As creatives, the majority of projects stem from two sources: for love and for money. And then there are the rare opportunities when a spur of the moment decision can land yourself in a once-in-a-lifetime situation. Joining a band of brothers on a voyage to explore uncharted waters of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska is one of them. Being no strangers to the Arctic, the crew at Fielder Films dropped everything and committed to documenting this adventure. We sat down with Ben Weiland and Brian Davis, cinematographer and editor, to chat about their film "The Search for Volcano Island" and dug into why they felt compelled to tell this story.

We’ve seen you do plenty of research and scouting trips before setting out to make a film, but it sounds like this opportunity came on a whim! How did it come about and what was the timeline for you to jump on the project?

Ben Weiland: It started while I was on tour for our last film “Island X”. After one of the showings in San Francisco I met Ricky McDevitt. He told me that he had planned a trip with a group of brothers to explore a remote part of the Aleutian Island chain for surf. He had an extra spot on the boat and offered it to me. I didn’t know these guys, but a trip like that is once in a lifetime. It’s a place that had barely been documented outside of scientific research.

What separated this opportunity from the other films you’ve made? One could say this film is similar by way of surf exploration, but did this one have a deeper story?

BW: The crew in this film were not pro surfers. These guys were working blue collar jobs and planning the trip on their own. For me, rather than producing the expedition, I was just along for the ride, documenting whatever happened along the way. This allowed the characters in the film to develop in an interesting way. They had never been on a trip like this before. Not only were they on a trip to discover the potential of this region, but they were also discovering what they were capable of.

How did you handle pre-production for this film since it was heavily character driven? You obviously let the story develop by itself once you started filming, but did you have a different approach compared to past projects?

BW: I spent a few days driving up to SF from my home in San Diego to spend time with the brothers and get to know them before the trip. I shot with them around their home town in Pacifica where they grew up together. I wanted to find out who they were, what their values and outlook on life were all about. This set the stage for the actual expedition.

"Ricky had an extra spot on the boat and offered it to me. I didn’t know these guys, but a trip like that is once in a lifetime. It’s a place that had barely been documented outside of scientific research."

 

For prior films such as "Island X", Fielder was heavily involved in the planning and producing side of the film. How was the experience of being able to focus solely on shooting and documenting the trip vs worrying about the logistics as a producer?

BW: On the adventure films we make, we tend to wear a lot of hats, because it is a relatively small production. It’s challenging to juggle producing, shooting and directing. That’s why it’s been so amazing for Brian and me to work together as a team. On this expedition I was shooting alone. So it was nice to go along for the ride. But as a filmmaker, I still had to insert myself, to initiate situations and shots every day, to make sure I was capturing moments that convey the story. In the back of my mind, I was constantly running the events that unfolded through a process: how does this fit in with the larger story that I want to tell about this trip. Filmmaking is essentially filtering the events of life into a condensed format that delivers the meaningful moments and leaves out the things that don’t contribute to the larger meaning 

Did you feel an immense pressure on you as you documented these remote island chains that had never been photographed or filmed before?

BW: It was pretty crazy to go into an area that I knew almost nothing about ahead of time. As I searched online, I found very little information about the islands we were heading to. Because of this, I cast a wide net to prepare for what could happen. I planned to be able to shoot in that water, at high altitude with a drone, and to paddle from the boat into shore and film on land. Each of these were challenging in their own rite. I unlocked my drones to fly up to 9000ft so I could capture the volcanoes near their summit altitude, and I built a kit that would allow me to paddle my camera gear through the surf onto unfamiliar shores.

Even with as much planning and gear prep as you did, did you still encounter struggles in the field? Filming at such a remote location must’ve given you some headaches in terms of gear, let alone the constant weather fluctuations and how that might effect camera settings and operation.

BW: Most of the trip took place on a boat. And the Aleutians are known for savage weather. Flying a drone from a moving boat, in unknown terrain, at high altitude, in uncertain wind speeds was a huge challenge. Thankfully no drones were lost! Shooting in the water is also hard. The water housing is temperamental. You’re dealing with different temperatures inside and outside the house. But you're also swimming in the wave at unknown surf spots, sometimes through thick kelp and along rocky shores with current. But it's all part of the fun.

Brian Davis: Haha, yeah that’s a fair way to put it! Going into this project we did a lot of pre-production work ahead of time which really helped to give us our general storyline. We identified who the main character would be so once we had that it really gave us a lot to work off and how to shoot the film. All in all the story clicked pretty fast, but there’s always a bit of back and forth that naturally happens to flush out a scene but that’s all just part of the process.

What types of elements did you implement in the film? Was there a lot of sound design, animation, VO etc?

