - and it is, but all these overwhelming steps can be speed-up and more easily managed with a working budget and, more importantly, a supportive community.

DIY film-making can be a crushing, lonely, experience... but all things worth doing are difficult - and together we can be a part of something that I believe will beautiful, inspiring and unique.

outreach ideas?

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:31:00 +0000

I put a lot of work and thought into our recent Kickstarter campaign - and the honest truth is, I know full well it's a big goal. A goal that percentage-wise, isn't in our favor of reaching.

We could have gone for a smaller amount, and we might be forced to do so 3 months from now; dividing the first round of funding towards securing equipment, and then a follow-up for travel expenses, and another for additional storage to actual edit the footage we took, etc.

That would be a safer way to approach the next steps in post, but in the spirit of biting off more than we can chew, we went with the whole needed budget. I would love nothing more than to sit back and let the magic of the interwebs reach out into the world and find new people who might fall head-over-heals for our project. But... they say better safe than sorry, and in this case, I feel it's very, very important to reach to this goal. And I feel that to do so, we're going to need to pull some major strings, and think of some new and very effective ways of reaching new people.

I am open to suggestions. Actually, the entire point of this post is a call for new ideas. Don't hold back, I am interested in any and all possible forms of outreach. Raising the last $8k of our goal is going to take some serious hard work, and some serious love.

something a little more sincere

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:53:00 +0000

Okay, my friend Eric suggested I get a little more sincere in my Kickstarter project description, so I wanted to give that a try:

There's a part of me that assumes when I mention, "I've been working on this film the last 6 years", that people automatically connect the dots, that they fill in the gaps of that statement and with it; understand how personal and important this film is to me. And that might be an unfair assumption.

The truth is this project means everything to me. This project has stemmed from a 55 day bicycle ride from Onsted, Michigan to San Francisco that I took in 2001... and ever since those two months, I've been haunted by the experience of my days on the road. The memories of lonely sunsets watched from empty back roads in Montana's badlands. The memories of endless waving fields through North Dakota. The memories of feeling small against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean.

The first few years after my trip I bottled everything up that I felt and learned from it - there was a frustration of being unable to put into words what it all meant. How profound it became once I was back home and able to pick each layer apart and let it sink in. I felt separated from everyone I was close to before leaving, I felt still on the road in many ways.

Then I began to write things down, and those things first evolved into a book, and then later that unfinished book evolved into a film outline.

This is what I want / have to show in the finished film. I've tried to stress the importance of this project to me, I've tried to make clear that for as much as my trip left me feeling alone, disconnected, and lost - it has helped me understand people's strength, their deep drive to feel alive and to love. This is what i need to show *you*.

I know all that might seem funny for a documentary about someone riding a bike for 3 months straight. But in order to successfully ride a distance of 2 or 3 or even 5 thousand miles, you have to, piece by piece, leave behind the person you thought you were.

Post Production - Week 92

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:14:00 +0000

Up past my bed-time getting some writing done - wanted to check in to update people on how writing has been going, and also to say thank you for all the amazing support we've been seeing through Kickstarter.

Create

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:15:00 +0000

I read a great quote this morning from Steven Soderbergh (thanks to Erin's Tumblr),

"I want to thank anyone who spends part of their day creating. I don't care if it's a book, a film, a painting, a dance, a piece of theater, a piece of music. Anybody who spends part of their day sharing their experience with us. I think the world would be unlivable without art."

And it left me wondering what all of you do to create? What is it you work on to keep yourself from going insane? I would say, I have a good idea what many of you work on, because I follow many of you on sites like Facebook, Vimeo, and Twitter.

But some of you might not be so upfront about what you create - whether out of modesty or shyness, etc. But I'd love to hear it - I'd love to see it. I'm looking forward to your comments!

Character Flaws

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:18:00 +0000

It's interesting how people can go on considering something a "character flaw" or a "weakness" for years, and that something as simple as a single sentence can turn that all on it's head.

Perhaps it's more to do with double standards - that something I struggle with myself; something I would label or consider a flaw, would be the same thing I would describe as "that's just how you work" to another person.

