Post-Production Work for American Whitewater and Patagonia
Did You Know That We Operate a Post-Production House?
When Missoula, Montana-based production company Wild Confluence Media came calling with footage in-hand for their clients American Whitewater and Patagonia, we jumped at the chance to flex our in-house post-production chops and bring their inspirational Wild Olympics campaign video to life. We’re proud post-production partners on this initiative to protect the pristine forests and watersheds of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. Join us on a journey deep into the heart of the Olympic rain forest.
About American Whitewater
American Whitewater was founded in 1954 as a small but scrappy non-profit, fighting for the protection of rivers and waterways. Now 6000-members-strong, AW is the primary advocate for the preservation and protection of whitewater rivers throughout the United State. They retain that same determined spirit that saw their founder, WWII veteran, Ph.D. in Ornithology, and University of Missouri professor, Oscar "Oz" Hawksley, lead the first modern descent of Idaho's upper Selway River, which is still considered one of the most coveted whitewater runs in all of North America. Oz ran a 6-foot fall in a canoe on that expedition, and the pioneering spirit of American Whitewater hasn't changed all that much since those early years.
The Power of the Paddling Collective
Although their work provides invaluable environmental protection and support to some of North America's most ecologically important river systems, much of what they do is advocate for recreational river lovers. Their ability to enact change and influence policy comes from believing that mobilizing the rafting and paddling community to show up and support their local rivers is vital. That's how they can have such a sweeping impact with just a dozen staffers on the books.
Protecting America’s Rivers
In 2019 alone, American Whitewater secured protection for 621 miles of rivers by adding them to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The new legislation they are proposing in 2020 is even more comprehensive and would protect over 1000 miles of rivers and 1.3 million acres of public land. That includes 464 miles of rivers and streams on Washington's Olympic Peninsula.
The wild rivers of the Olympic Peninsula
Patagonia Co-Sponsors the Wild Olympics Campaign
“Wild Olympics” is a coalition working to protect the wild forests and river watersheds on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula. This large arm of land lies across Puget Sound from Seattle and contains Olympic National Park. Wild Olympics' goal is to designate additional areas on the peninsula as protected and extend federal Wild and Scenic River designations to 19 additional rivers, including the Quinault, Hoh, Elwha, and Hamma Hamma. These designations would protect critical salmon habitat, conserve ancient forests, ensure clean drinking water sources for local communities, and expand recreation opportunities like hiking, camping, boating, and fishing.
Patagonia and American Whitewater are strong advocates for the Wild Olympics campaign and co-sponsored a promotional video to draw attention to its benefits. Their footage of towering ancient forests, virgin rivers teeming with young salmon, and adventurous kayakers riding foaming whitewater aim to highlight the ecosystem's outstanding health; this campaign isn't about regeneration it's about conserving a remarkably well-intact ecosystem before it comes under threat.
Telling the Story of the Rivers of the Olympic Peninsula
Teaming-Up With Wild Confluence Media
We received a call from Wild Confluence Media Directors Colin Arisman and Tyler Wilkinson-Ray. Their calendars were packed full of fieldwork, and they were hard-pressed to edit and deliver their film before the project’s deadline. They had poured their heart and soul into shooting the project and needed a post-production studio to wrap the edit, interface with their clients, develop a graphic package, and deliver the final video. We were thrilled to be able to take the project down the home stretch.
Structuring the Narrative
Wild Confluence Media sent the RAW video files to Bogota. Our team quickly evaluated all of the hours of footage, built both video and audio workflows on our studio’s media servers, and created a storyboard using Colin and Tyler’s vision cross-referenced with the client’s brief. Wild Confluence’s goal was to capture the magic of a journey through the Olympic Peninsula’s wilderness through kayakers’ eyes and also the salmon that swim these same rivers on their annual migration to their spawning grounds. By seamlessly flowing between shots of the kayakers and the salmon, they could show these rivers from two of the principal beneficiaries of the Wild Olympics campaign: outdoor enthusiasts and wild nature.
Kayakers en route to the river in the forests of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula, the focus of the ‘Wild Olympics’ campaign
Setting the Scene
We contextualize the rivers and forests of the peninsula, with gorgeous shots of the misty, sun-kissed forests at dawn. The kayakers carry their gear across mossy fallen logs. Suddenly, the river appears, and we cut to the first shots of our human protagonists riding down the foaming rapids. As we follow them downriver, we periodically find ourselves submerged in the crystal-clear waters, eye-level with young salmon, gently rippling in the current. Drone shots highlight the vastness of the untouched landscapes. Our kayakers cast a line into the river, and pose with their catch: two giant Chinook salmon, the largest Pacific species. By showing the stages of salmon growth, from the tiny young salmon to these old beasts, the video highlights these ecosystems' health: salmon can only grow to such enormous size when conditions are as perfect as they are in the rivers of the Olympic Peninsula.
Immersive Audio
The audio treatment of the video continues on that immersive theme. Throughout the video, we included ambient sound along with the off-screen narrative voices and gentle background music. These ambient sounds of the rumbling wild rivers, swimming salmon, kayak paddles gently breaking the water's surface, and distant birdsong bring the viewer into the environment's peace and tranquillity. This immersive audio experience further emphasizes what the Olympic Peninsula has and what it stands to lose if not protected.
A Call to Action
The video ends with a simple call-to-action on behalf of Wild Olympics: everything you've just seen, from the ancient forests to the salmon, is at stake here. We need to act now to protect this special place before it can be exploited and destroyed like so many other wild places.
A WhereNext editor hard at work in one of the full-service editing suites at our post-production studio
Contact us or read more about our post-production house services.
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