Nepal Adventure Film 2018
Donation protected
My name is Ben Black and I'm a digital storyteller/film-maker in Colorado. In my spare time I like to get out and adventure, with whatever medium that may be. And while living in Colorado, there are plenty of local adventures to partake in, I am ready for the next step. I'm making a GoFundMe today because I have a trip planned in Nepal with a few awesome humans, traveling through most of the country on a motorcycle. From seeing the birth-place of Buddha, to the peacefulness of Pokhara, then to the hectic city of Kathmandu, and to finally finding our way toward the Namche Bazar near Lukla. I want to visit Nepal to learn more about the culture at large, see the beautiful landscapes with low valleys and ultra-high peaks, and for the sake of adventure in a third world country which is also assumed to be the most peaceful place on Earth. I will create a documentary/short form style film to capture our adventure each step of the way. Keep on reading...
(Nepal is shown in maroon, Adobe Stock)
Nepali People:
========================================
The Nepali people are a people of culture, home to many different nationalities and ethnic groups. Religions consisting mainly of Buddhist's and Hindu's, with prayer flags dangling all around along with prayer wheels waiting to be spun in a clock-wise motion. The Nepali people speak Nepalese and their writing is in Mandarin. They live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Tibet, and India border the small country of Nepal. The country itself has enormous altitude gains/declines, with the lowest altitude at 194ft in the tropical Terai to the highest altitude at 29,029ft being the summit of Mount Everest.
(A motorcyclist traveling on a road through Nepal, Adobe Stock)
The Idea:
========================================
Adventure is all around this country, and we are going to travel it via motorcycle. Our trip will consist of, landing in Kathmandu, heading toward Lumbini, then to the lake town of Pokhara, on to Upper Mustang Region and then to Namche Bazar near Lukla. Finally, we will then travel from Lukla to Langtang National Park and then back to Kathmandu. This trip was inspired by the vastness of Nepal, and also for a different type of adventure. One Nepal is not commonly known for. Each night will be spent either camping in a unique place, staying with a local, or staying in a hotel in Kathmandu. As far as other activities aside from motorcycle adventuring, we will be stopping to learn how to paraglide, trying to climb a mountain of some height, hit some local crags for rock climbing, as well as taking a flight over the Himalayas by plane. Video and photos will be captured all along the way.
Background and Qualifications:
========================================
(Ben Black)
Having a film-making degree from The Art Institute of Colorado since 2016, I can make almost anything happen when it comes to the entire process of digital storytelling. I know what it takes to create a great story, and I see this being one of them. But before all of that, I was a local pro motocross racer in the state of Colorado from 2007 to 2013. I've been riding dirt bikes since I was 9 years old and started racing when I was 11 years old. As far as hobbies go right now, I still enjoy visual storytelling, rock climbing, camping and riding dirt bikes for the fun of it.
I believe that I am in a pretty good position with my background and qualifications to tell this story and share our adventure. I am ready for the next big project, and this is it!
(Night shot of a mountain in Nepal, Adobe Stock)
In addition, we have all been on multiple adventures, just not together. This will test our strengths and wills to the point of great friendship. We all have studied some small portion of survival techniques throughout our days, so the trip itself should not be a problem if we get off route. As far as filming goes, we are well ahead of schedule for a great story to emerge!
(Painting of motorcycle in Nepal, Adobe Stock)
During the past year and a half, I've been surviving as a freelance video editor, camera operator, and production assistant. Through that and film school, I have the knowledge and experience to achieve this goal. Riding a motorcycle comes second nature to me, so that shouldn't be an issue for myself or for the others, as I can help them if need be.
Team Players:
========================================
(Riley Reed)
No newbie to adventure, Riley Reed has conquered some 14ers and climbed some beautiful rocks. One of his favorite things is cooking over a fire while camping under the stars. Riley was previously a photographer for a zip-line company in Colorado, so he can handle his fair share of photos and video work. Riley is now studying Wildlife Biology at Colorado State University in Colorado, so that will be helpful for voice over work, along with any wild life encounters or biology reports. He is ready to get on a bike and adventure on a larger scale.
Riley can help make this production a reality with his camera skills along with his drive and passion. "If you can think of the definition of adventure, this is it!"
(Fred Drenning)
From building rock walls to participating in Burning Man, Fred Drenning is as far out there as they come. Traveling is common among Fred, for he has been to New Zealand, Mexico and other places. Fred has ridden a motorcycle throughout his life, and this trip is the next big step for him.