But for the last several years, I've struggled with the issue of setting aside a piece of the film's script if it seemed unfinished or "off". I have always tried, and 90% of the time, unsuccessfully, to admit that I am stuck on a specific page, and let myself move on to another scene that might come out more naturally.

I can (and have) spent days, weeks even, on one paragraph, one moment in the film. Playing it over and over in my head, reading it out-loud countless times till I can perfectly see or feel all the pieces in place. It can be a terribly slow process.

And because it can be slow, because I can look back on two weeks worth of hard work and find that I've only two more pages to show for it, I've always considered it a severe weakness... a severe character flaw. And maybe what I read this morning doesn't change that.

But as I was eating breakfast today, I was skimming over an interview between Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers, who together wrote the screenplay for Where the Wild Things Are. Here's an except:

Eggers: Spike's method of working is the definition of organic. It had to be very real. I always would prefer to write alone, and send stuff online, and write marks on a piece of paper, and send it back. That's how I do things. But he really wanted it to be like, "Let's talk this through. Let's act this through, figure it out. What would he say here?"

Jonze: I think sometimes that was really frustrating for Dave because he just wanted to be productive. I definitely work a lot slower than Dave. He's very experienced as a writer, very disciplined, always moving forward. If he gets stuck, he just puts something in a placeholder and keeps moving. But, if it doesn't feel right I'll stay in that place until I find what feels real or right or true. I don't want to let go, I don't want to leave it.

The italicized-emphasis being mine - that one thought, from a director I look up to in so many different ways, seemed to put into question everything I often worried would stand in my way of finishing Pedal.

It's the first time I've allowed myself to think "that's just how I work". I do have flaws, I have many self-imposed hurdles that might or might-not ever go away. And realizing this today, doesn't leave me thinking that it's necessarily ok for the sake of just being ok, but that it's not going to change, and that it will be ok if I find a way to work with it and not against it.

Five films that inspire FToM

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:38:00 +0000

Kickstarter is a special site - and it has fostered a special community. I've always loved the internet, if not simply for it's unique ability to inspire. Anyone, anywhere in the world, can start sharing their labor of love - and stumbling across these hard-to-find projects usually leads to new ideas and new relationships.

I first mentioned Kickstarter, because one interesting project I came across recently was called Lake Beast, in particular a post that was written about "what was inspiring the look" of this animated short film.

Which the last week'ish left me wondering: what films have / are most inspiring the look and feel of For Thousands of Miles? Many of these have actually been films I've seen long into the writing and creation process of Pedal. But they stuck with me... I have vivid memories of sitting in theaters in Los Angeles and seeing a movie that suddenly overwhelmed me with that sense of "this is what I want". Those moments and films are important to hold onto - they can serve as guide-lines.

In no real order of importance - here is a short list of five films that have an influence on me, and how specifically they influence FToM.

Stranded - I've come from a plane that crashed on the mountains: Main influence: message.

I might get a few strange looks for this... but when I was young, I was fascinated with Alive, a film about a group of real-life teenage rugby players who crash and survive in the Andes Mountains for 72 days. I watched it dozens of times during middle and high school.

The recent documentary, Stranded, is a collection of first-hand accounts with the actual survivors of that crash. Aside from it being one of the most visually engaging and crafted documentaries I've ever seen, it's also one of the most inspiring stories I've ever heard.

It's been one of the clearest examples of people's inner strength... of our ability to, in the most nightmarish of situations, not only simply survive, but to tap into a part of ourselves that is buried... that is often unnecessary in our routines.

The Mirror: Main influence: chronological-structure.

I remember first watching the Mirror, a Soviet-era self-reflecting film by Tarkovsky, the cinematography was stunning... each scene was so perfectly choreographed between the actors and the camera to maintain a constant mood of dream-like reflection.

But what stood out to me the most, was the story was told in an order that was defined not by date, but more by when the director seemed to full piece together that event's meaning or relevance. It was the first time I'd seen this done so beautifully... and the first time I felt at all confident that, yes, I could tell FToM in a similar way.

