For the past six months, Maine has been an ethereal, theoretical destination for our Long Long Honeymoon. If we had a dollar for every time we exclaimed, “This spring, we’re taking our Airstream up to Maine!” our fuel expenses would be covered. So now that we finally made it, has Maine lived up to our expectations? No…
Our visit to Maine has exceeded those expectations. While this is not our first trip to “Vacationland,” it’s our first with our RV — and it has been our best. Being here with our Airstream has allowed us to stop and smell the wildflowers… and munch the blueberry pancakes… and taste the boiled lobster. We’ve had the luxury of time. We’ve been able to linger.
At times, we’ve been gleeful tourists. We took a ride aboard Maine’s only four-mast schooner, the Margaret Todd. We enjoyed tea & popovers at Acadia National Park’s famous Jordan Pond House. We even crawled out of bed at 4AM to catch “the nation’s first sunrise” on Cadillac Mountain.
At other times, we’ve acted like locals. We bellied up to the bar of The Thirsty Whale on a Sunday night, and drained a couple of pints with the regular crew.
Maine has countered a trend in our camping. One of my guilty pleasures on our Long Long Honeymoon has been taking our RV into unexpected environments. We’ve camped in some strange urban environments like the Vegas Strip and New York City (via New Jersey). But Maine offers a taste of what it’s all about. To me, it doesn’t get much better than exploring a national park in one of America’s most unique and memorable States.
I’m sure some Mainers out there will cringe at this description, but Maine is sort of the Montana of the East Coast (without all the mountains). It’s a predominantly rural state that’s memorable for certain distinctive geographical features (in this case, its coastline) that has developed a unique culture all of its own.
I had a hard time paring down footage of Maine for our video. Even after wielding the editor’s knife with abandon, the video clocks in at five minutes (an eternity in Internet time!). It could easily be twice as long.
You had me at 5:30 am! 10 stars, I love the shots of Cadillac Mtn. and the off the beaten paths to eat in town. The EFX on this one I have to say not my fav….sorry. The footage of the boats awesome and pan and zoom is great. Man the dueling lobster dinner man I could have jumped through the screen! What a huge stack and the syrup mmmmmmmmmmm. Can I request a part two! LOL. What a great job thanks to both of you for another piece in your lives for the enjoyment of others!
Matt
Very nice Sean & Kristy! We spent some time in New England about 10 years ago & vowed to return someday with the trailer! I’m living vicariously through your lens…
Have to agree with N3qdz about the trippy Fx…you just don’t need those kind of tricks….save them for the less-talented videographers! That’s the trouble with all the geewhiz software available today – just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Thanks guys, as always I appreciate the feedback.
Actually I agree with you both on the effects. It was an experiment… I think it works in a couple of places and not so much in others. That stuff is kind of like salt… a little sprinkle of seasoning is fine and adds flavor, but too much will make the whole entree inedible. No worries, they are easy enough to remove.
Maine has been a true highlight of our spring tour. We love the area around Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island. Bar Harbor is a fun town. It’s gonna be tough to leave.
Enjoyed the vid as always but would loose the cartoon filter and the VO feels a little like you are trying to do a caricature of a documentary voice. Love the camera pans and moves.
Indeed you saw your timing on the cartoon EFX way too long… (makes one think they are going blind or losing their eyesight.. grin) but , liked the rest and only one item that I could suggest…. when you say back roads.. showing someone biking along… take some footage of them /you and kristie/ doing it and do a cut to some fun.. then cut back to the rest of your log trailer… Airstream should like their name in all your shots too… cha ching$$.. Low camera work is or should be only about 15% of the timing on the trailer
Indeed your getting so good at this… and including the masses to help you make corrections now… after all you do it for them.. right!!!
what about the lighthouses? other historical stuff? mixed in… (always something more… all the time… grin)
Hey why not include some new shooters in your logs… sort of this was sent in by section… what ya think? further adventures??
