How do I watch these movies?

The videos on this page are Windows Media Files, and you should have no problem viewing them through any browser. Click the video you want to watch and download the file to your hard drive. Most videos will need between 5-10 minutes to download. If you want to save the video for future use, right click the link and save it to your hard drive.

The photo slideshows are only viewable on PC's running Windows, unfortunately. Click the link and save the .exe file to your hard drive. The slideshows are large files, so they will take 20 minutes or more to download.

What about quality?

These videos have been compressed for a faster download. The downside is that the video/audio quality is not very good. All of the videos are available on DVD at high resolution. If you would like a complimentary copy, please contact me at jason@wildernessinnovations.com.

The photo slideshows are very high quality, and also available on CD or DVD.

How do you make these videos?

I use an inexpensive digital camcorder - currently a Canon Elura 70. After I shoot the stock footage, I transfer the video to my computer and use Pinnacle Studio version 9.4 to edit the clips into a watchable movie. I have tried almost all the "beginner" editing software on the market and Pinnacle Studio is hands-down the best, in my opinion. I have also used Adobe Premier Pro, which is a much more sophisticated program, but I keep coming back to Pinnacle Studio as my favorite video editer. I do not recommend using version 10 or higher, which is quite buggy (as of July, 2006).

With a little bit of practice and some relatively inexpensive equipment, it is very easy to create amateur movies like the ones on this website. Chances are, you already own a digital camcorder and your computer is powerful enough to do some basic editing. Condensing several hours of unedited footage into a watchable movie (with titles, soundtrack, etc.) can have a profound effect.