Fred can make this goal come to life by providing power to our production along with audio. He will also guide us on our travels internationally through airports as well as the city of Kathmandu and help navigate while on our motorcycles. His second name isn't EARTH for no reason. "This is the next stage of my traveling life and motorcycle adventures, bring it on!"
(Jake Reaves)
Hailing all the way from Dry Ridge, Kentucky. Jake Reaves is a lifer, a dirt bag, a climber, a painter, an artist, a previous zip-line guide, as well as ATV guide. He has wanted to see Nepal for 4 years now, since moving to Colorado and experiencing the mountains here. He's picked up a camera since then as well.
Jake can make this trip a dream since he has helped me out with many of my films in the past. He can help operate on set and make a shoot run smooth. He is skilled when it comes to ATV riding, so I feel confident he can learn the skill of riding two wheels before we fly out.
Why is this particular adventure important to understand?
========================================
Adventure is becoming more and more popular as the years grow, and so is Nepal. Nepal is a tourist destination with growing rates. We want to travel this country and share our story.
Now? Why?
========================================
With our bones growing more fragile each year, the time to jump on this is now, while we are younger. I haven't seen a well-done story on a motorcycle adventure in Nepal yet, so this is a great time to get it done. As for the culture, I think we are all ready for a shock. The lifestyle over in Nepal is far from that in America. Nepal is one of the cheaper countries to fly to at the moment as well, but it is making a comeback with tourism, so it may become a more expensive country to fly to in a few years.
Aren't there better people to have go one this trip to tell this story?
========================================
"Great documentary films are more about the filmmaker than the story being told, and Ben Black is in a unique position to tell the story of this country, its people and culture. He's much more than an extraordinarily talented documentary filmmaker; he's a quiet, passionate visual artist who knows how to observe, listen and let the story tell itself, rather than impose his own views. The nation of Nepal is so distant and unknown to most Westerners, and a motorcycle journey across this beautiful landscape harkens to the days of travel by horseback across distant lands by storytellers of previous centuries. I truly believe Ben will tell us a wonderfully visual and engaging story that reflects the beauty of this corner of the world while respecting the culture of its fascinating inhabitants."
- Kevin Campbell, owner of Kevin Campbell Films.
Let's rally!
========================================
As a team, Riley, Fred, Jake and I have the skills, equipment, and passion needed to make our goal a reality and create something inspiringly awesome. But I need your help! Filming in Nepal will be expensive and hard work! The estimated cost of the entire trip is looking to be around $3,000 per person.
We have already booked our flights for $1,034 each, totaling $4,002. Travel insurance is $134 each, totaling $402. Cargo tickets will be more expensive, as I will be bringing my camera equipment along, guestimating $500 for that and cmaping gear. Our Airbnb rental in Kathmandu is looking to be around $1,200 to $1,600 for all four of us. Motorcycle rentals and insurance are looking to total roughly $600 - $800 per person. A film permit is going to cost up to $1,600 through a production comapny in Nepal. My drone will be coming along, so that is an extra fee of guestimating $200. Filming in Nepal also requires a liaison officer in attendance with the film crew at all times. That liaison officer's wage is $150 dollars per day, creating a total of $2,100 for the entire two-week adventure. We will be traveling through one area which requires a special permit, and that is Upper Mustang. When traveling this region, we will need a second liaison officer in attendance, which will cost $150 dollars for one day in Upper Mustang.
All additional expenses that are extra, we will most likely end up covering ourselves. I can't fit all of the equipment travel costs along with the film permit and liaison officer rates into my budget, therefore this film will not happen unless this campaign succeeds or extra funds become available.
We didn't think about going the crowd funding route to begin with but have thought about it over the past few months. Realizing that this is a really adventurous opportunity, we know we need to do what we can to make it happen. By creating this crowd funder, we're stepping it up to the next level, to see if others would be willing to support this grand adventure.
I've set up the campaign so that if it does not raise $9,000 by the time I need to apply for a film permit and have cargo ready (April 15th!) I will forfeit all the pledges and take zero money. It's now or never. Any money donated beyond what we need for permits and travel would be used to purchase better production equipment and audio rights. We will also donate one percent of our total budget to "1% For The Planet" as well as one percent to "Water.org" in support of our Earth, Kathmandu's water crisis, and water recources in general because we need it for adventure as well as survival.
