Trekkit ATV – We’re Back!

After taking a bit of time away from the camera, the Trekkit crew is back! This time instead of heading off by plane, the crew is spending time in their own backyard exploring the ATV trails of New Brunswick. Three of the crew members have never owned an ATV, so this could get crazy!

How does Dr. Dirt handle massive mud? Does Hamdy drive up a tree?

For non-ATV owners, the massive trail system is something they don’t even realize is EVERYWHERE, and it’s a blast to travel NB via ATV.

Thanks to our dealer sponsor, Dave Sports in Woodstock for helping us get bikes from Honda, Kawasaki and Polaris, plus excellent riding gear from Klim.

The New Brunswick ATV Federation and the Province for New Brunswick have been very supportive including helping us discover the best places to ride (and film). Thanks!

Our technology partner is Microsoft and we will be giving away a Surface Go LTE at the end of the filming season to the Trekkit crew or guest that had the “best shot!” What is the best shot? It’s the shot that makes you go “WOW!”

Our broadcast partner is Bell Fibe TV1 and we will be premiered on TV1 on the Bell Canada in seven provinces. We will be airing the episodes late fall and plan to have an event at the theater in Fredericton and Woodstock like we did with the Iceland film.

If you see us on the trails filming, please stop by and say hi. Any tips of where we should go please send an email to atv@trekkit.com.

Safe and happy trails,

Maritimes from Above at Silver Wave Film Festival

The New Brunswick film festival called “Silver Wave” is showing our documentary we did for CBC plus a few other great local documentaries on November 5th @ UNB @ 2 PM and it would be great to have some friendly faces in the audience.

Tickets are for sale at the door (cash only), and the proceeds go to the NB Film Coop.

“A documentary showcase spotlighting the beauty of the Maritimes in films by Ryan Groom of Hanwell and Moncton-based Craig Norris is sure to be a treat for filmgoers. Both films are lively, full of humour and present incredible vistas.
They will play on Sunday, November 5, at 2pm at Tilley Hall, UNB Campus.”

Thanks,

RyanSig3

 

Maritimes from Above on CBC

Airing September 2nd, 2017 on CBC

This time last year the Trekkit crew was just finishing shooting for this film, now after hours of editing and working closely with CBC, its ready for TV!

It will be on the Absolutely Maritimes program on September 2nd at 8:00 PM on CBC, then available online global shortly after the broadcast.

Click here for the background on the story of how this project got started.

 

Please take a look at the teaser trailer below.

To hear my thoughts on the project and my love for the Maritimes please listen to the recent radio interviews where I had the wonderful opportunity to discuss the project on CBC Radio in Fredericton and Saint John.

Below is the links to the interviews:

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Fredericton Interview
Saint John Interview

 

A big part for me doing these video projects is selecting the right music to help spur the emotion for each location. I used Caleb Miles, “Old Man on the Porch“ to close the film. Great song!

Click here to read about finding that song.

 

The true stars of the show where:

  • Meat Cove, Nova Scotia
  • Walton Glen Gorge, New Brunswick
  • Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick

In the show we do extensive aerial videography at each location and there are lots of cameos of places we have visited before and along the way. It did not go as smooth at each location so a few of the misadventures made it into the film, makes for some light hearted moments.

Special Thanks to the following folks and organizations for helping to make this happen

 

Ryan Groom

And of course, super special thanks to the crew Rodney McAffee, Paul Archer and Jacob Groom. These guys made the travels extra special.

We hope you laugh a little, learn a little, and go visit these fantastic places. For many of us these places are in our own backyard, so go enjoy them!

 

Safe and Happy Trekks,

 

RyanSig3

The Outsiders

Back in 2014 when “the crew” got back from Iceland, I made this video as a fun private video to the song, “The Outsiders” by Eric Church. With new YouTube rules (Mr. Church gets the ad revue), I can now share it. Being able to travel with great friends has been a blessing and this video sums our serious nature as we travel.