City of God: Main influence: narrative-structure.

Similar to the Mirror, City of God is able to start a narrative, but then side-step into an important and directly related side-narrative, while then smoothly coming back full-circle to where it started, now having explained all the pieces of the puzzle the audience needed.

This kind of nonlinear story-telling seems most necessary when dealing with real life, which is often full of so many more layers and back-stories than fiction. But most importantly, just because X happens before Y, doesn't mean it's understood in that order - sometimes Z, M, F and H have to happen before X seems to have significance.

Gerry: Main influence: pacing, visual.

The first opening shot of Gerry, aside from the 13 seconds of blue, is a near 8 minute continuous shot following the main character's car through Death Valley. Not a shot that everyone would be excited to sit through, understandably... but for me it was hypnotizing.

We've been trained to expect a certain amount of important information to be shown / explained in a certain amount of time when watching a movie (or TV show). But when a film takes an editing or pacing approach that goes beyond when we naturally expect a cut or a break, we begin to look closer at what's being shown - what's being said.

Is the film showing us clues, is the film setting a mood or level of reality that shifts the audience's perspective?

As a story-teller, you run the risk of pushing many people away with a shot that exceeds 3 minutes, 4 minutes, even 8 minutes - but sometimes that's a risk worth taking if important to the "way" in which someone begins to watch and take-in your film.

Days of Heaven: Main influence: visual, narrative.

This film is such a source of inspiration and nostalgia every time I watch it. The wide shots of the sprawling farmland just before sunset... the extreme close-ups of the grasshoppers clinging to strands of wheat. This is one of the films that I have a hard time putting into words.

There is something about how far-back the camera sits from people during a conversation... Or where the editor starts and ends that conversation which leaves something to the imagination. There's a drama that plays out that doesn't leave you gripping the edge of your seat, but allows you enough space to study the strange, predicable human-behavior the main cast finds themselves playing out.

Not to mention is has my favorite line from a film: "Looking for things. Searching for things. Going on adventures". I have that quote, from Linda Manz's character, written on a yellow post-it and taped to the front of my typewriter. I keep it there as a constant reminder of what For Thousands of Miles is supposed to be at it's simplest.

That's the end of my short-list for FToM's biggest inspirations. What are your most inspiring / motivating films?

60 days left: Don't forget to help us reach our post-production goal on Kickstarter - you can back our film for a dollar, or help spread the word.

we have a film to make

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:49:00 +0000

FToM + Kickstarter = Love from mike ambs on Vimeo.

33 days ago, Amanda and I launched a brand new Kickstarter campaign to help fund the last stages of post-production.

Since then we've been backed by over 40 people, with pledges ranging from $1 to over $500! We have raised $1,638 towards our goal of $8,300!

This is an all or nothing campaign. Meaning if we don't hit $8.3k, then no one's pledges go through.

Help support For Thousands of Miles, plus get awesome stuff like Pedal buttons, posters, autographed scripts, a 64 Days DVD with audio commentary and even my personal typewriter.

If you're new to this project, take a quick moment to check out our "hi, hello" intro page, it's a very informal, brief recap of the last 6 years.

Please consider backing our film with a $1 donation, or help spread the word by liking this video, sharing our KSR project with your followers on Twitter or your friends on Facebook. We are really excited about the next stages in post - and we are very, very grateful for all of your support!

leaps and bounds

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:52:00 +0000

There are days, weeks even, where this project can feel stuck in the mud. That no matter how hard I try; I just spin in place - and it goes without much saying that it's a difficult feeling to put up with. Whether it's accurate or not.

And I'm not writing this post to whine or sulk - I'm writing to say that I feel quite the opposite right now. A month ago I was still running over and over the same 4 pages of script and barely making any real progress... I was also starting to worry that I wasn't able to reach out to enough new people for our current Kickstarter campaign.

I felt like I was dragging my feet on both fronts. I know a lot of people find themselves in these situations, that no matter what it is you're working on or busy with, that there are times when you just want to crawl under a rock and sleep.

