The idea for this documentary didn't just come to me recently. I've thought about doing it for a couple years now. I've felt helpless listening to my dad and other family and community members talk about how much they don't want to lose their camps. I didn't know where to start or how and I'm only just beyond that point. The clock is ticking, fast, and it's now or never to try and produce a film that will show the world how much we want to keep these camps along the rivers of the ONF (Ottawa National Forest).
The name of the documentary came to me as I was driving home one day last week (my 75 mile drive home where I have a lot of time to think). I kept playing with the words "Wild and Scenic" but this film will be more than the Act. It's about the people and their ties to these rivers. Then the expression "up a river without a paddle" popped into my head. The idiom meaning "If you are up a river without a paddle, you are in an unfortunate situation, unprepared and with none of the resources to remedy the matter."
The people who have built these camps along the rivers are really in an unfortunate situation. Some of them will be nearly impossible to remove due to their extremely remote locations. A lot of them do not own private property to put a new one on or don't have the financial resources to purchase property to build themselves a new camp on. I also like the term because graphically I can play with the title to emphasize the word UP, seeing that this documentary takes place in Michigan's Upper Peninsula which is lovingly known as the U.P.
The name of the documentary came to me as I was driving home one day last week (my 75 mile drive home where I have a lot of time to think). I kept playing with the words "Wild and Scenic" but this film will be more than the Act. It's about the people and their ties to these rivers. Then the expression "up a river without a paddle" popped into my head. The idiom meaning "If you are up a river without a paddle, you are in an unfortunate situation, unprepared and with none of the resources to remedy the matter."
The people who have built these camps along the rivers are really in an unfortunate situation. Some of them will be nearly impossible to remove due to their extremely remote locations. A lot of them do not own private property to put a new one on or don't have the financial resources to purchase property to build themselves a new camp on. I also like the term because graphically I can play with the title to emphasize the word UP, seeing that this documentary takes place in Michigan's Upper Peninsula which is lovingly known as the U.P.
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