FIELD NOTES:
THE ANALOG JOURNAL
BACK TO THE HUDSON
It's been 5 years since our first Hudson River canoe journey. This September we returned to follow a music collective as they voyaged on the river and caught up with some old friends along the way.
5 YEARS ON…
ROSS FERRIER | 17 SEPT 2024
This September we got the opportunity to head back to the Hudson River to link up with our good friends at Ninth Wave Global and partner on a new documentary piece exploring the historic link between music and activism in the Hudson Valley.
We spent 10 days behind the camera shadowing folk music collective 'The Hudson River Incidentals' as they travelled the river by canoe, playing gigs at their stop-off points along the journey. It was a privilege to engage with the various communities throughout the Hudson Valley as locals, young and old, shared stories of their personal connections to the music culture over the years.
It is unusual for us to get the chance to revisit the sites of our previous adventures but it was rewarding to return to the Hudson River 5 years on and document the progress being made in this ongoing restoration project while reconnecting with old friends along the way.
One of the most attractive elements of this project was that it afforded us a diverse range of shooting opportunities. Every day was unique and might see us shooting stunning landscapes, incredible wildlife, music performances in fascinating locations and sitting down with some wonderful people to record real stories of the Hudson Valley.
It wasn't all plain sailing however. There are many challenges shooting a documentary when the whole kit truck has to fit into two rucksacks so that it can be transported on canoe. It is definitely not easy shooting with long lenses, balancing as the boat sways with the water. The Sony FX6 cinema camera was certainly put through its paces but its modular design allowed us to run a lightweight set up, that was much more stripped back compared to our usual larger camera rig, while at the same time still being able to offer the high-end shooting capability that the film required.
After 10 days of adventure along the river, the team travelled through the canal locks of the Erie Canal which links the Hudson River with the Mohawk River in an annual event alongside more than 130 other canoes and kayaks. It was an epic spectacle and the festival atmosphere made a fitting end to our long and tiring journey.
CANOES ON THE HUDSON
We head to the Hudson River Valley to partner up with environmental NGO 'Ninth Wave Global' to journey down the river on open canoe.
A HUDSON RIVER JOURNEY
GARRY FERRIER | 24 SEPT 2019
We had the amazing opportunity to travel to the Hudson River Valley with environmental NGO ‘Ninth Wave Global’ to embark on a week-long voyage down the Hudson River on open canoe. Between paddling and wild-camping we visited various individuals and organisations that have a strong connection to this iconic waterway and have played an important role in the conservation and regeneration work that has brought the river ‘back to life’ over the past 50 years.
We documented these personal stories and perspectives as we travelled to culminate in the short documentary, ‘THE RIVER THAT FLOWS TWO WAYS’. The film premiered at the Equinox Mountain Film Festival in Manchester, Vermont just 2 days after we ended our canoe journey in Beacon, NY.
The film festival was a small, grass-roots gathering of filmmakers and storytellers, all with an environmental focus to their work. We stayed for a sunny weekend in a beautiful ranch house and had the chance to share our ideas and experiences with many like-minded creatives.
Upon our arrival, just 2 days before the film festival began, we immediately set up our mobile editing suite and got to work. Somehow between the 2 of us editing side-by-side, and very little sleep, we managed to get the film completed in time and screened on the Saturday evening as the feature presentation.
We also had the privilege of being asked to be judges at the film festival and held afternoon workshops speaking from our own experiences as travel and documentary filmmakers.