Have fun.. GMAs
How would I have added to it and shortened it.. easy… use stills at your 3:30 mark.. VO “…like picture postcards”… takes stills (freeze frame…instead of using up video time) and put them on screen… like dealing cards..on table (use the camera click sound as each one appears… timing 5 seconds each..total time for all shots on screen .. less than 30 seconds)…. then diving into one of them (the 4master) at the end… and contenue the video with the sail boat excursion. (this is a perfict acceptable use of still cameras (freeze frame) working into the videos… for others) ((sorry to hear you dropped one of your cameras))
Ya 5 min doesn’t give you much time to show it all…(try not to rederate your script or videos’ shots though) we always over shoot and over time.. but then again thats why you can yell and blame it on the editor, who I think is hard of hearing anyway… from all the yelling… grin
Of course you can always have a second part… which gives you another 5 min .. grin
Just some suggestions as to my tech’n for direct’n.. etc… something to play with…
Scott, I actually rendered a version without the filter effects and have it ready to upload. However, at the moment we’re camping in the boondocks near the Maine / Canada border and my Internet connection is crap. I have no hope of getting the revised version online until we find decent wifi. These are the issues we encounter on the road. 😀
As for my voice, I know what you are saying… but it is my natural speaking voice. A few years ago a friend in the radio business asked me to do voiceover for some commercials because he liked the tenor of it.
I have actually toyed with the idea of doing a documentary while on the road, created in 5-minute chunks. That’s sort of what we’ve been doing this spring. Every week the “rough drafts” are posted. I could pull ’em all together, do a nice edit without regard to Internet time constraints, and have a feature length doc! (in theory)
Anyway, thanks for your comments!
GMAs, I will can the cartoon FX in the next version. The original idea was to position certain scenes from Maine in a painting fashion. But like I said, it was an experiment that didn’t always work. I do think it works fine in a couple of shots, but overall it’s probably not a good idea to go down that road.
That is interesting about low camera work being 15% of the film. I will keep that statistic in mind.
We don’t really have a formal relationship with Airstream (believe it or not), but we are enthusiasts. We are tentatively planning to visit the factory for the first time in a few weeks, so we’ll see what happens.
I think we will do a reedit and/or part 2 of the Maine footage, because we shot so much material. I like your suggestions with regard to the still photos — we’ve taken a lot of stills but I haven’t been able to import and incorporate ’em into our videos yet.
I have been doing all of this from my laptop — from a productivity standpoint, it will be good to be back in the edit bay back home. Therein lies the rub — we capture the great material on the road, but it’s a lot easier to edit and upload at home. This is the paradox of the RV travel blogger….
Anyway, thanks and glad you enjoyed it. As Johnny Carson used to say, more to come… 😀
I like the idea of a documentary and would buy a DVD you make. You have a great voice. Maybe just a little less dramatic effect on the VO but hey you know what they say about opinions.
Keep on keeping on.
Cheers,
Scott
A few years ago when I lived in Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to meet Don LaFontaine in his home. LaFontaine was the undisputed “king of movie trailers” — his voiceovers were legendary. He recorded most (if not all) in his own home studio. I always thought that LaFontaine had a great gig. Unfortunately, he passed away last year.
Another professional voiceover guy once told me that the key variable in any VO recording is the quality of the performance itself. In other words, tech geeks like me always obsess about tech details like choice of microphone; but the real key is capturing a good performance.
I haven’t been doing this enough to gauge what constitutes a “good” performance, but there is an element of acting involved. You’ll hear it in any professional voiceover, including travel icons like Rick Steves, Anthony Bourdain, and Samantha Brown, and also documentary directors like Werner Herzog. I suppose the key is to ham it up without being hammy. 😉
Sean…
I went back and listend again… your VO’s are fine and add that needed question mark after you drop the hook on ’em… No its exactly what you should have… I would want to direct/produce it the way you did it… Example… VO MAINE… so what the people are then saying is… ok so I can see what your looking at… what is next… where do we go from here… exactly what you want them to do… I would think… to keep ’em interested in what is coming next.
I think a change in background music might be the next mode you may want to also play with… peanuts banging on the piano is fine… but excited times… excited music lead in…(no I don’t think I would use the theme song from gilligans island before you cut to the 4 master…(smile) but as example it sets the moode before you start showing it… keeps the people watching … relating n’ …waiting for what is going to be seen next… your using the tools right… Ford used to always go dead with background noise… just when the impact action happens… it was his style of getting you ready for something to happen… scare’y movies do the same… however, others use erotic background music in the same place… Alfred Hitchcock for example in the flicks he directed… each their own style of hook’ng the viewer so as to keep ’em guessing and use their imagination to guess what…is next…
Ya done good.. and no I wouldn’t change what you did … as you did it that way and thought it best at the time…(maybe too much beer??) (I can relate to your point about experimenting… hey that is why they have digital today… even I throw away ones we have done 3 or 4 times… because the artist/critic doesn’t like the results… just don’t do it again.. and move on… edit it later when you get more time… .grin)
Will be looking for part dux… grin… Keep up the good work… the adventure contenues…
GMAs
Sean… jermey hunt has a 3 min flick that you should see… he too was a student of movie production… go here to watch his trailer…http://www.405themovie.com/ or on Utube at… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7cmT5Bql28&feature=related….
