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| July 2008 Chris Gordon, '06, Makes Documentary About Life in Central America
Name: Chris Gordon Chris Gordon, '06, didn't have producing a documentary about life in Central America on his "to-do" list after college. But when he heard about a family friend embarking on a surfing trip along the West Coast, Gordon's interest was piqued. "The adventure and laissez-faire style behind such a surf trip intrigued me, and the idea of finding a more traditional job made me cringe," said Gordon. The leadership studies and Spanish double major knew he would want his own trip to have a service element to it. "So," Gordon said, "I started calling it a surf and serve trip through Central America." After floating his idea to a friend who lived in California, Gordon moved to California to start planning the trip. Although his friend ended up not going, he introduced Gordon to a guy named Joel who did. Instead of a surf and serve trip, the two decided they would simply travel through Central America and make a film about their experiences. Not knowing anything about how to film a documentary, they posted an ad on Craig's List.
"After one cup of coffee together, the three of us committed to leaving two months later on a plane bound for Cartagena, Colombia," said Gordon. Their team eventually expanded to include two more guys who were not part of the trip but decided to help in other ways. One designed a Web site for the project and the other is editing the film. With a team and a vision to "create a documentary that captures the beauty and tragedy of Central America and helps all Americans understand one another better," their project took flight. They decided to call the film, "Down the Road." After raising money to fund the trip, in January of 2007 they set out on a three-month journey. They started out in South America and traveled from Colombia to El Salvador with only a loose itinerary. They didn't know where they would go, who they would meet along the way or even where they would sleep. But that, says Gordon, was part of the adventure - and part of the plan. The answers turned out to be anywhere the road took them, really interesting people and in hostels, hammocks, strangers houses and, eventually, in a car they bought. (They wound up giving the car away to a man they met who needed it.) "We were hoping to travel as authentically as possible, which meant getting into the lives and experiences of the locals," Gordon said. "No big hotels or tourist destinations for us." At one point during the trip, their car broke down at an Indian reservation in Costa Rica and they ended up staying there for two nights. Experiences like this would leave most people a bit discombobulated. Not Gordon. "There was no such thing as an average day," he said. "And that was the beauty of it all." Plus, Gordon wanted an experience that would change him - and he hopes will change others. "We needed to see what life looks like for much of the world outside the U.S., and we're hoping our film can capture that and impact the people from our generation who view it." As for why they picked Central America for their project? They had a mutual interest in that part of the world. Gordon laughed. "The language, the culture, the landscape, and let's be honest, the surf - all were very appealing to us."
"My time in Jepson helped me to develop and trust my own "visionary
leadership" style. --Chris Gordon
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A
film student from California Lutheran University responded to the
post. 
Timeline
for the Film: The original release date was slated for mid-July.
Because they still need to raise an additional $15,000, they are
hoping now to have a rough cut ready for showing in August. 