Motel Drifter

I had been sitting on the idea of Motel Drifter for over a year before bringing it to fruition. There’s a very cliché saying: “Perfection is the enemy of progress.” Honestly, in my experience, it is true.

I am the king of overthinking to my own detriment when it comes to getting projects out the door.

When doing work for a client or studio, it’s so much easier to rough out a concept and execute it in a timely manner. But when there’s no real deadline, and only myself to answer to, things get a little trickier.

Coming into this year, I knew it was time to start making things happen. Not only had I been playing with the vision of Motel Drifter for the past year, but Drifter itself had been percolating in the background for almost three years. God, just typing that out makes me stressed.

So it was now or never.

In February 2024, I started planning. I knew the shoot had to happen in Hope, BC. I looked at other options that were a bit closer to home, but nothing compared to the rugged authenticity of that town.

Hope has been the backdrop for many productions, such as Rambo: First Blood and countless Hallmark Christmas films.

First Blood was actually one of the films that inspired me to make Drifter, though the themes are a bit different, to say the least.

I partnered with another aspiring director and began planning locations. The idea was to create a photo editorial and a short film. I pored over Google Maps Street View and did one location scout.

The main location was the motel. There are countless truck-stop-style motels in Hope. When the theme is “rugged roadside motel” and almost every motel in town offers long-term rentals, you know you’re in the right place.

We settled on the Alpine Motel. Its blue neon sign was perfectly tacky, and the exterior was exactly what I had imagined.

We locked in the dates. March 23rd—it was on.

I had never “bankrolled” a production before. Though I was doing it on a small scale with a group of people I trusted, it was still an intimidating endeavor. I was pulling people away from their lives at home for two full days, so I knew I had to make it worth it.

Every shot was planned out, including times and locations. I sent the list to everyone so they could pack accordingly. This planning phase was honestly one of the best parts of the project.

A few days before we were set to head out, my co-director and camera operator pulled out of the shoot. It had been a tough year in film, and he was offered a paying gig on set. I don’t blame him at all; there’s no ill will here. But now the pressure was on.

This was a two-camera shoot. I had planned to shoot stills and direct while my partner operated the cinema camera. Now it was down to me.

There was no other option but to make it happen. So, on the morning of March 23rd, we loaded up my 4Runner and hit the road.

I met the rest of the gang in Hope and went to our first location.

The afternoon went smoothly. We kept to ourselves and only got flipped off by one deranged skinwalker outside an abandoned gas station while filming.

We checked into the motel and shot in the surrounding area.

As we hit magic hour, the motel lit up its blue LED lights strung along the front of the building. This is one of my favorite details of the location.

We pulled out our speaker and cooler of beer into the parking lot and chatted with some of the motel residents. Between the lighting, the perfect sunset, and the natural socializing, we were getting gold.

When we finally lost the light, we wrapped the shoot.

All around, it had been an incredible day. The novelty of creating something new at a random location with my close friends was a rush that I’ll continue to chase.

We finished the night at Mountainview Brewing and some karaoke at the Kingpin Lounge.

Hope is known for its Triple O’s and Rambo statue, but it has so much more to offer. I would say it’s the best-kept secret at the foot of the Canadian Rockies. I wonder how much longer that will last…