Project Pedal http://virb.com/pedal Pedal', will bookend with the Pacific and Atlantic oceans... anchored to a small group's cross country trip and focusing on the inspiring people that cross their path. Each week a vlog will be posted that will share stories from these people met along the way - as well as the main cast and the occasional behind-the-scenes footage. In the end, the bi-product of these vlogs will be used for a feature length documentary. The end-goal of this project, both in it's vlog and documentary form, is to share people's reasons and motivations behind their trip. Most importantly to share what makes or drives a person to leave everything behind and to understand what they each take away from this overwhelming and painful journey.]]> Virb 2.0 (@pedal) en Still very beside myself that we've raised $35 *on top* of our goal for... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6104884 @FToM! And with 14 days left to go! http://tr.im/xr5d #docum..]]> Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:33:36 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6104884 I'm speechless.@Nic7320 just pushed @FToM over 100% of our funding! I'm so... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6090469 @Nic7320 just pushed @FToM over 100% of our funding! I'm so happy I could cry now. Thank you all so much!! http:..]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:22:59 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6090469 (via @artcrank) What happens when you bike alone across America? @FToM... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6087603 @artcrank) What happens when you bike alone across America? @FToM http://bit.ly/4gW5sl -- Thank you for the link love!]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:12:06 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6087603 This year's birthday wish: @LanceArmstrong backing @FToM. It's gonna take a... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6085329 @LanceArmstrong backing @FToM. It's gonna take a hell of a lot of RTs to make it happen :P http://tr..]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:04:29 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6085329 So excited! @FToM *just* hit it's 90th backer on #kickstarter!!... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6084023 @FToM *just* hit it's 90th backer on #kickstarter!! http://tr.im/xr5d We have exactly $990 left to raise. Ahh! ♥]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:03:13 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6084023 Had a really exciting day for @FToM on #KSR yesterday - special thanks to... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6077524 @FToM on #KSR yesterday - special thanks to @eyllom who just put us at exactly $1000 to go! http://tr.im/xr5d]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:02:39 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6077524 RT @kickstarter: Project of the Day http://bit.ly/2cXh5R - @FToM,... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6066184 @kickstarter: Project of the Day http://bit.ly/2cXh5R - @FToM, documentary on "leaving everything behind" http://img.ly/bEi]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:21:11 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6066184 Whoa! Just saw the *huge* list of RTs about our @FToM campaign thanks to... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6050900 @FToM campaign thanks to @philcampbell :) http://su.pr/3DHgtP Thank you!]]> Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:55:43 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6050900 I can't believe @FToM is down to just 17 more days - please help spread the... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6043946 @FToM is down to just 17 more days - please help spread the word. 18 more backers to go till we hit 100! http://tr.i..]]> Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:58:49 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6043946 Just got done with a phone interview with #HourDetroit all about @FToM and... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6038892 @FToM and @Kickstarter :) Exciting.]]> Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:58:04 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/6038892 Such an exciting day for @FToM on #Kickstarter :) I can't thank @ErinCrum,... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5995060 @FToM on #Kickstarter :) I can't thank @ErinCrum, Josh Richardson, Colin Dowey and Debs enough! http://tr.i..]]> Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:10:04 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5995060 Holy amazing :) Check out this awesome @FToM shirt that @eyllom made!... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5988657 @FToM shirt that @eyllom made! http://tr.im/EnfF We need to get some more of these.]]> Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:43:43 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5988657 New blog post up - and this one is actually pretty revealing in what kind of... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5986659 http://fb.me/3HgIOco]]> Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:52:34 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5986659 New entry on the @FToM blog, this one is actually a bit telling in what... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5986658 @FToM blog, this one is actually a bit telling in what changes have been taking place during post :) http://bit.ly/3kpjV3]]> Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:52:34 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5986658 *this* meets *this* http://virb.com/pedal/posts/text/5986467 Episode One (in Dec of 06). Even at that stage in pre-production, the story driving the feature length film had evolved quite a bit since day 1 of planning.

