Video
Check out this great short film by friend & filmmaker, James Frystak, featuring three trail runners using their passion to raise awareness about the beauty and destruction of BC's coastal ancient forests.
The film follows the runners through stunning old-growth forests like Avatar and Eden Grove and the brutal new clearcuts on Edinburgh Mountain near Port Renfrew in Pacheedaht territory.
As the last remaining old-growth forests of British Columbia are reduced to clear cuts and 2nd growth plantations, a group of trail runners and big tree activists come together to explore what it will take to save the endangered Eden Grove of Port Renfrew, British Columbia. Please share this and head to https://www.ancientforestalliance.org/take-action/ and sign the Petition to Protect BC's Endangered Old-Growth Forests and Forestry Jobs
Slow motion footage of the giant waves at Sombro Beach in January 2020. The swell measured 7.5m or 25ft! The biggest I've ever seen out there. Shot on the Canon 5D MKIV
Excited to share the latest Ancient Forest Alliance video highlighting the village of Tahsis and the at-risk McKelvie Valley watershed. It was a challenge to film this while also shooting stills but stoked on the final result! Thanks goes to Tahsis locals Martin Davis, Ramsay Dyer, & Carla Haywood for giving us the grand tour, Nick Temos for the flight time, and Daniel J Pierce for the superb editing job as well.
Be sure to check out Anthropocene: The Human Epoch, the latest documentary film by the award-winning creators of Manufactured Landscapes (2006) and Watermark (2013).
The film, which had shoots in 43 locations in 20 different countries, also features scenes of Avatar Grove and old-growth logging on Vancouver Island as one of many examples of how humans are dramatically altering the natural world.
I had the amazing opportunity of guiding the crew to the big trees and big stumps around Port Renfrew over the past 2 years and it's been a great reminder that, even on a global scale, the ancient forests of BC are some of the most precious and threatened places on the planet.
The film features some of my own footage too, including recent logging in the Nahmint Valley and raw log exports in Port Alberni. For more than a decade I have looked up to renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky and I'm honoured to have worked alongside him and the rest of the talented team as well.
Read director Jennifer Baichwal's recent interview in the Times Colonist.
Below are a few behind-the-scenes snaps from our time shooting in Port Renfrew.
I'm excited to share the new documentary Giant Tree Hunters about the efforts to find and protect Canada's largest trees and grandest old-growth temperate rainforests on Vancouver Island! The film features the activities of Ancient Forest Alliance campaigners Ken Wu and myself; forest ecologists Dr. Andy MacKinnon and Dr. Sally Aitken of the BC Big Tree Registry; and tree climbers Matthew Beatty and Damien Carre of Expedition Old Growth. It was produced by Nootka St. Film Company for Telus Optik TV. Huge thanks to everyone who brought this project to life!
In his new 8-minute documentary titled No Degree of Scarcity, renowned US filmmaker Joe Callander highlights Big Lonely Doug and old-growth logging on Vancouver Island. Joe came to the island for a brief stint and followed myself and Ken Wu of the Ancient Forest Alliance through the clearcut around Big Lonely Doug by Edinburgh Mountain and to the Walbran Valley. He also spoke with Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce president Dan Hager about old-growth forests and the local economy. The video includes some of my photography and drone footage as well. Thanks to Joe for taking the time to cover this story. You can see more of his films here.
Here is the latest drone video that I filmed and produced with the Ancient Forest Alliance. It features the endangered ancient forests found at Echo Lake, which lies in the territory of the Sts'ailes First Nation band between Mission and Agassiz about 100 km east of Vancouver, BC. Since the introduction of HD video to DSLR cameras, photographers have increasingly become expected to produce video alongside stills. They really are two very separate things though that require you to think, frame, and shoot differently. Without formal training in film making, many of us photographers are having to learn on our own through searching the internet or asking our videographer friends for tips. This was the first video I've made that includes interviews with people and I've learned a lot through the process for next time. Many of the location visits that we do with AFA are shot under super tight timelines as well - usually a single afternoon visit - that involve running around the forest capturing photos, switching to handheld video for some clips on the fly, quickly flying our drone (DJI Phantom 3 Pro) for an aerial view, before speaking with someone about the issue and heading home! It makes for a challenging work environment to capture it all in one go on your own to say the least. I'm having a lot of fun flying the drone lately though and am excited to continue incorporating it into our conservation efforts. It's just a perfect fit! Hope you enjoy :)
Please take a second to send a letter to the BC government as well at: www.ProtectEchoLake.com
I'm excited to be a part of 'Back to the Roots', a forest-themed evening at this year's Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) taking place tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 23 at the Rio Theater. I'll be presenting the Ancient Forest Alliance documentary produced by Darryl Augustine, the drone video I filmed of our climb up Big Lonely Doug, and a slideshow of my favourite images from the coast. The night also features a peek at the Heartwood Documentree by Daniel Pierce and a short documentary titled "Primeval" by Damien Gillis on the ancient forests of the Incomappleux Valley. The event starts at 7:30pm (doors 6:30pm) and tickets ($19) are available online here. If you're in the area, it would be great to see you there!
The night was fantastic!! Thank you to everyone who made it out! It was an honour presenting to a sold-out crowd of over 400 people. If you weren't able to make the event, you can still see the videos I shared below. Best, TJ.