So there it is, if we don't get $9,000 by April 15th in 2018, you get your money back, all of it, and the film project doesn't happen.
Please share on Social Media. Facebook , Instagram , Twitter and e-mail to any friends who might be interested. Check out our website as well! Thanks for taking the time in reading this, and thanks for considering my project!
(Nepal is shown in maroon, Adobe Stock)Nepali People:
========================================
The Nepali people are a people of culture, home to many different nationalities and ethnic groups. Religions consisting mainly of Buddhist's and Hindu's, with prayer flags dangling all around along with prayer wheels waiting to be spun in a clock-wise motion. The Nepali people speak Nepalese and their writing is in Mandarin. They live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Tibet, and India border the small country of Nepal. The country itself has enormous altitude gains/declines, with the lowest altitude at 194ft in the tropical Terai to the highest altitude at 29,029ft being the summit of Mount Everest.
(A motorcyclist traveling on a road through Nepal, Adobe Stock)The Idea:
========================================
Adventure is all around this country, and we are going to travel it via motorcycle. Our trip will consist of, landing in Kathmandu, heading toward Lumbini, then to the lake town of Pokhara, on to Upper Mustang Region and then to Namche Bazar near Lukla. Finally, we will then travel from Lukla to Langtang National Park and then back to Kathmandu. This trip was inspired by the vastness of Nepal, and also for a different type of adventure. One Nepal is not commonly known for. Each night will be spent either camping in a unique place, staying with a local, or staying in a hotel in Kathmandu. As far as other activities aside from motorcycle adventuring, we will be stopping to learn how to paraglide, trying to climb a mountain of some height, hit some local crags for rock climbing, as well as taking a flight over the Himalayas by plane. Video and photos will be captured all along the way.
Background and Qualifications:
========================================
(Ben Black)
Having a film-making degree from The Art Institute of Colorado since 2016, I can make almost anything happen when it comes to the entire process of digital storytelling. I know what it takes to create a great story, and I see this being one of them. But before all of that, I was a local pro motocross racer in the state of Colorado from 2007 to 2013. I've been riding dirt bikes since I was 9 years old and started racing when I was 11 years old. As far as hobbies go right now, I still enjoy visual storytelling, rock climbing, camping and riding dirt bikes for the fun of it.
I believe that I am in a pretty good position with my background and qualifications to tell this story and share our adventure. I am ready for the next big project, and this is it!
(Night shot of a mountain in Nepal, Adobe Stock)In addition, we have all been on multiple adventures, just not together. This will test our strengths and wills to the point of great friendship. We all have studied some small portion of survival techniques throughout our days, so the trip itself should not be a problem if we get off route. As far as filming goes, we are well ahead of schedule for a great story to emerge!
(Painting of motorcycle in Nepal, Adobe Stock)During the past year and a half, I've been surviving as a freelance video editor, camera operator, and production assistant. Through that and film school, I have the knowledge and experience to achieve this goal. Riding a motorcycle comes second nature to me, so that shouldn't be an issue for myself or for the others, as I can help them if need be.
Team Players:
========================================
(Riley Reed)
No newbie to adventure, Riley Reed has conquered some 14ers and climbed some beautiful rocks. One of his favorite things is cooking over a fire while camping under the stars. Riley was previously a photographer for a zip-line company in Colorado, so he can handle his fair share of photos and video work. Riley is now studying Wildlife Biology at Colorado State University in Colorado, so that will be helpful for voice over work, along with any wild life encounters or biology reports. He is ready to get on a bike and adventure on a larger scale.
Riley can help make this production a reality with his camera skills along with his drive and passion. "If you can think of the definition of adventure, this is it!"
(Fred Drenning)
From building rock walls to participating in Burning Man, Fred Drenning is as far out there as they come. Traveling is common among Fred, for he has been to New Zealand, Mexico and other places. Fred has ridden a motorcycle throughout his life, and this trip is the next big step for him.
Fred can make this goal come to life by providing power to our production along with audio. He will also guide us on our travels internationally through airports as well as the city of Kathmandu and help navigate while on our motorcycles. His second name isn't EARTH for no reason. "This is the next stage of my traveling life and motorcycle adventures, bring it on!"
