CASE STUDY — 2015–2016
TOUGH RIDES — BRAZIL
14,000 km from Copacabana, two days by boat up the Amazon, and 900 km of the 'Road of Ghosts'.
- CLIENT
- TRAVEL CHANNEL / AMAZON PRIME
- YEAR
- 2015–2016
- ROLE
- MAIN CAMERAMAN / DP
- CATEGORY
- TELEVISION
THE ROUTE
The trilogy's finale, ridden solo by Ryan in 2015: out of Copacabana Beach through Minas Gerais and Salvador, a two-day boat up the Amazon to Manaus, then roughly 900 km of the abandoned BR-319 — the 'Road of Ghosts' — before São Paulo, the Pedra do Baú climb and near-freezing Santa Catarina. Six episodes, premiering on Travel Channel in July 2016.
THE WORK
A four-person unit: rider, two camera operators (one doubling as driver), and a Brazilian fixer. Chad led camera — road coverage, extensive drone aerials over rainforest and coast, and a support truck full of camera gear that was winched out of the mud more than once.
LOGISTICS
Amazon river crossings with a full package, humidity management for gear that never truly dried, Portuguese-language fixing, and route contingencies for a road the map had officially given up on.
MY MAIN CAMERAMAN, CHAD INGRAHAM, HAS BEEN WITH ME ON ALL OF MY PRODUCTIONS.
Outcome
- TRILOGY COMPLETE
- 6 EPISODES · TRAVEL CHANNEL · PRIME · TUBI
- COMPANION BOOK PUBLISHED
Credits
- MAIN CAMERAMAN — CHAD INGRAHAM
- RIDER / HOST — RYAN PYLE
- PRODUCTION — RYAN PYLE PRODUCTIONS
Watch the Tough Rides Brazil Trailer (1:07)
All projects · Chad Ingraham, cinematographer and photographer, Fredericton NB