Thanks for watching,

RyanSig3

“Maritimes From Above” Theme Song

Old Man on the Porch” by Caleb Miles

Featured on “This Place, Songs from Annapolis Valley” by Ruby Throated Records

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I am excited to announce that “Old Man on the Porch” will be the theme song for our upcoming CBC documentary.

peekWhen creating any film, the two most important things are telling a story and having matching music to amplify the theme and emotion that the video is trying to portray. Hopefully you will all watch the summer of 2017!

The next step is to hit the studio with a talented neighbour and score the video, but that is another story to be told next year. If you have a song you think might fit, please checkout the blog; looking for music.

I can’t wait to show you how this song and the beautiful video of the Maritimes will help show why we all enjoy This Place.

Caleb Miles Website
Ruby Throated Records Website
Photos by Paul Archer Studios

Looking for Music for “Maritimes From Above”

Ryan Groom, Jacob Groom, Rodney McAffee

I am looking for a soundtrack for our upcoming documentary called “Maritimes from Above” that will be broadcasted on CBC next summer (2017), be available online via the CBC website for 5 years, and be distributed to film festivals around the world. For more about the “Maritimes from Above” project click here.
Getting the right music for a film is important as it sets the tone, stirs emotions, and can help the director tell the story. Music has always been important to me and is one of the most enjoyable parts of completing a film, adding the score.

We are looking for a few good songs from independent artists to be included in the film. We may use it as a snippet during a driving scene, or use it when the closing credits are rolling, or anywhere in-between. So when submitting the song keep in mind we may use a few seconds to the whole song.

As our film budget is not very large, our license fee ranges from free to up to $500 for each song. We need you to submit the amount you feel is appropriate for your song. The selection process will be a balance of the cost of the song, how well the song fits the purpose in the film, and a possible audience you could bring to the film.

Rodney McAffee at walton Glenn Gorge

I have used music before from Word Music (a Sony label) artist Crossection and a track from Séan McCann, formally of Great Big Sea, in the Wonders of Iceland: The Movie. You can read about that experience here.
The type of music we are looking for is mainly folksy road trip type songs. Great Big Sea style or songs like Eli  Young Band “Saltwater Gospel“, are good examples.

 
A requirement will be you need to be able to sign a release form that grants Trekkit Studios non-exclusive perpetual rights to the song for this film and its promotion in order for us to use it. We will add you in the credits of the film and when we announce the film broadcast date on the blog we will list the music used and have a link to your song if available online.

So if you have some music you think might work for our film, please email the MP3 or a link to music@trekkit.com .

Thanks,

RyanSig3

Maritimes from Above

 

Ryan and Jacob GroomJust signed my first contract with CBC to produce a documentary called “Maritimes from Above” about landscape aerial videography, the techniques, and regulations behind getting grand vistas with the film industries hottest tool, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), or what many call drones (BTW: I hate the word “drone”).

Paul Archer, Rodney McAffee, and Ryan GroomOn Saturday, my filming companions (Paul Archer & Jacob Groom) are picking up our international travel buddy Rodney McAffee from the Halifax Airport then driving to Nova Scotia to start filming. After Nova Scotia we head to a few amazing places in New Brunswick; the first location is in the Sussex area, then to Grand Manan Island to capture some of the most amazing views in the Maritimes. We are just not taking regular aerial shots but flying through gorges, caves, and between massive trees to get unique video with our pair of UAVs.

The documentary will be shot this summer, edited this fall, and will be shown on CBC next summer (2017).

Personality I am nervous and excited (pumped!). I have been learning about broadcast TV thanks to the generous support of Bell Aliant TV1 the last 4 years and now I got a chance to expand the reach and tell a story on CBC taking all the lessons learned from past adventures and wrapping them into an educating and entertaining 45 minutes! Special thanks to the Silver Wave film festival in facilitating the first meeting with CBC last fall which lead to the full bloom of this project.

Ryan GroomWell … almost time to pack the truck with cameras, drones, coffee, candy, cables, and computers to start an unforgettable road trip with some of my best friends in the whole world — to bring you, Maritimes from Above.

Thanks for reading,

 

RyanSig3

Carn Mor Dearg and Other Adventures

I have been fortunate to be able to travel with family and friends while doing film projects. This late spring, I filmed with a crew in the United Kingdom for the upcoming season 5 of Trekkit TV which airs on Bell Aliant TV1 and also filmed a documentary I hope to release later this summer. Rodney, David, Duncan, Peter and Alex – it was a hoot!