BD: Ya, we really leaned into all of these things! With "Island X" we established animation as a key part to the film and people seemed to really like that, so we cranked it up even more in this film. I'll let Ben speak more on this. Sound design is a huge part in making scenes feel more alive so we put a fair bit of effort into sound design and worked with our friend Scott Middough to help mix and master the final sound for the film.

BW: Similar to “Island X”, in this film I illustrated the animation scenes and our friend Jordan Serra brought them to life. Brian and I wanted to dive deeper into the history and science behind the islands in the film, and animation seemed like the ideal way to do this. As a filmmaker it allows you to widen the scope of the story that is being told, because animation allows you to visually show so much more.

"In the back of my mind, I was constantly running the events that unfolded through a process: how does this fit in with the larger story that I want to tell about this trip."

The Search for Volcano Island is going on tour, but this isn’t your first go at putting on a multi-city screening event. What have you learned from past tours and what are you trying to do differently?

BD: It’s a lot of work, but it's why we make films in the first place. A big reason Ben and I love doing this is to gather people together to show a film at an in person event. You can feel the energy in the room and it’s so rewarding to bring the show on the road rather than just releasing it online. I guess we learned the importance of rolling with the punches, every venue is different there are unplanned technical hurdles but it always works out, we’ve had several occasions where we almost couldn’t show the film, due to a missing cable, audio issues, or some other odd situation, but somehow the show always goes on and people are always stoked to get together and enjoy the event.

A huge hurdle for our BR films, and for many filmmakers alike, is the struggle of knowing whether a film is actually strong, or if we are just in love [or hate!] with our own work. It’s inevitable to start doubting a film, which can cause a filmmaker to hesitate on when it’s the right version to release the film. How do you guys handle those thoughts? How do you know when a Fielder Film is ready to be premiered?

BD: It’s easy to fall in love with your work but does it resonate with others? Something we’ve been experimenting with in recent years is doing small test screenings with a group of friends, maybe 10-15 people in a room. When you see how other people react to a scene or if something is confusing you know right away what tweaks to make. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking the audience knows what you as the filmmaker knows but almost always you need to make sure it makes sense on a very elementary level so people aren’t confused. As soon as that happens you’ve lost your audience if they can’t follow the story. This is something we continue to learn about.

"As artists and craftsmen it's our job to make sure the story is told in a way that is most exciting, fun, powerful and memorable. When that happens, there’s no telling what the effect of a story can have on your life."

As a filmmaker or photographer on a trip like this there’s always a sense of fun in documenting the story, but the film crew never really gets to have the same experience as the subjects. So here’s our only surf related question - did you personally score any waves!? At the end of the day this isn’t a normal job and this could be a once in a lifetime experience, so how do you balance the need to document the story while also personally enjoying the trip?

BW: I did get to surf a few times. But for me, ultimately it’s a lot more rewarding to capture a once-in-a-lifetime expedition like this than to surf myself. There was one day in particular, when the waves were as perfect as I could imagine, where I decided to put the camera down and surf, at a time when I probably shouldn't have. It’s rare to get good waves on a trip like this. I probably should have kept filming. But I’ll never forget getting those waves under a snow capped volcano. It’s a tension thats always there for me.

With filmmaking and storytelling a journey in and of itself, what are the deeper takeaways and learning experiences you’ve gained after each trip / project such as this? How does it inspire each of you and the vision you have for Fielder in the future?

BD: I think for me there are two main takeaways. I always leave a project having learned some new editing techniques around story mechanics of a film. For this film I learned how to differentiate between the different characters on the trip, they all have different personalities and I think that shines through in the editing of the film. The other thing that gets me excited for future Fielder Films is human stories and the impact that can have. With Fielder we get excited about new projects, be it a surf film or not, but the idea of compelling human stories and how we all relate to, learn, or are inspired by the human experience. I think at least for me, that's what keeps me inspired and wanting to create more films.

BW: Bridging the gap between the actual experience of a trip like this, to a film that connects with the viewer, is extremely challenging and exciting. There are endless creative approaches that can be taken. I see our process at Fielder as an exploration of how to do just that. Cinematography, animation, music, sound design, interviews, story structure—all of these elements tell a story that has the power to bring deep meaning to the audience. As artists and craftsmen it's our job to make sure the story is told in a way that is most exciting, fun, powerful and memorable. When that happens, there’s no telling what the effect of a story can have on your life.

You can find Ben and Brian on the road as Fielder Films kicks off The Search for Volcano Island tour this August:

 

 The Search for Volcano Island is an original Fielder Films production. Cinematography by Ben Weiland | Edited by Brian Davis | Animation by Jordan Serra | Sound Mix by Scott Middough | Colored by Madison Dyer | Original Score by Matt Costa

Fielder Films | Ben Weiland | Brian Davis