Why Tonga? Well.. I’ve shot a lot in the Grampians and Arapiles and have been in search of a new story to be told. I have a feeling that audiences would appreciate this too. I heard about a recon mission that some friends from New Zealand are planning to a remote Pacific island called ‘Eua, and it sounds like the perfect setup for a short doco - say 15 mins.
As a freelancer on an irregular income, it’s not easy to commit to being away working on a climbing video for free while missing out on paid work back in Melbourne. But being able to cover the travel expenses would make a massive difference.
If you’ve ever enjoyed the climbing vids I’ve shot in the past, I’d really appreciate your support on this one, which I think has the potential to be the best yet.
We have 10 days to go on the Eua Climbing Doco campaign and we’re about 80% of the way there, but could definitely use a little more support to ensure we make it the whole way! http://pozible.com/project/eua-climbing-doco
A little progress update: over in NZ, the team are currently testing the titanium bolts that have arrived, and so far so good. $270 raised from this fundraiser has already been allocated towards cost of bolts and glue.
Meanwhile over here in Melbourne, I’ve shot a quick teaser on the coast with the Phantom 4 drone to give you an idea of the production quality we’re going for on the aerials. For me personally, expenses are racking up with additional batts, hard drives, memory cards etc. all going towards the usage on this shoot, making the coverage of travel expenses the fundraiser is for even more critical.
And a comment I recently received on Youtube from a former local: “I actually grew up on 'Eua and now volunteer for Adelaide University guiding students on a yearly Tonga trip (to Tongatapu and 'Eua) as part of a Pacific Cultural Studies course. 'Eua is an incredibly wild and beautiful place and definitely has some awesome lines to send."
Also - just to clarify - I won’t be climbing on this trip. In fact I'm not even bringing rock shoes, which are still sitting on the shelf at Arapiles Resoles waiting for me to pick them up (sorry, Phil). It’s all about getting as much great footage as I can. So come on, folks, help us get all the way there to 100% and you’ll have some great content to enjoy, and hopefully an awesome new climbing destination to visit in the future :D