And, I admit, that I did that for several days... not literally, but I would sit at my typewriter and blank out... I would walk around in circles with the script in hand, reading the same 4 pages out-loud on repeat. I would see that we had a slow day on Kickstarter and instead of pushing harder to get the word out, I wouldn't mention it anywhere.

But last week, something finally shifted and I began to make leaps and bounds with the script. Long lost pages and narration began to fit together and tell a story that felt smooth and progressive. Which, I believe, lead to the burst of confidence and momentum I needed to re-record and re-edit a new intro' video for our Kickstarter campaign.

The morning I uploaded our new intro', we currently had raised 20% of our goal - a handful of RTs, a few dozen diggs, and a wave of status updates later - and by the time I had gone to bed we jumped forward to an amazing 60%!

Which means a few things: a) we might actually be able to pull this funding campaign off after all (which means lots of exciting progress just ahead)! b) that in the next 52 days, I should be able to piece together large and completed sections of the film (writing, editing, voice-over, etc). c) that we are reaching all kinds of new people out there... and that we are very anxious to make a lasting connection with them. d) I felt like I a fourth point... but it is past my bedtime and I'm feeling groggy. So, I don't think it's coming back to me.

Now I'm sitting here on the floor, listening to The Wind, and blanking out in the direction of my typewriter - and I just want to finish this post by saying: Everyone gets into a slump. Everyone. But in my personal opinion, it's important to let it to depress you... to let it eat away at you and your confidence... to let your lack of action get under your skin and leave you feeling anxious.

Because when all that gives way and eventually comes out in full force - you can use it in your favor. You can come out swinging harder... as if you'd been up against the ropes with the timer running out. It might not be the most efficient way of working, but it does feel damn good sometimes.

Digg*athon?

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:13:00 +0000

I've been procrastinating on this question for a few weeks now - mostly cause it wasn't necessarily pressing, and I had a lot of other higher-priority things on my "to do" list - but with only 49 days left in our post production funding campaign, I figured sooner was better than later.

Nine days ago, I launched a new KSR introduction video - I submitted that new video to Digg, where more than 30 people helped vote it up. By the end of the day, we had raised more than $4,000 in new pledges!

I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself.

First the "idea", then the question: The idea is pretty simple; pick a date (just a few days out) to submit Project Pedal to Digg. Spend those 2 or 3 days getting the word out to people - with tools like twitter, facebook (an event page), emails, etc - to mark their calendars, and (if they don't have one already) quickly create a Digg account.

Considering what 30 diggs helped accomplish, you can imagine all the ways 100+ diggs could help change things for Pedal.

Having said that, I wanted to get feedback, before committing to it, from everyone out there reading: Should we try this? What area of the project should we digg (our film's homepage, our kickstarter campaign, a specific blog post)? How many days out should we set the "Digg*athon"?

This post is all about feedback. If you have any questions, comments or thoughts, please leave them so we can openly discus this and make a decision. Thanks!

three pages

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:51:00 +0000

I've spent most of the last week going over and over the same three pages of script. I'm not at the stage yet where I feel mostly frustrated, I just have yet to find how they fit together and overlap.

The three pages all deal with the moment Larry arrives at the Atlantic Ocean, in Bar Harbor, and for the first time in 4,200 miles, has reached the end of the road.

The first of the three pages was written well over a year ago, and the 2nd two are variations on the same moment from different approaches. One version focuses more on the "chain of events" perspective; that Larry's own experience will go on to influence other people's experiences, and how that relationship feeds itself at a level that often goes unnoticed.

Another page deals with the rush of emotions that come at the very end of any long adventure... all the memories associated with your trip, all the struggles and little memories seem to snap together at once and it's an overwhelming rush that comes and goes all too fast.

Some of the script tries to touch on how these memories are all filed away in your brain, how the human body works in an environment that's always changing and always challenging. There's also a layer of the anti-climatic, when you come to end of something grand and ambitious and no one around you seems to have any idea or any or interest.