what I want (suggest you to do is watch it 3 times in a row.. then listen to it again with your eyes closed… and see if you can tell what is happening by the background music alone… good test… (you can really learn in this industry by looking at what others do)
Bruce Branit and Jeremy Hunt were honored by the Directors Board (we know this borad but, won’t go their) They were presented with the Pixie Award as Best Directors.
he had all the right tools in place to make this a outstanding exciting trailer… http://www.405themovie.com/themakers.asp
Just a suggestion ….. for tools in the toolbox on the next adventure…
GMAs
I feel were getting off topic here. For me in being a photographer for close to 28 years what I think of someone elses work have no right to judge sorry guys. You either like thew finished product or not. Simply watching and enjoying the finished product that’s where the focus is pinpointed. When people don’t like my stuff that’s Ok I’m not looking for what someone else would do but how I wanted it to turn out in the end.
Camera angles,filters,music and voice overs at least for me is not what the blog is about. For me it’s more the travel and the images Sean shows us. I think maybe their should be a “techy” section to make comments on the production side of the blog. Ya know sometimes simple is better. A loptop in theback of an RV sounds pretty good to me. I like it for what’s it it is, a married couple driving around the country and showing us a part of their lives for our enjoyment.
Leave the toolbox to the Airstream and just go naked so to speak. I would suggest KISS it has worked for me! Looking forward to the next episode of the moon!
Keep the rubber on the road!
N3QDZ
I have thought about starting a filmmaking “tech” section here on our website, and may do so once we are home from our current road trip. Stay tuned.
GMAs, I have seen 405 — great short! Those guys are talented with After Effects, and at the moment that program is foreign to me. I would love to tackle it someday though.
For the time being, it’s all I can do to keep things updated while also, um, towing our rig all over North America. It’s just the two of us out here on the road, with no crew. All of our recent videos have been edited on my 15-inch laptop within a short time of being shot.
In a way, the challenge has been part of the appeal of the project. I really want to make these films as effective as reasonably possible. But there is also a downside to this ambition… if it all gets too complicated and starts feeling too much like “work,” then we have a problem. 🙂
Ultimately I’d like to see this blog evolve into something more. I’d love to create a feature length documentary film. Better yet, a TV show with a real budget! But for the time being, we’ll keep having fun with our blog.
I appreciate the feedback and suggestions. I have learned a lot through this process and continue to learn something new about filmmaking every day. That’s what makes it enjoyable.
And N3QDZ, you are correct — at the end of the day, there’s a lot to be said for simplicity and just enjoying the ride. That’s what it’s all about.
N3Qzd… Mathew
In a way your right. KISS is the best and most practical approch. Sean however, is learning the ways of video. As you said in your repsonse you also didn’t like the FX material. We too, also, offer him the choice of our experiances’ to help him make better more entertaining professional looking flicks that all seem to enjoy.
With the equipment that he has and the trailers (videos) that he has produced… one could say .. it can’t get any better than that. Sean has consistanly proved that wrong as he improves with each posting of adventure and photography.
As a learned person he contenues to amaze us with his ablities to produce top grade professional videos of his travel adventuers …knowing what he has… and has done, he professionally has come a long way in a short time using his travels as the vehicle to attain his professionalism. Remember he is doing this using his own insite and helpful comments from his viewers. .
No I don’t think Sean is dong it for the money or award at the end on the silver screen.. (although I think he may trade in his indy hat for a drictors one.. so the whispers are saying.. grin) . He has the approch that its fun… and enjoyable to do.. from what I read… his dream is alive and contenues and if we all can help him achieve it… with suggestions on where to go, see, do, improve …great. .. we all…enjoy the postings here freely. . His presentations are a accumulation of everyones hopes and longings that he paints in his pictures.
I too enjoy seeing his travels … makes me get my calender out and put down places to go see or locations which I want persued…
Indeed Sean I worked with Jermey on several occasions after he produced 405. he was active for a while but now I don’t know. His partner Bruce has contenued on and is making major anamated pictures. I-405 has been seen round the world… who would have thought.. huh. A lot can be learned, for those who are looking to also produce videos (for fun or show), from jeremys’ web site and watching the viedo.
