I’m a self-shooting producer/director and editor of adventure travel-related films. In autumn 2012, I went to western Mongolia for a short jaunt on horseback, bringing with me an old pocket camcorder and a notion of documenting the trip. I cobbled together my exceedingly rustic footage and produced Wild Steppe, my first* short film, as well as a micro piece about packrafting the Khovd River.
Since then, I’ve continued to independently shoot and edit my own projects. To date, my films have screened at over thirty film festivals and events worldwide, including over 45 countries via Wild Spirits TV. Some of the locations I’ve filmed in include; the deserts of Uzbekistan, steppes of Kazakhstan, Siberian rivers, Tuva’s taiga, Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor, and Iran’s highest peak – which was a collaboration with Hot Aches Productions and a joint commission from BMC TV, Trek + Mountain Magazine and Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports.
I’m not an über-world-class or multi-award winning** filmmaker, but I enjoy making and sharing visual stories from far-away places (this includes hauling all of the requisite gear and the countless bleary-eyed hours editing).
If you need a filmmaker for your project, require post-production assistance, or have any other questions, then ping me an e-mail at info@matthewtraver.com.
*I’m not counting Bittersweet, which was a comically bad student drama film I made with some school friends when I was 17. My character – a disgruntled and listless teenager – was killed off two minutes into the film, murdered by a skateboard. Much to my surprise – even to this day – it won an inter-school film competition in Hong Kong. We were supposed to meet Jackie Chan to receive our award, but unfortunately, the event was cancelled by a raging typhoon (no joke).
**I do have one film award to my name: A Portrait of Orozbek – Best Environmental Documentary at the Mountain Film Festival 2015 (USA)
Post-Production Skills:
Working knowledge of the following; Adobe Premiere Pro CC; After Effects CC; Audition CC; Photoshop CC; Lightroom CC; SpeedGrade CC; Illustrator CC; InDesign CC; Media Encoder CC (Official training also provided by O’Reilly Video Training, Infinite Skills Inc.)
Equipment:
Adobe Creative Cloud; Sony X70; Canon 6D; Canon 60D; GoPro 4; Canon 40mm 2.8; Canon 50mm 1.8; Canon 10-22mm F3.5-4.5; Canon 24-105mm F4L; Rode Wireless Audio Filmmaker Kit; Sennheiser EW100; Sennheiser MKE600.
![A Soviet-era plane on the Ice Runway in Antarctica, with multiple tourists wandering around outside.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Antarctica-Episode-1-Screenshot-1-800x450.png)
![Google Earth satellite photo showing the Antarctic Continent from Outer Space.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Antarctica-Episode-1-Screenshot-2-800x450.png)
![An Antarctic visitor walking near McMurdo's Ice Runway with a backdrop of rocky peaks.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Antarctica-Episode-1-Screenshot-3-800x450.png)
![Looking through the window of a propeller plane flying over the icy expanse of Antarctica.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Antarctica-Episode-1-Screenshot-4-800x450.png)
ExWeb Dispatches | Series 2: Antarctica | Episode 1: Hercules Inlet (2020)
Series 2 of ExWeb Dispatches continues with international mountain guide and ExWeb Ambassador, Ryan Waters, as he and his three-person team venture to Antarctica for a 52-day skiing expedition from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole.
![Screenshot of Ryan Waters wearing cold weather clothing and towing a sled through broken-up North Pole pack ice.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Antarctica-Episode-2-Screenshot-4-800x450.png)
![Unusual photo showing an Arctic explorer wearing a red dry suit, towing his sled to an open stretch of water that he's about to swim across.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Antarctica-Episode-2-Screenshot-3-800x450.png)
![Mid-shot of two Antarctic explorers pulling their sleds through a snowy plateau.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Antarctica-Episode-2-Screenshot-2-800x450.png)
![Antarctic explorer crouched down next to his unpacked sled.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Antarctica-Episode-2-Screenshot-1-800x450.png)
ExWeb Dispatches | Series 2: Antarctica | Episode 2: Skiing to the South Pole (2020)
Episode 2 follows Ryan Waters, Jaco Ottink and Paula Strengell’s journey to the South Pole, towing 100kg+ sleds, skiing in whiteout conditions, and battling headwinds.