I guess I just thought that writing about this might help me find what I'm looking for, and also it's been 9 days since my last post and I wanted to let people know what I've been working on piecing together. All this talk of Bar Harbor and arriving at the Atlantic has reminded me of this video Amanda and I recorded, knowing that we had finally made it to the end of production:

Bar Harbor (Aug '07) from mike ambs on Vimeo.

Also, before I sign off, I wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the feedback on the Digg*athon question. I've been working on putting that together as soon as possible. Stay posted.

Digg*athon!

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:40:00 +0000

Several days ago, I posted a quick question about setting a date to Digg our current For Thousands of Miles (FToM) Kickstarter campaign - all the feedback we received was positive.

So with only 34 days remaining, we're going ahead with what we're calling a: Digg*athon. Here's everything you need to know to be involved.

We'll be Digging the film's campaign at 11 am EST on Monday, October 26th. The first 2 hours following will be the most critical in pushing Pedal towards the front page of Digg, but the Digg*athon will last the entire day, as all diggs will be very helpful.

Once the story is submitted, I'll post an update with a current shortened URL here on the production blog, as well as all of our social sites: Facebook, Twitter, IndieGoGo, Virb, Tumblr, etc.

It's important to clarify "why are we doing this?". Digg can be a very powerful site, and it can help reach out to hundreds-of-thousands of new people in a matter of hours.

The last time we submitted something Kickstarter-related to Digg, we spent only about an hour pushing the story on Twitter and Facebook, and had just shy of 40 people help Digg it. What was most amazing though; was at the start of that morning, our campaign was lagging at around the 20% mark for total funds raised, by the end of the night, we had jumped to over 60% - raising more than $4,200 in pledges.

But Kickstarter is an all or nothing campaign - if FToM is even $1 short of it's goal (of $8,300), the film will received none of the pledges these people have made during the last 60 days.

We know that Digg was just one part of the equation that afternoon, but we're excited to see what kind of effect the site could have if FToM's campaign received, say, 100+ diggs, or even 300+ diggs? How many new people would that put the film in front of? How many of those new people would find the film worth pushing forward?

We are hoping that by taking the weekend to help spread the word about Monday morning's Digg*athon - we will be able to pull in at least 70 diggs within the 1st hour.

A few things to keep in mind: if you'll be away from your computer during the first 2 hours - you can very easily help Digg with almost any cell phone (ie: iPhone, Blackberry, or any cellphone with internet access) via mobile Digg.

If you don't have an account already, make one early so you'll be able to simply click the URL, and then the "digg it" button and be done with it. You can even connect Digg to your Facebook account to make signing up much faster.

Also, comments are factored into the algorithm for Digg's site -if you are able to, leaving something as simple as a one sentence comment could help launch the submission ahead of several other stories with the exact same number of Diggs. If you have a question regarding the film, it would be a great place to post it, it could help spark a conversation.

The hashtag we'll be using for all related tweets, post, or status updates will be "#diggathon", if you'd like to help spread the word, using this hashtag will help us track that progress.

We're only $1,900 short of meeting our goal! Let's see how much closer to that goal we can get by the end of Monday night. Mark your calendars or add yourself to our event page, and thank you all so much to everyone in advance for your involvement and support.

A goal 6 years in the making

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:00:00 +0000

It's 11am, EST, and that means we're kicking off our day long Digg*athon! I'll keep this post short and to the point. Let's start with the shortened URL for easy sharing:

digg.com/d318Fjp
And if any of you are reading this post via your phone, you can Digg our submission here on mobile Digg:

tr.im/D6tn
Here's a quick snippet from the description if any of you would like to pass the above links along to friends:

A film project six years in the making - with only 31 days left on an all-or-nothing Kickstarter campaign, it's time to see just how far we can push this ambitious documentary during post production!

Just have 15 seconds? Digg this story. Have a $1 you can pledge? Each backer goes a long way. Help spread the word, and be a part of our indie film!

Keep an eye on our KSR campaign and our twitter account for updates on how things are going. Here's to an exciting day!

Expedition To Endure

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:23:00 +0000

I wanted to write a post about a project that Larry McKurtis - the star of such films as For Thousands of Miles - has kicked off to promote sustainability, environmental awareness, and healthy lifestyles.

