Life isn’t fun without detours

Holland’s leading female adventure motorcyclist rides the world.

Part of the “Short Films” screening.

FIVE MINUTES WITH JOE LEE

ATFF:
Hello, not long now till this summer’s Adventure Travel Film Festival. We are so excited to be sharing so many fantastic films this year. Let’s start with a quick summary of yours, what’s it about?

Joe:

Thanks for inviting me!

My short film is actually about a Dutch woman (Nora) who travelled from the Netherlands to Bali solo on her motorcycle over 11 months. I don’t want to give too much away as it’s only 5 mins long 🙂

ATFF:

How did the film come about? Was it something that you’ve always been interested in?

Joe:

I started in the world of video/filmmaking after entering a local filming weekend competition a couple of years ago. The film was terrible but the experience inspired me –  it was a fun to just create something! I don’t have a formal background in film making. I’m the type of person who likes to figure stuff out as I go and I’m still at the stage where everything is new, fun and exciting!

Last summer I found a travel film competition geared towards solo non-professional film makers. Until that point I had created short pieces in a team for fun, but I figured it was time to try to step up a level and do something on my own.

I had been following Nora on her YouTube channel as she documented her trip (with over 300 videos!) and I came up with the idea of creating a short piece to summarise her trip. So I contacted her and it just so happened that she was finishing her epic trip and was free to meet up. I packed my gear and headed to the Netherlands without a solid plan as to how I was going to approach the project. We did a couple of interviews, and I didn’t get much sleep for a week trying to edit something. I re-cut the piece over and over while also  learning how to use After Effects.

I didn’t get anywhere in the film competition BUT I made a good friend and learnt a lot about myself as a film maker.

ATFF:

This years films have spanned oceans mountains, glaciers… a huge range of environments. What challenges did you face in making yours?

Joe:

My physical journey went very smoothly. I jumped on a cheap Easyjet flight and to went to a very flat country. The physical adventure was Nora’s motorcycle trip.

The real adventure for me is the creative endeavour. I get a kick out of trying to create something of reasonable quality. I figured there must be an accessible  approach to storytelling. I discovered Dan Harmon’s story circles and I got very nerdy trying to figure it out. It was so fun!

I wanted to craft something that people could connect with emotionally in a short space of time. Yes, there are many technical mistakes as I didn’t have much time for post-production but I’m hoping that the audience can see past the problems and enjoy the story.

ATFF:

Is there anything that you would like audiences to take away from your film?

Joe:

If you’re about to make your first travel film or go on that epic trip of a lifetime, the really hard thing is taking that first step… oh and using After Effects. It’s s@*$!!

All the preparation in the world cannot completely prepare you for an adventure. Take a leap of faith and well, Life Ain’t Fun Without Detours 😉

ATFF:

We have lots of people come to the festival who aspire to future film makers. Do you have any advice?

Joe:

Practice makes perfect and have a deadline. Talk to other filmmakers, they’re generally a friendly bunch! Especially if you buy them beer or wine 😉

ATFF:

Are you coming to this years festival? How can audiences find out more and connect with you?

Joe:

Yes for sure! It’s one of my fave film festivals! I’m the short chinese fella looking a bit lost and probably holding a pint.

People can find me on my YouTube channel www.youtube.com/c/thiswayupworld or via twitter https://twitter.com/thiswayup

If you’re on the fence whether to come or not to come to ATFF, check out my quick overview video on my channel (ahem plug plug).

I recommend checking out Nora’s channel as well

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOZaDWUdUhSyz4TXLeAuKtA

ATFF:

Thanks, we can’t wait to share the films this year!

More films: