Sailing the Pacific Puddle Jump While Filming a TV Show - Advice ?

[Katiusha]

Regarding Caribbean vs. Pacific: imho, many more boats/people do the Caribbean each year, both from NA and Europe, than the Pacific, so a Pacific run might be more exotic/interesting to more people.

[SS Little-Devil]

Yep. Definitely doing the Pacific run now. Already decided. Started looking into routes and timing and with crew and gear it's just easier also. I would have to fly film/boat crew to the boat and ship the gear a long way = beaucoup $$$ and hassles. In LA, I can get crew easy and the gear there cheaper and sail right out.

Plus, there is very little coverage done on the islands of the Pacific compared to the Caribbean. Without even factoring in the value of the shows, the value in stock footage and stills alone will be considerable.

[diamondjet]

Just sent a Facebook friend request.

Greg Doucette

[SS Little-Devil]

3D

This is so awesome! Can't wait to rig up a few of these on the boat and a RC helicopter for the fly by's and boat shots. No follow boat needed and future proof footage in 1080P 3D!!! Totally awesome!

GoPro 3D HERO System - World's Smallest 1080p 3D camera

[tom1986]

Hey Jon,

Apologies for the delay in getting back to you, we've been at sea but we're now in Puerto Vallarta with good wifi access. I've added you on Skype so if you're still interested in taking Yaz and I onboard as crew we'd love to chat to you more and work out where and when we meet you.

We could potentially meet you in LA if you want us there right from the start, or alternatively we can recommend a whole heap of places to check out along the coast and reccy locations around PV before meeting you here. We've already become friendly with a few locals too that might be able to help with getting some good footage - such as a Mexican street artist in San Jose Del Cabo that could be game for going painting at night on camera etc.

Also, I noticed on Twitter that you've bought a boat! What did you get? That one in MDR? If so, we know MDR quite well and may be able to borrow my uncle's car for picking up gear, people, etc if we do end up in LA.

Here's a couple of pics of us too...


http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5208525/Yaz%201.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5208525/Tom%201.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5208525/Tom%20%26%20Yaz%202.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5208525/Tom%20%26%20Yaz%203.jpg


Anyway, we're gonna go check out the surf area near PV - we hear that's wear the party's at!

Hasta luego,

Tom & Yaz

[nhschneider]

We did the PPJ this year and are now in Whangarei, New Zealnd. We had way too much fun - everywhere - but we wished we had spent more time in the Tuamotus. However, the logistics of arranging a Long Stay Visa in French Polynesia is daunting. We over-stayed our visa as it was . . .

A suggestion to consider when buying a boat: It doesn't hurt to make low offers on boats in which you're interested but the listing price is higher than your budget. Sometimes owners are relieved to get out from under the expenses of just having a boat sit there. The worst that can happen is they refuse your offer. Or it may begin the negotiating process - if you don't make an offer at all then you're excluded from that potential.

Good luck, fair winds and calm seas.

[SS Little-Devil]

Hi Tom.

Unfortunately we won't be sailing out until end of March, so that would be a big delay for you. Second, I can't just fill the boat with crew. I need a DP, and someone who can double as 1st AD/sound, and it would be nice if one of them could speak French. We may have a fourth, but we'll probably do a contest to create a buzz, where people submit for the crew position/co-host and get their friends to vote. Then we review all of the applicants and select the right fit for the boat. This will help us generate awareness and advertising/sponsorship, and possibly get distribution and ultimately good funding to do much more than the bare minimum I can do on my own. If I can only do 3 of us, I'll try and find a third person who can be quickly trained to do 1st AD/sound as well.

Sailing experience will be important for any of the crew, but I also have to look at their ability to double as film crew and cast. I'm hoping to find a sailing schol in MDR who will give our crew some private lessons on our own boat in exchange for exposure. We'll film that of course, and combined with the boat buying process should help stimulate the boat economy for MDR.

How many people we can bring on the boat depends on the size of the boat and how much money I manage to raise to cover expenses. I may end up with a 33-35' boat, and that's pretty tight. I will be launching a website shortly and initiating a kickstarter or indiegogo campaign to tie in with the crew/cast contest. I only have a very limited budget of my own to work with, and will need to raise money if I'm going to cover expenses of the crew. Several people have offered to get involved on their own dime to be part of the experience and show, but I'd rather cover the costs if possible and perhaps have enough to even have people get paid.

We'll have production staff involved on the ground as well, so this will be a rather large undertaking. If I was just going on my own, had more money and didn't have all the filming and boat size issues to consider, it might be different, but I don't think it will work. Of course if something changes I'll let you know.

