"Jim and Tori Baird thought their days of professional adventuring were over when their son Wesley was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder. But after learning from doctors that being immersed in nature could have a positive impact on his development, they take Wes and his baby brother on expeditions into the backcountry to see if an off-grid life would be not only possible but beneficial for their family."
This Swiss Family Robinson-esq expedition series follows the Baird’s as they explore the remote waterways of Ontario, in search of an off-grid plot to build their dream wilderness home. I took on principal DP duties, running a small but hardy camera team as we endeavoured to capture the rugged realities of remote river travel while showcasing the magnificent beauty of Ontario in summer. I wanted to be able to follow the adventure in a verité style, without interrupting the action or staging for camera, while keeping flowing cinematic movement to compliment the sense of travel. As a result, we ended up taking a multiple-gimbal approach running a Canoe mounted system for the boat-to-boat travel and a quickly deployable second system for quick transitions to land for portages and camp scenes. Technically challenging and creatively rewarding!