Wheels: The Travis Jecker Story

Great story here.

What a moving story.

Very inspiring. Beautiful story of strength!

Danielmklopp~

Thanks for sharing this with us.

this is more than a story of courage and strength, this is a daily reminder to appreciate the things and people we love.

thank you!!

Thanks Travis...

For years I worked on, lived for , and loved dirt bikes. Then in 1995 I crashed hard. I broke my right femur and left tibia. 3 op's, 2yrs later I was able to walk.
Now I work on, live for, and have a passion for carbon-fiber. One day I spotted travis' truck carrying his wheelchair and chased him all the way to his shop. I hope you did not get spooked. I would like to join forces in future projects. I hope we have along future together. I am impressed with your progress!

Wow, a great topic. What a brave individual Travis is. I liked the gentle treatment of the subject matter, but I have a few comments and suggestions for the video-maker as to how this piece could become stronger and more compelling. I think you have a lot of talent and vision -- I just want to encourage you to think more about style and editing to make your future projects even better. :)

The opening, of stills, is not very compelling. I would suggest starting the video with the main character, not pictures. The stills are very static.
Use some motion on the pictures – a little "Ken Burns" effect goes a long way. It's easy to do in Final Cut.

I thought it was interesting that you're showing Travis from the chest up at first, and only later do we see that he's sitting in his wheelchair. Why did you choose this technique?

I thought that a quadriplegic is someone who's lost the use of all four limbs, but it seems like he can still use his arms fine, just not his hands?

There are some cool modifications to his truck – like the steering wheel. I would like to see how the mods work –some close-ups and B-Roll. Since he's a machinist, what other gadgets has he modified to make his life easier? What other people has he perhaps helped with his skills? Also, I would love to hear from his family – his wife and children, and not just him.

Nice video of the tattoo – maybe I would have started with that.

Strange that the most emotional part of the piece came about 3/4 through. It seems an odd placement – you reach an emotional peak, but then drop back down to a more matter-of-fact tone. Most importantly, when the subject gets emotional, I really want to see his face. I think it would servce your piece a lot better if you let us see Travis when he reveals himself to us in such an intimate way.

I thought that was a very compelling, interesting character story. That's quite an ordeal to go through, and it really does seem like he is taking it in stride.

I did feel like some parts of it went on a little long, and I think you could have used that time to explore other aspects of his recovery, or maybe go into a little more specifics. Also, visually, I feel like there could have been a little bit more going on to engage the viewer. But, generally, I felt like he was an interesting person who helped make it a compelling piece.

Really unique and inspiring character story. I really liked the use of pictures during the intro and the transition to a dramatic contrast between the dirt bike pics and Travis in the hospital. The final clip of him doing donuts in the truck was a great way to capture his spirit.

I would have liked to know more about the accident and aspects of his recovery. You had a lot of footage of Travis and his truck, but that could have been condensed. I would have liked to know what kind of specific adaptations he's had to make to the truck.
Otherwise, good pod!

I really enjoyed this pod. You've got a great character and an amazing story to tell here. I like what you did with the photographs to show other aspects of his life, but perhaps even more could come of getting some video footage of everyday life as well. Some more of the machining and driving the truck. I really wanted to know how he drives the truck! Haha. You're getting some good info out to people as well. Most have the stereotype in their head of someone just sitting in their wheelchair and calling it quits, but not here. Great job and keep up the good work.

Great pod. He was a very interesting character and the editing was very good. I liked the use of the pictures. I would have liked to have seen his daily routine and see how he does the most basic of things other than driving. Also, a little more history about the accident would have been great. Other than that great pod!