![Google Earth satellite image showing the Eurasian Continent.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Elbrus-Episode-1-Screenshot-4-800x450.jpg)
![The two summits of Mount Elbrus seen a few hundred metres below from a mountain hut.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Elbrus-Episode-1-Screenshot-3-800x450.jpg)
![Google Earth 3D close-up shot of Mount Elbrus' twin peaks with the saddle in the middle.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Elbrus-Episode-1-Screenshot-2-800x450.jpg)
![An Arctic explorer stood next to a sled joyously pumps his fists in the air as a plane flies away from him.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Elbrus-Episode-1-Screenshot-1-800x450.jpg)
ExWeb Dispatches | Series 1: Elbrus | Episode 1: The Approach (2020)
Series 1 of ExWeb Dispatches teams up with international mountain guide and ExWeb Ambassador, Ryan Waters, to take a look at what it’s like to climb Elbrus: the highest peak in Europe.
![Screenshot of climbers receiving rope tying instructions from a mountain guide, inside of a hut on Mount Elbrus.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Elbrus-Episode-2-Screenshot-4-800x450.jpg)
![Screenshot of a night timelapse in a mountain range, showing a big lake and the Milky Way.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Elbrus-Episode-2-Screenshot-3-800x450.jpg)
![A small group of mountaineers ascend up a snow slope in the fog on Mount Elbrus.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Elbrus-Episode-2-Screenshot-2-800x450.jpg)
![Google Earth 3D screenshot showing Mount Elbrus twin peaks.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Elbrus-Episode-2-Screenshot-1-800x450.jpg)
ExWeb Dispatches | Series 1: Elbrus | Episode 2: The Ascent (2020)
Episode 2 covers the route of ascent up Elbrus with Ryan’s clients, in addition to a brief history of the first ascent of the peak’s east and west summit.
![Drone shot of seven mountaineers on the summit of Mount Elbrus on a crystal clear day.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Elbrus-Episode-3-Screenshot-4-800x450.jpg)
![A trail of alpine mountaineers ascend up the final short ridgeline leading to Mount Elbrus' summit.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Elbrus-Episode-3-Screenshot-3-800x450.jpg)
![A long trail of mountaineers on a fixed rope ascend up from Mount Elbrus' saddle to the summit.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Elbrus-Episode-3-Screenshot-2-800x450.jpg)
![A drone shot flying through forested mountains with sunshine glowing on misty clouds.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Elbrus-Episode-3-Screenshot-1-800x450.jpg)
ExWeb Dispatches | Series 1: Elbrus | Episode 3: Summit Day (2020)
The final episode of series 1 provides an insight into what it takes to reach the summit of Elbrus, starting early in the morning from the final bivouac hut, up to the 5,416m saddle, and the final ascent up the fixed lines leading to the summit.
![Screenshot of an Antarctic explorer launching a giant kite to power their sled.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Windsled-Dome-Fuji-Screenshot-4-800x450.jpg)
![Antarctic explorers dig out a tent buried deep in snow.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Windsled-Dome-Fuji-Screenshot-3-800x450.jpg)
![A Spanish scientist pulls out a very long core sample from the Antarctic ice sheet.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Windsled-Dome-Fuji-Screenshot-2-800x450.jpg)
![A Spanish explorer in Antarctica jumps on to a kite-powered sled as it's flying along.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Windsled-Dome-Fuji-Screenshot-1-800x450.jpg)
WindSled Dome Fuji Expedition (2019)
January 2019 saw the conclusion of WindSled’s Unexplored Dome Fuji expedition. The Spanish team of four, led by Ramón Larramendi, completed a 2,500km return journey from near to Novolazarevskaya base to Dome Fuji (3,768m) in 52 days traveling in a series of customized sleds with built-in living quarters and powered entirely by kites. Since the project’s inception in 1999, the WindSleds have been used on 11 expeditions, covering more than 20,000km in Antarctica, Greenland, and Canada.
Filming in the Karakorum: Behind the Scenes (2019)
Broad Peak, directed by Leszek Dawid and based a true story, is the world’s first feature film shot above 5,600m. The biopic focuses on Maciej Berbeka, a legendary Polish mountaineer who, together with his climbing partner Tomasz Kowalski, disappeared during the first winter ascent of Broad Peak (8,047m) in March 2013.
