As of end January 2012, the focus of the story has changed.
Rather than creating a narrative with an invented ending or web series intro or a ???? I am going to take the elements that I love and create a simple 3-5 minute film that will be a stand alone piece.
Not a trailer.
Not a promo.
Not a teaser, or a tickler, or a sizzle reel or a kickstarter video.
Just a simple short film.
With these elements:
Story - Same story. But, rather than focus of film being training for big race in Africa in the future, Natasha is training for her first dirt bike race to take place in Las Cruces in March. She will start by training in the Mescalero sand dunes in Eastern New Mexico.
Story - Same story. But, rather than focus of film being training for big race in Africa in the future, Natasha is training for her first dirt bike race to take place in Las Cruces in March. She will start by training in the Mescalero sand dunes in Eastern New Mexico.
Documenting this will include:
Images of her riding her motorcycle, falling, loading bike on back of Jeep, oil change, being on the bike!
Planning event - both the local race and eventual bigger race: researching, making calls, talking to motorcycle people, planning your journey, looking at maps, etc.
History of DAKAR Rally and Dakar role models: Info on Patsy, Annie, Charlie etc.
ADD Challenges! Shots of Natasha with papers and post its all around you (or whatever confuses you) to visualize you "navigating "the daily struggle of ADD, to SHOW the struggle.
Quest Physics: The goal pulling the character into her future and destiny.
THE GOWN/FRANCE obsession: Images of what you mean by obssessed with gowns and France : pics from the fashion show, food/cooking photos,
Answer the questions: why gowns? need to know more about this...what does the red dress have to do with motorcycles...how do you reconcile these two things, or not?
LONG HELD DREAM: ---pics from 1997 research, scan old letters, letter from sony, journal notes...or maybe video footage of the pile of notebooks, journals, details of notes etc.
Natasha's Race to Dakar
PROJECT TITLE: Natasha’s Race to Dakar
GENRE: Documentary/Sport
DATE: October 7-19, revised Nov 16, revised Dec 1, 2011
52 year old dirt bike rider obsessed with France, cooking and large gowns, navigates the daily struggles of ADD as she pursues her dream of racing a motorcycle 4000 miles across the Sahara in the Heroes Legend Rally, the classic off-road route from Paris to Dakar.
1. Opening Image:
Natasha struggles to pick up her fallen motorcycle at the base of an immense sand dune.
2. Theme Stated:
Narration: “That’s me. If I can’t get up this sand dune, on the motorcycle, I’ll never make it to the start at the Eiffel Tower, much less to the finish line! In October 2012 I’m racing a motorcycle 4000 miles across Africa in the Heroes Legend Rally from Paris, France to Dakar, Senegal. That’s 350 miles a day, for 15 days!
3. Set-Up:
The list of things that must be done before the start at the Eiffel Tower:
*TIMELINE and LIST *Raise $50,000.00
*Learn to navigate, get coaching, get super fit, overcome fear...*Learn moto mechanics.
*Stay organized, plan ahead
*How do they do it? Look at these women who’ve raced in the Dakar Rally in Africa - Annie Seel, Patsy Quick, Jenny Morgan and Tina Meier.
*Then there’s the race and getting to the finish line in Dakar.
4. Catalyst: First time saw group of off road motorcyclists on weekend in the French countryside ‘That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, why didn’t anyone tell me about this?’
5. Debate: FEAR of DEATH and dismemberment;
(doubting Lisa-voice in head that doubts, holds back, doesn’t commit, waits until the right moment)
6. Break into Two: Commit to doing Heroes Legend 2012;
*Point of no return by registering for race and pay 1500 Euros ($2,028.00)
7. B Story: *Use Coco Vain and Natasha and Timeline to clarify and add humor and color
and talk about:
*1997 Living in Paris ….Sony Playstation meeting - Transmedia plan? reference
*Dakar rally history
*Interviews with Jimmy Lewis/Charlie & Women racers; snowball prevention techniques;
8. Fun and Games:
*Fun with navigation; gym before and after body fat etc.; New gear; moto mechanics;
*Falling over in sand dunes with big rally bike;
*Fixing flat tire with mousse and other activity leading up to departure for France.
*Deadlines and chaos; update on big list of things to do before the start - visas, money, training, bike mechanics, yikes!
*Blog stats and followers/social media campaign/kickstarter campaign
*Helmet cam in the dunes.
*First motorcycle race in New Mexico Alamogordo.
*Training in sand dunes in California with Jimmy Lewis; *Training in Morocco with Patsy Quick
*Lock awesome race partner like Annie Seel, Jenny or Patsy.
From this point - this will all change:
9. Midpoint: Arrive in Paris and race start at Eiffel Tower in Paris and other rally racers; *Doubt- represented by sweeper truck broom (animation?);
*Distracted by Paris - always a new day?
*First days of race, excitement of finally doing it, *The ferry crossing and into desert:
*Sleeping in a tent next to a generator bivouac.
10. Bad Guys Close In: Snowball starts: sleep deprivation leads to brain malfunction leads to mistakes leads to break down, mechanical failure that is fixable, but I’m too tired to remember how to do it.
11. All Is Lost: Natasha gets bike stuck in sand dune just a couple hours from the bivouac; out of water and gas. Lost as well. The sun is low on the horizon when the sand storm hits and she pulls out her emergency blanket. Radio communication?
12. Dark Night of the Soul: eye of storm/calm; Natasha is stuck in sand dunes at night in the desert.
13. Break into Three: As Natasha pushes her bike back to the bivouac after the night in the dunes she has a renewed sense of determination and waves on the sweeper truck “Pas de problem, I got it!”, then fixes mechanical problem herself. She makes it to bivouac with less fear than ever before.
14. Finale: Natasha continues race with renewed determination having mastered her weaknesses - fear, disorganization, doubt and sand dunes.
15. Final Image: On the last day of the rally a struggling Natasha crests the top of a sand dune. Later that day she races down the beach at Lac Rose, Dakar, Senegal. At the finish line celebration she drinks French champagne from a bottle as racers spray champagne on each other, cheering!
