The Making of Uncharted Waters
It was a Tuesday afternoon when we got the call from All-Outdoors. They were partnering with Homeboy Industries, the world’s largest gang-intervention organization, to take 50 active and inactive gang members on an overnight rafting trip that weekend. It was a story that was too promising to pass up, despite the last minute call. We packed up and headed up to Coloma, CA, where we began production on what became the mini-doc, Uncharted Waters. As the footage was gathered and interviews were conducted, a story began to emerge. It wasn’t the story of a typical rafting trip, but rather one of perseverance, trust, courage, and hope. Many of the guests were formerly incarcerated, and none of them had ever dreamed that they’d one day get to experience the outdoors in such a real way. Below are a few of our favorite moments from production…
Benji, Hector, and Cesar pose before boarding the rafts.
One of the All-Outdoors guides, Trey, tops off the rafts.
The crew embarks at Chili Bar put-in.
J.C. learns how to row from veteran guide Matt K.
Lunchtime on the riverbank.
The Leap of Faith ended up being the highlight of the trip for many.
Splash fighting was plentiful throughout the entire trip.
Raul helps J.C. back into the raft after a swim.
The Homeboy Industries crew…