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Unscripted Lives

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Perfection Hidden in a Hostile Jungle

Matthew Irving January 15, 2018

Auyan-tepui, Venezuala - Mike Call traverses along the lip of a boulder just outside of base camp on location for the Point Break remake last October. A few days prior, I had taken a 45 minute helicopter ride from Canaima to the top of Auyan-tepui. Criss-crossing rivers, winding over the jungle canopy, I could see the camp in the distance. The scene was something straight out of a dream. About a dozen tents sat atop pallets dotting the rocky uneven landscape. It was free of vegetation, however a thick jungle was just a stones throw away.

I left the confines of the helicopter and was completely taken off guard by my surroundings. No longer was I suffocated by the thick jungle air, but instead had ascended into the clouds high above the valley floor. That evening, after I had met with Mike and the rest of the crew, we wandered off to explore the surrounding landscape. Giant sandstone boulders sat within sight of camp, however finding a route over was tricky. After working our way around several large chasms, we found an amazing array of boulder problems. Crooked relics formed for a millennia. Overhanging slabs that defied the laws of gravity shot out from all angles. It was perfection hidden in a hostile jungle.

Tags adventure, auyan, auyan-tepui, bouldering, bronica, canaia, climbing, death chasm, film, jungle, kodak, medium format, mike call, millenia, perfection, point break, relics, remake, rivers, rock climbing, sandstone, tepui, tmax400, unscripted lives, venezuela

Beautiful and Remote

Matthew Irving October 23, 2017

I consider myself a fairly lucky person, having opportunities to visit some of the most beautiful and remote places on the planet. Angel Falls is one such location. I was there late last year with Mike Call, filming for the upcoming hollywood remake of Point Break. This was my first, and hopefully not last, big budget hollywood film. It was definitely interesting to see how it operated in comparison to most of the smaller budget projects I’ve worked on. I wouldn’t necessarily say that it’s better or worse, it’s just different. Money doesn’t make all the issues go away, and in many cases, it causes some. However, one thing that it did bring to the table was an awesome crew capable of pulling off some shots that would have been impossible otherwise.

Tags 2015, AC, angel falls, awesome crew, beautiful, big budget, black and white, bronica, film, hollywood, jungle, kodak, medium format, mike call, point break, remake, remote, tallest, tepuy, tmax400, unscripted lives, venezuela, waterfall

Standing Alone

Matthew Irving October 9, 2017

Standing alone, reaching toward the sky, Devil’s Tower looms over the surrounding landscape.

Tags basalt, black and white, bronica, devil's tower, devil's tower national monument, film, history, hulett, imax, kodak, legend, medium format, monolith, old volcano, rock climbing, standing alone, tmax400, unscripted lives, wyoming