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Kendal Mountain Film Festival Logo - 2015 UK](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Kendal-Mountain-Film-Festival-2015-UK-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Chamonix Adventure Festival Logo - 2016 France](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Chamonix-Adventure-Festival-2016-France-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Llanberis Mountain Film Festival Logo - 2016 UK](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Llanberis-Mountain-Film-Festival-2016-UK-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Adventure Travel Film Festival Logo - 2016 UK](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Adventure-Travel-Film-Festival-2016-UK-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - International Mountain Film Festival Domzale Logo - 2016 Slovenia](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-International-Mountain-Film-Festival-Domzale-2016-Slovenia-300x199.png)
Damavand: An Iranian Dream (2015)
A ski-mountaineering team from the UK set out to climb Iran’s highest mountain, Mount Damavand (5610 m). The team is lead by Shirin Shabestari, an Iranian woman now resident in London. As the team ascend the mountain the film examines the pivotal role mountaineering played in Shirin’s upbringing and discover just how much this summit means to her.
![A rock climber with equipment climbs up a steep granite rock face in Pakistan.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Max-Fisher-Climbing-Screenshot-272x182.jpg)
![GoPro footage screenshot of Max Fisher assembling a portaledge somewhere on a rocky Pakistani cliff face.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Portaledge-Screenshot-272x182.jpg)
![Screenshot of an interview with James Moneypenny, a British alpinist and climber.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/James-Moneypenny-Screenshot-272x182.jpg)
![Screenshot of alpinist Max Fisher during an interview.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Max-Fisher-Screenshot-272x182.jpg)
Tangra Tower: In the Spirit of Cory Hall (2016)
James Monypenny (UK) and Max Fisher (Canada) venture to the Karakorum Mountains of Pakistan to climb a new route in memory of their friend Cory Hall passed away in a tragic climbing accident while on a motorbike-Pan-American climbing odyssey.
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Llanberis Mountain Film Festival Logo - 2016 UK](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Llanberis-Mountain-Film-Festival-2016-UK-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Film Festival Flix Mountain and Adventure Film Festival Logo - 2016 USA](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Film-Festival-Flix-Mountain-and-Adventure-Film-Festival-2016-USA-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Adventure Travel Film Festival Logo - 2015 Australia](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Adventure-Travel-Film-Festival-2015-Australia-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Bankso Film Festival Logo - 2015 Bulgaria](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Bankso-Film-Festival-2015-Bulgaria-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - International Festival of Outdoor Films Logo - 2015 Czech Republic](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-International-Festival-of-Outdoor-Films-2015-Czech-Republic-300x199.png)
The Steppe of Misfortune (2015)
In 2014, Jamie undertook the first ever expedition to cross the Betpak-Dala or the ‘Steppe of Misfortune’ on foot, from its eastern extremity along the shores of Lake Balkhash, to its western edge adjacent to the Sarysu River. Jamie also ran 190 miles, or nearly eight marathons, back to back over the course of eight days through the desert. Together with his two-person driving team they faced challenging off-road conditions, fuel shortages, and complex navigation along long-abandoned military tracks.
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - International Festival of Outdoor Films Logo - 2014 Czech Republic](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-International-Festival-of-Outdoor-Films-2014-Czech-Republic-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Kendal Mountain Film Festival Logo - 2014 UK](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Kendal-Mountain-Film-Festival-2014-UK-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Adventure Outdoor Fest Logo - 2014 Italy](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Adventure-Outdoor-Fest-2014-Italy-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - New York Eurasian Film Festival Logo - 2014 USA](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-New-York-Eurasian-Film-Festival-2014-USA-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Bankso Film Festival Logo - 2014 Bulgaria](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Bankso-Film-Festival-2014-Bulgaria-300x199.png)
![BEST ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTARY - Mountain Film Festival Logo - 2015 USA](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/BEST-ENVIRONMENTAL-DOCUMENTARY-Mountain-Film-Festival-2015-USA-300x199.png)
A Portrait of Orozbek (2014)
This mountain culture travel documentary aims to take the audience on a visual exploration of his life and those of the other ethnic Kyrgyz in the remote and often nomadic communities around him. As the film progresses and Matthew and Jamie spend more time with Orozbek, the true wonders and mysteries of the Pamirs begin to reveal themselves; ranging from ancient mines, archaeological discoveries and a mysterious organic painkiller.
