First Convention (This should've come first.)

Marsha and I attended our first Travel Film Convention in Tampa, Florida, almost ten years ago, at the invitation of Dale Johnson and Sandy Mortimer. At the time, we had not made a film of any kind, but we were in the habit of traveling to France and Great Britain every summer to play music. We had the “Travel” part covered. Dale and Sandy seemed to think that, with our backgrounds, once we had the right camera we’d fit right in, and the business needed new producers.

At the convention we watched wide-eyed as seasoned filmmakers paraded their wares at the Preview sessions. We played music at the banquet which gave us the opportunity to be noticed. 

On the third day, as the convention was winding down, we chatted with Craig and Kathleen Myers over lunch. They had enjoyed our music and seemed to feel an instant rapport with us. Craig advised us to take someone else’s film on the road — for a nominal fee — to give ourselves a bit of experience, as it might be years before we would complete our own film and convince some venues to show it.

In a cruel stroke of fate, Craig died unexpectedly a few days later (it was early December), and by February we were on the road hosting Craig’s two films, working with Windoes to stand in and fufill his schedule. Craig was in his early 40’s and perhaps the youngest full time filmmaker in our business at the time. His death was a shock and a tragedy.

The following summer we went to France specifically to make a Travel Film. During the tour with Craig’s films, I was confident (or foolhardy) enough to have arranged two independent showings of our film, “La Belle France,” before we had shot any digital tape whatsoever. I trusted that my experience with the BBC and later editing sound tape at NPR, as well as taping interviews for Louisiana Folklife, would be helpful in my new metier.

At the next Convention, in St. Louis, we previewed “La Belle France,” started to get bookings, and have since gone on to produce five more films for the Travel market. We’ll be previewing our latest, “Wales: Land of Song,” in Chicago this September. 

I wouldn’t say this is an easy profession and anyone can do it, but with a little bit of talent and a lot of work and dedication, it can be done. And when you have a happy audience giving you compliments as they leave the performance, it all seems worth it. All the better if they have one or two newly purchased DVDs in hand! 

We like to think Dale and Sandy were right about our potential. We thank them and the many others who gave advice, helped, took us in and made us feel welcome in this amazing world of sharing  moving pictures.

We look forward to the upcoming Chicago Convention, an opportunity to mingle with the ‘old hands’ in the business and welcome new interests, talk to agents and presenters, and see previews of the upcoming films.

Come join us!

Changing Times

“The Times They Are A-Changin,’” sang Bob Dylan back in the 1960’s: he could have been referring to the Travel Film business just as much as anything else. In the last 50 years a great deal has changed in our little world, none of it more rapidly than during the last decade. 

In the last episode of TAC Online, I wrote about Marsha and I attending our first Travel Film Convention, in Tampa, Florida. That was ten years ago and it was all new to us. But even then, it wasn’t what it used to be.   

In December, 2000, we had never made a film. In fact we still haven’t made a “film,” as such, because, well, times have changed.  Most of the Travel producers prided themselves on being film makers, extolling the virtues of 16 mm  and firmly proclaiming that they would never switch to DV. The difference in quality was just too great, they said.

Remember the space three or four films would take up in your vehicle. A big round can for each reel, two reels for each film, the old Bell & Howell projector (and perhaps a spare), sound equipment, dress suits, tuxedo. But the times they were a-changing and Digital Video (DV) came in so quickly it made your head spin. Now you can carry your films in a pocket.

For us, there was never a question of working in film. We had been advised by our mentors, Sandy Mortimer and Dale Johnson, that it was economically feasible and entirely possible to make programs on DV, and since we traveled to Europe each year to play music, we should invest in a camera and record our expeditions. Neither Dale nor Sandy had a digital camera at the time, so we sought the advice of video pioneer Hal McClure. 

Once we had the footage we would worry about editing, and once we’d edited, we would worry about purchasing a projector and other bits of equipment. Then there’d be convincing sponsors to hire us and agents to work with us. Taken one step at a time, we didn’t consider it too daunting.

There were changes going on that had nothing to do with our need to get started, so we ignored them. The Big One was over “live” or recorded narration. I hesitate to even mention it because for some people it’s an ongoing issue. I have my own reasons for clinging to “live” narration  but let me state very clearly: I don’t care what anyone else does. 

Ten years ago there were lots more venues, of course, and many of them were quite prestigious: the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh springs to mind. Also Dick Walter’s series at the Joslyn Museum in Omaha, and Ken Armstrong’s Golden Gate Geographic Society in San Francisco’s Bay Area. At the Tampa convention I spoke briefly to the man from National Geographic in Washington, DC. He gave me some sort of advice but his show checked out before I could get there.

It’s hard to say where all this is headed; nobody predicted the current technology ten years ago. We made VHS tapes of our first two films, but DVDs elbowed their way in and will, no doubt, be elbowed out in the future. We can only live in the moment, and the moment dictates that we continue to put on our shows for the audience that still exists. The only thing we can be sure of is that times will continue to change.