Fringe Elements: The Democratization of Adventure Film

By Fitz Cahall; video still by Byran Smith

Watch the Fringe Elements adventure filmmaking video here >>

“As a modern-day adventure filmmaker, I feel pretty lucky, because there isn’t a technological burden,” says Bryan Smith, owner of Reel Water Productions and co-creator of Fringe Elements. “You can go out and buy a relatively good camera for a very cheap amount of money. The burden is really finding your story. It’s about finding the motivation to go out and do it. There are fewer hurdles today.”

Fast, Affordable Video Sharing
Technologically savvy adventurers have been attempting to relay adventures online in a video format since the late 1990s. But in the last few years, adventure film has gone through a renaissance. First, fast cable and Ethernet connections spread beyond college dorms and office spaces, allowing for efficient downloading and sharing through YouTube, Vimeo, and like sites. Online outdoor communities grew in size, providing a stage for enthusiasts to share links and spread content through the community.

“All of a sudden there was a way of distributing the videos and finding an audience without having to create a DVD and find sponsors,” says Smith, who began his career by making short Internet films about his adventures kayaking on British Columbia’s wild rivers and coastlines.

“The Internet was this huge exploding space where we could put our material out there,” adds Smith. “I feel lucky to have grown up in the era where the DVD was starting to come second to the Internet.”

Professional Tools for Non-Professionals
Additionally, the hurdles for aspiring filmmakers fell away. Hollywood pioneered the use of digital video, but HD digital video rapidly trickled down to the average consumer. Making a film no longer required film or the painstaking process of editing reel or tape together. Software such as Final Cut Pro made editing more accessible. Canon and Nikon offered up HDSLR cameras in a compact body that allowed enthusiastic adventurers a small setup that was easy to move in the backcountry’s difficult working environments.

For outdoor enthusiasts looking for escapes from workday doldrums or friends sharing content through Facebook, there has never been more free, high-quality content targeted for the adventure crowd. With the technology continuing to improve and the number of filmmakers growing, there shouldn’t be a shortage of content any time soon.

Better Gear at Better Prices
“Gear isn’t cheap, but it’s no longer cost-prohibitive,” says Smith. “I think people who make it in the film world, one, have a good eye for images, but two, and probably more important, have a great ear for a story.”

—By Fitz Cahall

Learn more about Bryan Smith in this video >>

Fringe Elements Skills: Gear for the Aspiring Adventure Filmmaker

By Fitz Cahall, Video still by Byran Smith.

Watch the Fringe Elements adventure filmmaking video here >>

In the age of YouTube, documenting personal adventures has become a pursuit in its own right. When 35-year-old adventure filmmaker Bryan Smith first pulled out a video camera eight years ago, he had no idea what he was doing. Now he’s shooting regularly in some of the most extreme environments on the planet. Here are five pieces of gear that Smith wishes he had right from the start.

1. Basic Audio Kit
“Good audio brings a story to life. Even a simple shotgun and lavalier mic kit will go a long ways to improve your work,” says Smith. A decent mic is arguably more important than an expensive new lens. Smith suggests Sennheiser's MKE102-EW lav mic kit coupled with a RØDE NTG3 shotgun mic, which will cost less than $1,000, but make your work feel like a million.

2. Effective Storage
“There is nothing worse than fumbling through your gear trying to not drop things or keep them dry,” Smith says. In the field, Smith has to deal with snow, water, sand, and dust. “Every sport you shoot requires a slightly different way of carrying equipment, but a sturdy camera bag is essential.”

3. An Adventurous Laptop
"While the a laptop doesn't always travel with me in the field, it's never far away for downloading footage to hard drives," says Smith. Most adventure filmmakers go with a MacBook Pro. It's trim, but has enough horsepower to handle and process large HD files quickly. Apple's Final Cut Pro ($999) has become the standard editing tool for upstart filmmakers. If you're just start out, consider purchasing Final Cut Express ($199). An Apple Care plan is a must—your computer will be subject to the same wear and tear as your camera gear. Pelican Case makes a rugged hard shell, foam-padded case for your laptop for around $100.

4. Sense of Humor
“It’s just a matter of time before you have a bit of an epic episode of filmmaking. No batteries, moisture shut down, flat light—it’s going to happen,” says Smith. When it does, laugh about it. “You film adventures because it’s fun. Don't worry about screwing up; just learn from it and get better.”

5. Weight Set
“That’s right, you’re going to need to be strong. If you are chasing after athletes who are better than you are in a given sport, you better start training,” says Smith. He’s only half joking. A given day in the field might mean following an elite mountaineer 5,000 feet up a mountain. “To save gym fees, push-ups and pull-ups daily could be substituted,” Smith adds.

