[Cdt-l] Veil of mystery lifted part 2

[lynne whelden]

"I want to do something that has never been done before and will help out the trail community...just want to add to the information out there for a trail that is not very well known and covered in a veil of mystery."--Wander

Wander: The reason I wrote what I did was because there have been many of us who have traveled the trail before you, carrying bulky video gear that added 10 pounds to our packs, sweating and freezing our butts off for the sake of (1) making the CDT known and (2) lifting the veil.
That's why I said there's nothing new under the sun.
The problem, you'll find, is that the CDT simply doesn't sell. Any "mystery" that's still lingering about the trail is because nobody bothers to buy what's already been produced (and there are many good videos out there). It's truly frustrating...we have to cater to the AT because that's the only trail with any commercial appeal. 
If you produce your time-lapse for youtube, it will get some hits based on its novelty factor. Whether a "Keystone Cops" look will shed much light on the grander, deeper aspects of the CDT will be debated in artistic circles over coffee. 
Each person has a particular feature of nature they personally "resonate" with. For some it may be visual grandeur like vistas. For others it may be the sounds of nature. Or it may be the smells. Or textures. Or unexpected near-disasters. 
Speaking personally, I would view a 5-minute time compression of six months/3000 miles strictly as a "novelty" because it's going way too fast to "savor." For those who like taking in expansive visuals, for example, watching you climb Mt. Taylor in 2 seconds would be frustrating, not rewarding!
I guess you're going to have to ask yourself if you want this to be a humorous flash-in-the-pan project or something more profound. Will there be other video to go along with the time-lapse footage, to serve perhaps as book-end commentary or to set up the scenes? 
I'm thinking of the 1982 film "Koyaanisqatsi" that was time-lapse. You might do well to watch that and get some ideas. It's an 87-minute film without any narration but a music track by Phillip Glass. It tackles the notion of "life out of balance." Very impressive slow-motion and time-lapse, adding up to a "visual tone poem."
One final comment...you may have to decide what's more important, enjoying the hike or producing the video. You'll discover soon enough that the video is going to get in the way, producing hassles over and above "merely" hiking. It's going to be difficult to just turn the GoPro Hero (or whatever you're using) on and ignore it for the next couple hours. You're going to have to constantly review what's been shot, monitor battery life, wipe off the lens, shoo away hordes of mosquitoes, hold your head steady and remember not to look around much, worry about taking many wrong turns you just wasted footage on, worry about falling and shooting blue sky as you lie there bleeding, worry about excessive frames being taken of river crossings where you're hanging on to a pole for dear life...it's really going to cramp your hike.
Just some stuff to think about...I've been there, done that. But I commend you for your desire to help explain the trail along with many others who have tried in the past.
lynne whelden
lwgear.com 


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