One of the best parts about filming is working with various people and organizations that help us get the “magic shots”.

Bell Aliant tv1
Without TV1 none of the adventures would have been possible, period. Checkout all the great TV1 programming at http://tv1.bellaliant.ca

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Special thanks to Microsoft Canada and the Band and Surface teams. During our 13 days of filming in the UK we took over 180,000 steps, walked nearly 150 km, and climbed the equivalent of nearly 1,100 flights of stairs each! We used the Surface to preview footage in the field and transferred all the video from the various cameras to 2 portable hard drives. Checkout the Surface and the Band at https://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msca/en_CA/home.

historic
Without the help from Historic Environment Scotland many of the magical shots of Edinburgh, Stirling and Urquhart castles would have not been possible. The staff at each location were energetic and enabled us to get the shots we needed. The biggest treat of the trip was getting into castles before the crowds! “Móran taing” Visit Historic Environment Scotland at https://www.historicenvironment.scot/ to help plan your next trip to Scotland.

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If you watch any of our episodes you know Rodney loves maps. These folks helped Rodney get a cloth washable map of our mountain adventure. If you want a map for your own adventure visit http://www.splash-maps.com. Check out Trekkit on Splash Maps site! http://www.splash-maps.com/national-walking-month/

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We got to discover what life was like 2,500 years ago in Scotland at the Scottish Crannog Centre. We got unique footage at this location which will air in this upcoming season. You can checkout their project at http://www.crannog.co.uk.

Orange Sprocket
Once again these guys make us look good. Thanks for polishing the expedition crest, it adds special flavor to the trip. To take a peek at others they make look good too visit http://www.orangesprocket.com .

Pete Shenton

Super thanks to Pete for taking the Trekkit gang on an epic hike of Hadrian’s Wall. This is something I have wanted to see for a long time and we even got to see the tree that was in the movie Robin Hood Prince of Thieves! No link for Pete, he is just awesome!

Closing Thoughts

So …. lots of video to watch and the massive task of taking this raw footage and turning it into something 2 or 3 of you might want to watch. Please keep on eye on our Facebook and Twitter page for the news about when new content from us will be available.
Safe and Happy Trekks,

RyanSig3

Trekkit’s Road Trip to Norway Series

Ryan and Rodney in Norway

All six Norway episodes are now available on Bell Video On Demand and Bell Aliant TV1 Online. Ryan and Rodney travel the fjords, glaciers, and many off the beaten but beautiful areas of Norway.

If you don’t have Bell Aliant FibreOP TV service you can still watch Trekkit online.

Episode 1 – Road Trip Begins

Ryan and Rodney start their epic road trip around the majestic fjords of Norway.
Watch Episode 1 Now Online

Episode 2 – Pulpit Rock

Ryan and Rodney continue their road trip around Norway. The duo heads to Pulpit Rock to climb the 600 metre drop and gaze over the fjord.
Watch Episode 2 Now Online

Episode 3 – Bondus Lake

Rodney and Ryan continue their road trip in Norway and head to Bondus Lake and drive through the longest tunnel in the world, 24 KM long!
Watch Episode 3 Now Online

Episode 4 – 3280 Feet Above

Rodney and Ryan continue their road trip in Norway and head to a viewing platform that hangs 3280 ft. over a small village below. Plus, they have some crazy conversations while driving site to site.
Watch Episode 4 Now Online

Episode 5 – Glaciers

Rodney and Ryan visit one of the largest glaciers in Norway, and run into a special surprise.
Watch Episode 5 Now Online

Episode 6 – 8th Most Dangerous Road

It’s Ryan and Rodney’s last day in Norway. They continue to visit amazing sites and drive the #8 most dangerous road in the world.
Watch Episode 6 Now Online

Bondus Lake

We hope you have as much fun watching them as we did making them. To keep current on Trekkit events please like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter or sign up for our Trekkit Newsletter.

Safe and Happy Trekks,

RyanSig3