Filmmaker Interview: Tiernan Turner
Ride Report was last night’s Best Doc Feature winner. We talked with Tiernan Turner, co-director of the film (with Matt Kendall) about the inspiration for his travel doc.
Festivus: Tell us a little about your film and where this idea came from.
Tiernan: Sometimes inspiration can rise from desperation. In 2007, I (Tiernan) was working in a post house in LA as a runner. I hated it. One miserable day, an epiphany came to me: I needed an adventure. Something mysterious, dangerous, exotic… For whatever reason, South America came to mind. When Matt jumped on board, motorcycles and the idea of making a proper film transpired. Two years later we’d committed ourselves to both the journey and the film. Looking back, if it weren’t for that miserable job, I might not have taken the trip of a lifetime.
Festivus: What exotic locations do we get to visit on Ride Report?
Tiernan: Too many to list! Some of my favorites are:
-San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
-Peninsula de Osa, Costa Rica
-Mendoza, Argentina
-Ibera Wetlands, Argentina
-Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Festivus: There are a lot of documentaries that fall into the “travel” genre. What are some adventure docs that you would recommend?
Tiernan: Actually, we had a hard time finding examples to follow. What influenced us most was the series Long Way Round. The Endless Summer is also a film that I wanted people to associate with Ride Report.
Festivus: Did you make this film so that your friends could be jealous you went to all these cool places? Be honest.
Tiernan: I was originally planning on making some webisodes, but Matt insisted on making the film. Honestly, many of my friends told me I shouldn’t go because it’s too dangerous down there! I did the trip because I wanted to challenge myself and create lasting memories- the film is an added bonus.
Ride Report screens tonight at 5PM!
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