Getting into Adventure Green

FILMING YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
THOMAS WOODROW IS AN EXPERIENCED FILM MAKER AND PRODUCER
OF ADVENTURE BIKE TV. HERE HE SHARES HIS TOP TIPS ON FILMING YOUR
OWN MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURE...
1Commit yourself to making a
film. This might sound strange,
but if you are going to make a
film of your adventure, commit to
that; make a conscious decision
to film. Making a film of any
adventure is hard work, you will
get up early to make sure you are
packed before the others so you
can film them. You will go to bed
after everyone else so you can
backup and save all your footage.
You will be standing 6ft back
watching people though a small
screen while everyone else meets
the locals and when things go
wrong, you won’t be helping, you
will be filming.
Many people give up half way
because it is too much work, and
even more, only film when they
feel they have the time. Truth
be told, the reason you have the
time is normally because nothing
interesting is actually happening.
2Tell a story.
If you really want to engage
your audience you need to tell a
story, in the same way a book has
a start, middle and end. There are
so many films out there now with
stunning visuals and a ‘thumpin’
music track, but audiences will
get tired very quickly if there is
no story.
The key is to try and entice your
audience into wanting to see
more. There are many ways to do
this and often it’s not until most
of the adventure is completed
that you might know what the
story is. As the trip progresses
think first about your characters;
these could be your traveling
companions, people you meet. It
could even be your motorcycle.
Then consider what each of
the characters has experienced
during the trip.
For example, Mr Smith may
have been very excited for the
adventure, but started to find it
harder then expected, considered
giving up but others push him
to continue and he finishes,
exhausted but elated. There is
a story, a human interest story.
Combine this with other peoples
stories or with a temperamental
bike or a country that changes as
you ride thought and you have a
story.
Learn the rule of thirds.
3 There are many different rules
to follow when filming and if
you really know what you are
doing you can even brake these
rules with stunning effects, but
learning the simple rule of thirds
will make the visual element of
you film look its very best. Simply
put, the rule of thirds is when you
imagine two lines vertically and
two lines horizontally making
three columns, three rows, and
nine sections in a grid over your
screen (many cameras have this
as a function so you might not
have to imagine). Important
compositional elements and
leading lines are placed on or
near the imaginary lines where
the lines intersect. It’s also a great
guide for achieving a symmetrical
shot. This is a very simple
explanation but below are some
examples from my work to help
illustrate the point.
4Don’t forget about sound.
I can’t stress this enough. A
film with bad sound, no matter
how amazing the footage,
will become unwatchable.
However, an average looking
film with good sound is still very
watchable. It’s not easy, especially
on the road, but there are a host
of tips and tricks you can use.
Firstly, don’t use a camera’s internal
microphone. They are never great,
and even a cheapish external
microphone will get you much better
sound. It is also worth taking an
extension wire so you can get your
Examples of the rule of thirds
42 Find out more at www.gettingintoadventure.com