(Jake Reaves)
Hailing all the way from Dry Ridge, Kentucky. Jake Reaves is a lifer, a dirt bag, a climber, a painter, an artist, a previous zip-line guide, as well as ATV guide. He has wanted to see Nepal for 4 years now, since moving to Colorado and experiencing the mountains here. He's picked up a camera since then as well.
Jake can make this trip a dream since he has helped me out with many of my films in the past. He can help operate on set and make a shoot run smooth. He is skilled when it comes to ATV riding, so I feel confident he can learn the skill of riding two wheels before we fly out.
Why is this particular adventure important to understand?
========================================
Adventure is becoming more and more popular as the years grow, and so is Nepal. Nepal is a tourist destination with growing rates. We want to travel this country and share our story.
Now? Why?
========================================
With our bones growing more fragile each year, the time to jump on this is now, while we are younger. I haven't seen a well-done story on a motorcycle adventure in Nepal yet, so this is a great time to get it done. As for the culture, I think we are all ready for a shock. The lifestyle over in Nepal is far from that in America. Nepal is one of the cheaper countries to fly to at the moment as well, but it is making a comeback with tourism, so it may become a more expensive country to fly to in a few years.
Aren't there better people to have go one this trip to tell this story?
========================================
"Great documentary films are more about the filmmaker than the story being told, and Ben Black is in a unique position to tell the story of this country, its people and culture. He's much more than an extraordinarily talented documentary filmmaker; he's a quiet, passionate visual artist who knows how to observe, listen and let the story tell itself, rather than impose his own views. The nation of Nepal is so distant and unknown to most Westerners, and a motorcycle journey across this beautiful landscape harkens to the days of travel by horseback across distant lands by storytellers of previous centuries. I truly believe Ben will tell us a wonderfully visual and engaging story that reflects the beauty of this corner of the world while respecting the culture of its fascinating inhabitants."
- Kevin Campbell, owner of Kevin Campbell Films.
Let's rally!
========================================
As a team, Riley, Fred, Jake and I have the skills, equipment, and passion needed to make our goal a reality and create something inspiringly awesome. But I need your help! Filming in Nepal will be expensive and hard work! The estimated cost of the entire trip is looking to be around $3,000 per person.
We have already booked our flights for $1,034 each, totaling $4,002. Travel insurance is $134 each, totaling $402. Cargo tickets will be more expensive, as I will be bringing my camera equipment along, guestimating $500 for that and cmaping gear. Our Airbnb rental in Kathmandu is looking to be around $1,200 to $1,600 for all four of us. Motorcycle rentals and insurance are looking to total roughly $600 - $800 per person. A film permit is going to cost up to $1,600 through a production comapny in Nepal. My drone will be coming along, so that is an extra fee of guestimating $200. Filming in Nepal also requires a liaison officer in attendance with the film crew at all times. That liaison officer's wage is $150 dollars per day, creating a total of $2,100 for the entire two-week adventure. We will be traveling through one area which requires a special permit, and that is Upper Mustang. When traveling this region, we will need a second liaison officer in attendance, which will cost $150 dollars for one day in Upper Mustang.
All additional expenses that are extra, we will most likely end up covering ourselves. I can't fit all of the equipment travel costs along with the film permit and liaison officer rates into my budget, therefore this film will not happen unless this campaign succeeds or extra funds become available.
We didn't think about going the crowd funding route to begin with but have thought about it over the past few months. Realizing that this is a really adventurous opportunity, we know we need to do what we can to make it happen. By creating this crowd funder, we're stepping it up to the next level, to see if others would be willing to support this grand adventure.
I've set up the campaign so that if it does not raise $9,000 by the time I need to apply for a film permit and have cargo ready (April 15th!) I will forfeit all the pledges and take zero money. It's now or never. Any money donated beyond what we need for permits and travel would be used to purchase better production equipment and audio rights. We will also donate one percent of our total budget to "1% For The Planet" as well as one percent to "Water.org" in support of our Earth, Kathmandu's water crisis, and water recources in general because we need it for adventure as well as survival.
So there it is, if we don't get $9,000 by April 15th in 2018, you get your money back, all of it, and the film project doesn't happen.
Please share on Social Media. Facebook , Instagram , Twitter and e-mail to any friends who might be interested. Check out our website as well! Thanks for taking the time in reading this, and thanks for considering my project!
Organizer
Ben Black
Organizer
Denver, CO