P.S. I haven't bought a boat yet. Not sure where you read that. I have one that I really like, but will buy the boat when I get to MDR and film the process. The one I like is a bit out of budget, and I don't really want to raise money for the boat. I want to keep it for production. I think I should front the cost of the boat myself. Also, we probably won't stop in PV now. We'll interview people in MDR, then likely try to make spring break in Enseneda (thanks for the tip Greg), then head along the Baja coast and down to Galapagos.

[SS Little-Devil]

Originally Posted by nhschneider

We did the PPJ this year and are now in Whangarei, New Zealnd. We had way too much fun - everywhere - but we wished we had spent more time in the Tuamotus. However, the logistics of arranging a Long Stay Visa in French Polynesia is daunting. We over-stayed our visa as it was . . .

A suggestion to consider when buying a boat: It doesn't hurt to make low offers on boats in which you're interested but the listing price is higher than your budget. Sometimes owners are relieved to get out from under the expenses of just having a boat sit there. The worst that can happen is they refuse your offer. Or it may begin the negotiating process - if you don't make an offer at all then you're excluded from that potential.

Good luck, fair winds and calm seas.

Hi Tom.

Good advice! I'd love to talk to you about your trip if you wouldn't mind sharing one of these days. Could we possibly hook up on Skype?

[SS Little-Devil]

The basic website is almost done for the trip and the crew is coming together. I have boats short listed and have already been getting commitments from sponsors! I've started planning the route and calculating at sea days and am getting pretty damn pumped. Selling some last minute stuff and packing now. So excited! Stay tuned for more information as this is gonna be one hell of a trip.

[webejammin]

Keep us posted as what boat you pick and just tell me how many women are on your selct crew . Sounds like a new reality show sailing around the world with newbees to off shore sailing or the ocean, "Life and Death Survival around the world". We all need heros

Oh you need a musian like the ships of old maybe a fiddle or a banjo or just a guitar/singer.

[SS Little-Devil]

Haha. Don't worry I will. As an aside, for every one of these comments from the select few, I get several personal messages saying to go for it and not listen to the negative BS. Some of us just have a bigger sense of adventure and a bigger set of nuts than others. If guys like me listened to guys like you the earth would still be flat. No worries on the reality show portion. I'm counting on at least one person cracking on some of the longer passages. It'll make for good TV.

[webejammin]

Originally Posted by SS Little-Devil

Haha. For every one of these comments from the select few, I get several personal messages saying to go for it and not listen to the negative stuff. Some of us just have a bigger sense of adventure and a bigger set of nuts than others. If guys like me listened to guys like you the earth would still be flat. No worries on the reality show portion. I'm counting on at least one person cracking on some of the longer passages. It'll make for good TV.

If you really want folks to crack then get a banjo player that'll do it every time especially if he's the biggest guy are a most beautiful gal and especially if they don't know but 30 songs.
I think your on to a great adventure and no nay saying here, have a blast ( not physically though )
No guts no glory and a back up GPS and sextet

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by SS Little-Devil

I'm counting on at least one person cracking on some of the longer passages. It'll make for good TV.

I can't remember all your plans - but how about trying to get a few other boats to tag along (nothing so formal as a rally - if only to stop you being sued ).....my thinking is that a group (an armada?!) might make a bigger splash publicity wise, would provide better filming platforms at sea / on anchor over a bouncing Dinghy.......and IMO more importantly, the more boats (and people) involved the more likely things are to go wrong! - if you are lucky may even get a sinking and a rescue .

[SS Little-Devil]

You gotta love all the good Ju-ju on this board. Lol. I think I'll try to avoid the sinking, drowning and rescue, but thanks for the ideas.

Maybe if a big studio picked it up, we could simulate it in the studio. In the Perfect Storm they had a real boat floating inside the studio at Warner Bros. The entire inside was green screen. It has a removable floor with a huge pit and they filled it with water, floated the boat, and then the military was called in with a machine to create the waves to give some motion to the boat. The rest was done in post. Little trivia for you.

[Iron Gall]

Originally Posted by SS Little-Devil

You gotta love all the good Ju-ju on this board. Lol. I think I'll try to avoid the sinking, drowning and rescue, but thanks for the ideas.

Maybe if a big studio picked it up, we could simulate it in the studio. In the Perfect Storm they had a real boat floating inside the studio at Warner Bros. The entire inside was green screen. It has a removable floor with a huge pit and they filled it with water, floated the boat, and then the military was called in with a machine to create the waves to give some motion to the boat. The rest was done in post. Little trivia for you.

What happened to our promised YouTube / video blog first glimpse?