6. Pro Tripod
“It’s not cheap, but a good tripod is one of the most overlooked pieces of initial gear.” Smith suggests splurging. “Don't spend $300, spend $1,000 or more. A smooth fluid head is one of a filmmaker's most important tools.”

—By Fitz Cahall

Fringe Elements Skills: Kayaking - Surviving a Whirlpool

By Fitz Cahall, Video still by Byran Smith.

Fringe Elements Extreme Adventure Videos: Watch Now >>

“The most intimidating feature for any swimmer, is real swirly, really deep whirlpools,” says professional kayaker and guide Paul Kuthe. “They have a tendency to hold you under water for a long time.”

To exploratory kayakers such as Kuthe, whirlpools sit at the top of the list of why swimming—kayaking parlance for coming out of a boat—through a surging tidal race could be hazardous. As Kuthe and his group of friends began applying whitewater kayaking techniques to sea kayaking, they had to accept that errant paddle strokes would result in swims through some of the ocean’s most turbulent sections.

Fringe Elements: Deepwater Soloing Basics

 
By Fitz Cahall; video still by Byran Smith, for our new video series Fringe Elements. To get more advice from our athletes, see expert tips gallery >>

“There are only two mandatory criteria for deepwater soloing—overhanging rock and deep water. It’s pretty simple really,” says rock climber Matt Maddaloni, who helped bring this subsport into fashion in the early 2000s.

In climbing talk, free soloing is the act of climbing without a rope. Without the safety net of a rope, if a climber is more than 30 feet off the ground, a fall means death. “I was attracted to that kind of climbing, but I realized it has its limitations. You can’t push the difficulty,” says Maddaloni.

Deepwater soloing takes away a good bit of the danger by replacing the ground with water. Typically, climbers use a small boat or canoe to get themselves to a remote sea cliff. Aside from a pair of shoes and bit of climbing chalk, climbers don’t need any gear, ropes, or harnesses. With water below, a climber can execute acrobatic and difficult climbing moves and risk falling. While injury is definitely a possibility, most of the time a fall just means a short swim through warm ocean water to a waiting boat.

While deepwater soloing began in late 1970s on the sun-soaked sea cliffs of Mallorca and along the damper, chillier British coast, it wasn’t until the early 2000s that the climbing community began to embrace the sport’s newest trend and started flocking to Vietnam and Thailand’s limestone towers perched above calm bays.

“Typically, limestone is the best rock for deepwater soloing,” says Maddaloni who authored a guidebook to deepwater soloing around Thailand’s Krabi region and established new routes in Vietnam and Malta. “It’s softer than granite, so the sea erodes away at the base and creates overhanging cliffs. That way you’ve got a clean shot into the water.”

Due to the overhanging nature of the rock, deepwater soloing tends to be difficult with the easiest routes checking in at 5.10. In Fringe Elements video “Safety Third,” Maddaloni found a suitable new route on the granite sea cliffs surrounding Squamish, British Columbia. However, the coastal waters of B.C. aren’t quite as warm as the Mediterranean.

“The water was so cold, I had to wear a wet suit,” remembers Maddaloni. “It was super difficult because once the suit was wet, water would run out onto my hands and feet as I was climbing."

Fringe Elements Videos: The Evolution of the Splitboard

By Fitz Cahall; Video still by Bryan Smith

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In the last year, splitboarding has reached a tipping point. Ski movie stalwarts Teton Gravity Research released Deeper, which featured snowboards that transform into skis, to much fanfare. In the last three years, several snowboard companies have begun aggressively marketing these backcountry boards. Splitboarding may seem like a new sport, but in actuality, it’s been sitting on the fringe of snowboarding for almost 20 years.

 In the late 1980s Brett Kobernick began tinkering with boards. He hand-cut standard snowboards in half to fashion skis for uphill movement and slapped a set of adhesive climbing skins to the bottom. At the top, a rider could simply remove the skins and reconnect the board for downhill riding. In 1992, Kobernick partnered with Salt Lake City, Utah, ski manufacturer Voile. By 1994 the hardware to split a snowboard hit the market. At first, snowboarders looking to hit the open backcountry away from resorts had to purchase the Voile kit and chop a snowboard in half on their own. For a lot of consumers the

Eventually, Voile began marketing factory-made splitboards for the small market. Snowboarding giant Burton offered a version for a few years, but discontinued it. In the last three years, as the pull of the backcountry has hit the masses, there are now a dozen or so splitboard manufacturers who produce different shapes and sizes to suit a rider’s ability, style, and size. The new boards are smaller, lighter, and more maneuverable than the previous generations. A few companies have begun to create bindings specifically designed for splitboarding, and now snowboarders can keep up with skiers. The sport is evolving rapidly yet the concept remains the same. Ski up. Shred down.

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