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Llanberis Mountain Film Festival Logo - 2015 UK](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Llanberis-Mountain-Film-Festival-2015-UK-300x199.png)
![A desert run in the Kyzyl Kum stands on a dirt track.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/10799433044_203a834805_k-300x200.jpg)
![A desert runner running along the salty shores of Aydar Lake in Uzbekistan.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/10799384963_ef85af6612_k-300x200.jpg)
![Mid-range shot of a man riding two camels in the Kyzyl Kum and a runner following behind.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/10798943916_511cd68cd7_k-300x200.jpg)
Through Grains of Sand and Sun (2014)
An early experimental film focusing on one runner’s reflections of a camel-supported journey through the Kyzyl Kum Desert of Uzbekistan. It is a film melding abstract moving visuals with an honest narrative inspired by the writings of desert explorer Wilfred Thesiger and Haruki Murakami’s own musings on running.
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Adventure Travel Film Festival Logo - 2014 UK](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Adventure-Travel-Film-Festival-2014-UK-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Bankso Film Festival Logo - 2014 Bulgaria](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Bankso-Film-Festival-2014-Bulgaria-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - International Mountain Film Festival Domzale Logo - 2015 Slovenia](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-International-Mountain-Film-Festival-Domzale-2015-Slovenia-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Chamonix Adventure Festival Logo - 2013 France](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Chamonix-Adventure-Festival-2013-France-300x199.png)
![OFFICIAL SELECTION - Llanberis Mountain Film Festival Logo - 2015 UK](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Film-Festival-Laurels/OFFICIAL-SELECTION-Llanberis-Mountain-Film-Festival-2015-UK-300x199.png)
Wild Steppe (2013)
Matt and Jamie, two footloose addicts of Central Asia and Alpamys, a young nomadic Mongol-Kazakh eagle hunter venture on horseback in to the wild and windswept steppes of Western Mongolia. Both totally clueless about how to ride a horse, the aim for their mini Mongolian odyssey is to learn the essential skills in long distance equestrian travel which they later hope to use for an 1100km crossing of Eastern Kazakhstan on horseback the following year. If you have a lust for the near-mystical lands where eagle hunters and nomads dwell, the light-hearted and lively ‘Wild Steppe’ is one worth watching!
![Jamie walking beside the Khovd River in winter with a packraft on his back.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/8189627147_0a02eea37f_k-272x182.jpg)
![Winter time photo of packrafter paddling down the Khovd River.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/8189614043_59f80d3fca_k-272x182.jpg)
![A packrafter descends a cold Khovd River with dry forest and rocky mountain in background.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/8189629313_71a5a7ed0b_k-272x182.jpg)
![A night time shot of a green tent beside a frozen river in moonlight.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/8189667273_e71928f90e_k-272x182.jpg)
Packrafting the Khovd (2012)
The Khovd River flows for over 500km from the Altai Mountains on the Mongolian-Russian border to Khar-Us Lake. Matt and Jamie get their first taste of wild water packrafting by descending a section of the Khovd starting in Olgii, the capital of Western Mongolia. They soon find how the fast approaching winter and their lack of paddling experience combine together to make a deeply memorable jaunt in the wilderness.
![Two backpack-wearing hikers ascending a steep hill above a pine forest in Tuva.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/26620107915_c909c83f08_k-272x182.jpg)
![A shaman in traditional clothes with his eyes closed speaking to the forest spirits.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/26556931251_60deed971f_k-272x182.jpg)
![A Tuvan mountaineer wearing blue trousers and red jacket sat on a rock posing for the camera.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/26554411921_de53777b36_k-272x182.jpg)
![A man paddling a blue packraft descends the Yenisei River with snow-covered mountains behind.](https://www.matthewtraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/26596471246_1e28fd8181_k-272x182.jpg)
Crossing Siberia (TBC)