Looking forward to the second part of Maine…
make sure you keep these to show the board of directors over at Airstream when you show up their… I think they be dumb not to sit down and talk with you… wink wink… But least we forget that the RV group is activly interested in your work and sponsorship which we all give thanks for. .
Now Matt being a ham radio travler… what about meeting up with Sean in MD and doing a piece on how you and the others keep in touch using their radios while on the road.. Maybe matt can expand this a little here as a future idea or one that Matt can shoot and send to you to edit and produce Sean.
I have always thought that a web site should be open (RV video group) to have others post their travel vid’s /pictures after one starts the thread…. collectively… then one could edit and produce a vid on what to do and see, suggested by everyone, when they go to…. only problem is they are time dated and would need updating frequently.
done before.. and was a sucsess…
“On the Road.” After an initial negative reaction, managed to win CHARLES BISHOP KURAL support from network executives who granted him a three month trial.
Kuralt’s three-month trial began in October 1967, and turned into a twenty-five-year odyssey. With cameraman Izzy Bleckman and soundman Larry Gianneschi, he logged more than one million miles in six motor homes while producing approximately 500 “On the Road” segments. Staying off the interstates and with no set itinerary, …(seems fimilar Sean)… he -drew upon viewer letters, a state-by-state clipping file, and occasional references from public relations firms and local chambers of commerce to find unusual stories and unsung heroes. He had total freedom to discover America..
a “deToqueville in a motor home,” Kuralt worked to AWAKEN America to the beauty of its landscape and, the depth and character of its people…
….AND NOW COME SEAN MICHAEL….LONG LONG HONEYMOON … MAINE part DUX…. TA DAHHHH…
Well back to work… the adventure contenues.
From a non techy, Blog consumer point of view …. WE LOVED IT!!! …. Then again, we love them all 🙂 …. Thanks for the entertainment and we can’t wait for MONTREAL!! … and ONTARIO!!
Thanks GMAs… Well, we started doing our blog for fun, and it still is fun. If it ever stops feeling that way, what’s the point?
I really enjoy the creative process, capturing cool shots, telling stories, and documenting our experiences. It gives me a lot of satisfaction when we pull something interesting together … perhaps something that surprises people. It means a lot when people say they like what we’ve created here.
With that said, not all of our blog videos will be ambitious in terms of filmmaking. Sometimes a simple handheld shot is enough, you know? Heck, J.J. Abrams did an entire theatrical release (Cloverfield) that looked like it was shot on a handycam.
But sometimes we’ll do videos that involve more. I’m definitely shooting for quality over quantity for most of these “on the road” travel vids. (BTW, I’ll probably wait & do a “director’s cut” of the Maine video once we get back home.) It’s helpful to learn new filmmaking techniques that are applicable to my run-and-gun situation, and I appreciate the feedback & suggestions.
I always come back to the formula: “fast, good, & cheap – pick any two!” If we focus too heavily on producing the highest quality material, the time between updates will grow very long. I mean, I doubt the guys who did “405” produced it in a couple of days. 😀 We are trying to strike a balance here, producing the best quality we can manage, in a reasonable time frame, on a budget.
BTW, I fondly remember Charles Kuralt and always enjoyed his stories. Yes, I’d love to see the blog evolve into something more — a TV show, perhaps? Or even a recurring segment on a weekly show. We need an agent… 🙂
Thanks for your comments. I look forward to meeting all of you guys someday.
Restless, glad you liked it! We are loving Quebec (both Quebec City and Montreal) so far. We’ve shot lots of fun footage here too. 😀
Sean… sometimes I do a video goof just to see if people are paying attention… conterversy (some say its a tool but… I just smile)
No fun is the name of the game… but, if you started doing production stuff for TV would you be happy? Its a lot of work to turn out “on demand” on time… shows… makes hair get gray real fast…
Nope as I said.. you always come up with a new rabbit out of your hat… and for the equipment you have… outstanding.. and enjoyable.