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The project was always growing, and always structured around a current understanding of our own personal experiences with long distance traveling.

Now it's been over two years since following Larry McKurtis across the country, and Amanda and I have gone through several variations on roughly the same story during the writing and editing process. One of the most important changes has been the interview segments, which I wanted to talk about in this post.

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During our 64 Days on the road, we filmed as many interviews as possible, with people taking their own bicycle adventures. We always expected these interviews to fit into the film as the driver for a reflective, post-trip narrative.

After two years of writing and editing and more writing, I've been more and more accepting, specifically the last 4 months, of the reality that these interviews don't fit smoothly with the rest of the film. They don't need to be in the film... they don't bridge any thoughts or moments that otherwise feel rough. The only reason it feels that we would use the interviews is because... well, typically you see interviews in documentaries.

And that doesn't seem like a very good reason to use them.

The other day, Amanda and I had a long brain-storming session over iChat, we did a full read-through of the script as it stands today, and discussed the few pieces of the film that are still just notes in an outline. One of the most important things we talked about was "what" For Thousands of Miles has evolved towards.

We both agreed that FToM closer resembles a documentary like Earth, or March of the Penguins then it does Man on a Wire, or Dig!. I've always heard that documentaries really find their story in the editing room - I just hadn't assumed that FToM would become the film it has.

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I remember pretty distinctly, for whatever reason, watching Earth in the theater and thinking a lot about the basic format being used: visuals of different animals making great journeys, and an (all knowing) narrator talking about those journeys. Elephants traveling across great desserts... Birds migrating over some of the highest mountain ranges in the world.

And I started to really consider this format for the film... I wanted to treat FToM like a case study. Like we were learning about this species of animal; people, that sometimes would travel impossible-to-imagine distances for seemingly no reason. Sometimes alone, sometimes in small packs. A big focus of this study would be the after effects that these youthful adventures would have.

Pedal has never been a project about someone's personal experience - it was never intended to tell stories from one person's trip. And although visually we follow one person from coast to coast, there are many layers in the narration that feel more generalized... That these emotions aren't unique to Larry's experience - that most people go down a long and exhausting road internally after they've come home.

Also, one last thought before I sign off - I've never been able to explain Pedal as a *this* meets *this* kind of pitch. It's been 6 years of working on this film and I just could never do it. But after talking with Amanda and really going over things - I think I'm finally comfortable with mashing two films together as a close'ish representation of what people can expect.

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So, here it goes, you're the room full of execs / producers and I'm the awkward, sweaty, unproven filmmaker pitching his film in 5 words or less: Winged Migration meets The Mirror. Now comes the part where I wait nervously for someone in the room to say something.
]]> Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:42:35 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/text/5986467 Big thank you to @Christo70 for backing @FToM! http://tr.im/xr5d We're now... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5981882 @Christo70 for backing @FToM! http://tr.im/xr5d We're now only $64 away from breaking the $7k mark :) We can do thi..]]> Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:07:36 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5981882 We're really getting down to the wire - 20 days to go for our @FToM... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5979577 @FToM #kickstarter campaign! http://tr.im/xr5d Only $89 till we break ..]]> Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:16:52 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5979577 As of this moment: @FToM is exactly $1400 away from it's #kickstarter goal!... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5946193 @FToM is exactly $1400 away from it's #kickstarter goal! With 75 backers! And only 22 days to go :) http://tr.im/..]]> Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:14:58 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5946193 Huge, huge thanks to @smack416 for backing @FToM on kickstarter! We're now... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5926073 @smack416 for backing @FToM on kickstarter! We're now at 83% funded :) http://tr.im/xr5d 23 days to go, people!..]]> Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:41:38 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5926073 *whew* That took me a little while - but I finally finished scanning in the... http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5888237 @FToM script as one big, long #Evernote PDF :)]]> Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:56:31 -0800 http://virb.com/pedal/posts/status/5888237