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Thread: Documentary about Alberta's Motorsports heritage

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    Default Documentary about Alberta's Motorsports heritage

    A Documentary about Alberta's Motorsports Heritage


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR8Vs5br7VA



    Hello everyone,

    Linked above is a Documentary project which will be of interest to most of us in these here forums...

    My name is Randy and I've been autocrossing with the Calgary Sports Car Club since the early 2000's. I've never really been fast, but I have sometimes been inconsistent enough to break from normal mediocrity to occasionally pull brilliant results. I have also participated in track days and lapping events when Race City was around, as well as having helped organize Anglefactory Drifting events with Q or Cueman way back on the Mid 2000’s, before Drifting really took off.

    Last year, however, I only really drove competitively once - and not even in this province, but rather in Saskatoon during the Super Slalom.

    My reason? Well, that's the subject of this thread, the subject of that indiegogo page linked above.

    All throughout last year, I was exploring the possibility of making a Feature Length Documentary about the History of Alberta Motorsports. Can it be done?

    Well, I have known for four years now that it CAN be done. I have wanted to do this ever since I made the Award winning documentary Goodbye Race City - made whilst still being a student, using borrowed equipment. I knew then and there that there is a very special story about motorsports in Alberta. The thing though was that: How does one actually go about making such a thing?

    Like most projects, I hit books and chatted up with some local people I know who were knowledgeable on the subject. Very early on, I realized that this was BIG. So big that it deserves to be treated properly: In short, the subject of Alberta’s Motorsports Heritage deserves far, FAR more than just another Youtube, Vimeo short. Because Alberta's Motorsports history spans 100 years, I believe it deserves the full documentary treatment. And I think there is no better time to do that than now.

    From book research, I went on to field research. 2012 season saw me going to as many varieties of motorsports events, lugging a camera around instead of participating, collecting a variety of images to make a proposal.

    I also started contacting authors who have written about the subject of Motorsports in Alberta as well as Canada. Already, these authors have given their support for the project and their willingness to appear in the story: Richard McDonell, who wrote "The Speediest land Traveller: A History of Alberta Auto Racing"; Tom Johnston, author of "Sportscar Road Racing in Western Canada"; as well as David Charters, who penned "The Chequered Past: Sports Car Racing and Rallying in Canada 1951-1991". Currently I have 13 individuals who have agreed to appear as interview subjects. Since I still have a month of pre-production and research left before I would move formally into production (location shooting and interviews), getting a hold of key individuals - our very own motorsports legends, really – is still ongoing. Only just now did I manage to contact Art MacKenzie, Race City’s owner after Ben Docktor.

    So please, check out the link above, give it a thorough read, and at the very least, share that link around to everyone. We need as much exposure regarding this. Not just for the film, but for Alberta's motorsports future.

    Sincerely

    Randy
    Last edited by randedge; 04-12-2013 at 07:18 PM.

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    This was supposed to be a major update point, but I’ve been sick nearly a week now. Nothing major, but it was bad enough to put me off desk/computer work.

    The update was to comprise of another, even shorter video, but with stirring copy summoning all of my creative Draper-esque talents.

    Be, back in action in a week.
    Last edited by randedge; 04-26-2013 at 02:15 PM.

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    I just booked a place to stay in Kelowna for the Knox Mountain Hillclimb. A few Albertans are going, so I might as well follow them along, as well as get a taste of how such events are done in other provinces.

    Now, you might be wondering: "Why cover a BC Event for a documentary about Alberta Motorsports?" Well, back in the day, Solo or Time Trial events were so popular in Alberta that the 60's saw us doing a lot of Hillclimbs in the dirt. Of note are the Groenveld Hillclimb near High River, as well as the West Calgary Television Tower Hillclimb - A.K.A. Broadcast Hill, what is now I believe called the community of Patterson.

    The 90's also saw a few events going up the Canada Olympic Park.
    (Francois Arseneault's Video)



    Now, why did these events disappear? Why was it that, back in the day, we could easily find nearby Autoslalom venues, whilst nowadays, we are hard pressed to find a way to express our passion, having been kicked out of one place to another? In Calgary in particular, to our knowledge, not one Autoslalom event was held within City Limits during the 2012 season. In Edmonton, I believe those guys have been making do with military venues (Namao and the old Griesbach parade grounds), not that spiritually distant from the events held in the old BCATP airfields.

    This documentary is looking for these answers. It will be an honest and truthful analysis coming from a diverse group of voices. Not just about motorsports, it too is a story of a province and its ever changing identity.

    http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/of...orts-heritage/

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    4 days to go!

    I haven’t been able to update because since may 1st, production has been in full swing. Since that time, I have:
    -Gone to Kelowna to Interview Joe Cheng – builder of the fastest Solo Cars
    -And while in Kelowna, shot very important footage concerning the Knox Mountain Hillclimb.
    -Went to Mission, BC to shoot Jim Crittenden, Calgary Vintage race Club President, in action in his very beautiful Lotus 51.
    -Also went to West Vancouver, BC, to interview Tom Johnston, author of many books about Canada’s Motor Sport history.

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    Two important Updates:

    1.) On Wednesday, June the 26th 2013, I received mail from Alberta Culture, Office of the Minister.

    I'm glad to report that this documentary is now supported by the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation's Heritage Preservation Partnership Program! Not much, but it's something - beats working fully out of pocket.

    This makes me very very happy. And reinvigorated! With their assistance, I can now really, truly devote myself to this project.

    2.) The website is slow going, largely because in a past life, I was reporter, shooter, and editor... and never a webmaster. I wish to make it look good, informative, yet concise and simple. I have however, been updating the Facebook page constantly with the project's progress.

    https://www.facebook.com/ofcarsandcowboys

    R.

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