Treetop Challenge
Our most popular high ropes course with epic zip lines. Adventurers need to be aged 10 and 1.4m tall.
- 1-3 hours
- From £33
Adventures
From poolside holiday shots to (those really interesting) pictures of what we ate last night, nothing - and no one - is safe from being snapped.
There's no doubt that smartphones have created this snap-happy culture; built with high-quality cameras, a photo-opportunity is only ever an arm's reach away. But, when it comes to documenting your adventures, live-action beats still shots every time. Videos are great for re-living your expeditions and sharing your experiences with friends, family, and fellow YouTubers. If you've got a half-decent camera on your smartphone, you could use that to film. Or, if you're really keen, you might consider going-pro with a GoPro action camcorder.
So, what to film? Our answer would be anything adventure-related: mountain biking, snowboarding, hiking, rock climbing or surfing (waterproof cameras needed). You could even record you and your friends tackling stirrups, high ropes and Tarzan swings as they take on one of our Tree Top Adventure courses.
But, before you hit the big red button, here are a few tips to consider:
BECOME THE CAMERA
Try attaching the filming device to you so that you literally become the camera. In film speak, this means that you'll be filming a 'point-of-view shot,' where anything you see, the camera also sees and records. Accessories can be bought to help attach the camera to you; Go Pro, for instance, has optional straps which allow you to mount the camera onto a helmet.
FILM THE BAD BITS
'Schadenfreude: taking pleasure out of the misfortunes of others.' There's no denying that trips, falls, bumps, scrapes and scuffs make fantastic footage, so make sure you get them all on film (and don't forget to help your friend back onto their feet afterwards). If you fall, you'll be sore for a couple of days afterwards, but that will be compensated by the possibility of becoming a YouTube sensation.
CUT IT OUT
No one wants to watch 10 minutes of you walking the forest floor, no matter how 'metaphorical' you think it looks. So, when you come to edit your footage, make sure you get rid of all the boring bits.
SENTIMENTAL SHOTS
While it's good to bin the boring bits, it's important to capture some footage of before and after your adventure. If, after a day's hiking, you and your tribe are all sat around the (slightly cliche) campfire tucking in to a hearty feast and sharing stories, make sure you get some of it on film. If it means something to you, it's important to keep it in there when editing your footage.
ADD SOME MUSIC
Whizzing down a mountain bike trail or surfing a mega-wave can look extra impressive when the footage is cut to some music. Then again, you need to match music to what it is you're filming: a slow-paced, soppy Celine Dion song may not fit well with a video of you hurtling down a trail; but it might go nicely with footage of you reaching a mountain summit and gazing at the view.
If you're looking for your next adventure to film, how about Go Ape? All our courses are set in huge, beautiful forests: you could combine a morning in the tree tops with an afternoon testing the forest's mountain bike trails. And don't forget to share your videos with us on our Go Ape YouTube channel when you're done!
LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION?
Check out this video by Laura Hitchcock from her visit to Moors Valley last year:
HAPPY FILMING!