As to agent… they are a dime a dozen… pick one… like lawyers and pigeons … something about .. with wings… oh and as far as program directors at TV… indeed they have seen some of your work… from the comments and discussions. It was suggested … don’t know by whom… that a pilot be shot on the adventures or RV’n in a Airstream. (they immediately jumped to your buddy MM… but it was suggested, don’t know by whom again, that maybe a new face/married couple (such as was in long trailer) be explored. Problem was the attorn’y had issues with AS and its use without a release. … and even though… its what is used.. other manufactures could be offended… pooo.. they always throw cold water on a good fire… Then came the frequency issue (weekly,… etc) and we went on to current work issues…. I could suggest that you put togeather a trailer of your best work (2 or 3 in tail- no more than 10 min worth) …and mail it to all three networks programing directors… and see what happens… but, I never said that… grin.. and you do have competition from others…
405 was filmed in 3 days… but, it took 6 months to make all the pieces /equipment fit… in the right order. Then again it was a learning session… and not ment for prime time. No-No… think of it … Good, fast, n’cheep… like someone learning how to type… first its slow but good… then it gets faster and with a little buffing gets good n’ fast togeather… so goes shooting… (getting the equipment working right (time) is half of the learning process) Nice to know that J.J A’s 30,000 dollar cameras’ looked like a handycam.. grin
I think the industry/ public are … ready for another Kuralt or at least some promo’s on RV fun travel issues. You just may be as we said above… TA DAHHHH… but, be very careful what you ask for… as you know you can never go back.. once discovered… commitments are commitments once the ink drys on the …
ahhh I have said too much already… as I see others looking for a tree limb to throw the rope over… I resign to the couch
Looking forward to seeing Quebec and Montreal… I promass not to be a critic
as always… Love the work…
GMAs, now that the Academy Awards has doubled its “Best Picture” nominations, I have something new to shoot for…
With regard to goofs, there is an old story about Alfred Hitchcock. After he previewed his “final” edit of Psycho, the lights came up in the screening room. His wife immediately said, “Alfred, you CAN’T put out the film like that. It simply won’t do.” Hitchcock was stunned. “Why?” he demanded. Because… it turns out that Janet Leigh blinked in the shower scene — when she was supposed to be dead! So Hitchcock had to do one more edit to trim out the offending frames of footage.
I really don’t take offense at constructive criticism. I’m always open to fresh ideas that are applicable to our situation…. new shots, storytelling techniques, etc. I have greatly enjoyed this spring/summer tour, as its given me lots of time to play with the PMW-EX1. There may be a few more rabbits left in the hat. 😀
I think you are right about the tension between keeping it fun and producing for TV. My theory is that TV production with a real budget would allow me to focus more on the creative (directing & writing), and less on the production side of things. Any idea what it’s like hauling around a bunch of video gear in a 25′ Airstream? I practically have a Porta-Brace bag sitting in my lap at all times, ha ha… And there are others out there who are better editors than me. Obviously I have been producing videos on a roughly weekly basis… with an extra 6 months of post-production they would REALLY look slick!
I would see a TV show as being quite similar to what we’re doing now…yet with heightened quantity and quality thanks to the additional manpower. I draw an analogy to Anthony Bourdain and his “No Reservations” show on Travel Channel. Is his show about food & cooking? Yes, but no… It’s more about travel and culture. Such would be the basis for our show. Yes, it’s about RVing and the RV experience, but it’s really more focused on travel and culture and the overall adventure. There are already plenty of “how to” RV shows out there.
You’d think that Airstream/Thor and the RV industry would massively support such a show, as they would stand to reap huge rewards. But it remains to be seen whether they share the vision.
When I get back to my home studio I’ll put together that 10-minute trailer and showcase our humble show. We’ll see what happens. Until that time … the adventure continues! 😀
I just started watching all your videos and have to say I LOVE them. I’m not into all the technical aspects, the VO’s or anything else, I’m only into the amusing, fresh perspective you bring.
My husband and I are going to be full-timers in a few years and you are making me so antsy to do it. Right now we go part-time, weekends and such and I am living vicariously ‘full-time, through you.
I look forward to visiting many of the places you bring to us and I want to thank you for this unique opportunity to take a peek into your life on the road!
Hi KatMom! One of these days we’re going to organize all of these videos. They are loosely gathered in categories… but I think it would probably be better if we had ’em numbered so it would be easy to watch ’em all. But if you could see my office, you’d understand why our website isn’t the most organized in the world. Anyway, you can access pretty much everything from the main page — when in doubt, go page to the top page and scroll. 🙂
And with regard to your comments, I appreciate your positive feedback. Sometimes we get focused on the technical details of the videos, but what REALLY matters is producing something that’s entertaining, informative, and (hopefully) brightens your day! Thanks much for taking the time to explore our little corner of the Internet, and to share your thoughts!