In true expedition style - Larry, along with Jayson Hale, and Jake Barrett, will be traveling by bike from Alaska to Argentina, a distance of over 16,000 miles!

It's quite the ambitious undertaking - and personally knowing what it's like to start a project from scratch with little to no support structure in place, I wanted to help send all the love their way possible. They need eyes on the project, they need feedback, donations, sponsorship, word of mouth, but most of all they need to know people are out there cheering them on.

I was very happy when I heard about Larry's involvement with Expedition to Endure - I guess because I always felt like my 1st bike trip really set into motion the drive to take on large projects. That when the miles were over, and I was back home, I felt empty and cut off... and taking on Pedal was a way to start to fill that void back in. So I suppose, what I'm trying to say, is that watching Larry take on something overwhelming like this is not only reassuring but reinforcing.

These three are setting out on a long, long road - long before they'll ever arrive in Alaska - and what they're doing is inspiring. They want to spark people's interest in the world around them, and the benefits of exploration and adventure. Let them know what you think.

this meets this

mike@projectpedal.com (Michael Ambs) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:20:00 +0000

Amanda and I had already been struggling to get Pedal off the ground for 3 years by the time we released Episode One (in Dec of 06). Even at that stage in pre-production, the story driving the feature length film had evolved quite a bit since day 1 of planning.

The project was always growing, and always structured around a current understanding of our own personal experiences with long distance traveling.

Now it's been over two years since following Larry McKurtis across the country, and Amanda and I have gone through several variations on roughly the same story during the writing and editing process. One of the most important changes has been the interview segments, which I wanted to talk about in this post.

During our 64 Days on the road, we filmed as many interviews as possible, with people taking their own bicycle adventures. We always expected these interviews to fit into the film as the driver for a reflective, post-trip narrative.

After two years of writing and editing and more writing, I've been more and more accepting, specifically the last 4 months, of the reality that these interviews don't fit smoothly with the rest of the film. They don't need to be in the film... they don't bridge any thoughts or moments that otherwise feel rough. The only reason it feels that we would use the interviews is because... well, typically you see interviews in documentaries.

And that doesn't seem like a very good reason to use them.

The other day, Amanda and I had a long brain-storming session over iChat, we did a full read-through of the script as it stands today, and discussed the few pieces of the film that are still just notes in an outline. One of the most important things we talked about was "what" For Thousands of Miles has evolved towards.

We both agreed that FToM closer resembles a documentary like Earth, or March of the Penguins then it does Man on a Wire, or Dig!. I've always heard that documentaries really find their story in the editing room - I just hadn't assumed that FToM would become the film it has.

I remember pretty distinctly, for whatever reason, watching Earth in the theater and thinking a lot about the basic format being used: visuals of different animals making great journeys, and an (all knowing) narrator talking about those journeys. Elephants traveling across great desserts... Birds migrating over some of the highest mountain ranges in the world.

And I started to really consider this format for the film... I wanted to treat FToM like a case study. Like we were learning about this species of animal; people, that sometimes would travel impossible-to-imagine distances for seemingly no reason. Sometimes alone, sometimes in small packs. A big focus of this study would be the after effects that these youthful adventures would have.

Pedal has never been a project about someone's personal experience - it was never intended to tell stories from one person's trip. And although visually we follow one person from coast to coast, there are many layers in the narration that feel more generalized... That these emotions aren't unique to Larry's experience - that most people go down a long and exhausting road internally after they've come home.

Also, one last thought before I sign off - I've never been able to explain Pedal as a *this* meets *this* kind of pitch. It's been 6 years of working on this film and I just could never do it. But after talking with Amanda and really going over things - I think I'm finally comfortable with mashing two films together as a close'ish representation of what people can expect.

So, here it goes, you're the room full of execs / producers and I'm the awkward, sweaty, unproven filmmaker pitching his film in 5 words or less: Winged Migration meets The Mirror. Now comes the part where I wait nervously for someone in the room to say something.