VIDEO: Interested in Airstreams?
As regular viewers of The Long Long Honeymoon know, Kristy and I have an Airstream travel trailer. Airstreams have been in production longer than most of us have been alive. The company was established in 1931.
Although Airstream has dabbled in motorhomes and other RVs, the company is famous for its travel trailers.
What makes ‘em different? The most obvious answer is the aluminum skin. The upside of aluminum construction is longevity. It never rusts, and never goes out of fashion. The aircraft inspired construction is aerodynamic and tows like a dream. We get 12 MPG towing our 25-foot Classic, which is one of the heavier models.
But Airstreams have a few quirks, also mostly related to the aluminum exterior. (Hint: When walking atop the roof, DO NOT step upon the aluminum.) And the curved roof construction that tows so well also leads to some compromises in interior space. The interior is more often described as “cozy” than “spacious.”
Fortunately, most of our servicing issues have been minor ones. We’ve had the occasional leak, or the fan that stops blowing, or the door latch that fails. We’ve had tire issues. But for the most part, the thing has been reliable. The air-conditioning has always blown cold, the electricity has always come on, and the plumbing has always plumbed. Like all towables, Airstreams lack a motor — so they also lack all of those engine-related maintenance issues.
From time to time, people interested in Airstreams ask us for shopping advice. For many of us, buying an Airstream isn’t as easy as driving down to your local dealership. That’s because most RV dealerships don’t carry Airstreams. So browsing Airstreams may take a little extra effort. As always, technology helps.
This leads us to one of the great Airstream dealerships, Airstream of Arkansas. This dealership is located in the small town of Searcy, Arkansas. And it’s one of the top performing Airstream dealerships in the entire country. They deliver new Airstreams everywhere, so you can shop with these guys no matter where you live! Personally, I enjoy visiting their site to browse the latest models. Airstream of Arkansas has an excellent website that features the wonderful smörgåsbord of new Airstreams on the lot. Although we love our 25-foot Classic, I must confess we have been sorely tempted by the new models.
If we were buying a new Airstream, our first phone call (or email) would be to Gene Morris at Airstream of Arkansas (AirstreamofArkansas.com). Gene is not only extremely knowledgeable, he’s Internet savvy. Better yet, he’s a nice guy and a straight shooter. Tell him Sean & Kristy of The Long Long Honeymoon sent you! If you have any other questions about Airstream shopping, drop me an email at HoneymoonShow
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For 100 videos of our Airstream in action, check out our blog: LongLongHoneymoon.com
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o-lay… huh… smile… well.. ok… Hey first off what happend to Kristies arm? See a big old WHITE bandage on it… not good… hmmm… (MAKEUP) .. detraction!!!… spray it to skin tone… hee hee…
Ok.. now some comments about the trailer (film) (What did you go to the place for?? you never say) Also Go back through and look at the take… notice all the close closed in shots… would a use of wide angle pana lense work better here than the standard one… after all your not conserned about linearity but by using a wide angle and being a little closer to the camera one can get the subject (YOU or Kristie) still in the center but allows others watching to see more around you…as well… (still wondering about the guy rolling the tire away… what was he doing stealing yours?? or was that just filler??)
Second… suggestion… timing… I know your shooting for a short time trailer… but, could you also use the video graphics (picuture is worth 1000 words or so) and less verbage in the script…but presented in… not such a rushed fashon… basically called delivery timing…
Try playing around with this on your current trailer… and see what you think… One of the greats… Mr. Ford… in the movie business… used to harp about letting the viewer see and make up his own mind as to what he is seeing…He’d say… it is the directors job to make sure he shows them what he wants them to see so that everyone comes to the same conclusion at the same time. He also used to harp about the senses… sight , smell, sound and feel… and would say… your in the sight and sound dept… so make me feel it .. or else… I will think it stinks… .. grin… The final thought is the time’n … here one moves the viewer along so that he has to have time to comprehend but by moving him along with new views… he is leaving the old and absorbing the new… (similar to… cut to… fade in/out.. etc) If you go to fast you will leave the viewer confused… too slow and he gets bored quickly… If you notice we use a tone and marker when we start shooting and cut to mark tone… this then is where the audio editor guys know they have to come up with a transition… back at the editing lab…
some of these guys are so good they can run the two takes side by side and while watching can then mark where they want to cut in to the transitio’n… A lot of time you will hear… the trasitio’n coming through the background sound /music which sets the hook… so we then call this lead – lag trans’n timing… again watch a production movie.. and pay close attention …not to what the director is showing you video wise… but listen with your eyes closed… that is how they make you feel .. it coming… a good example of this is John Badhams’ blue thunder… or Steve Spielbergs… alway… some of those movies come to mind… as examples… might want to check them out… although old and thunder is a little flakie today… but another one that comes to mind is Scotts days of thunder… a racing flick… lots of audio timing in that one too… then if your into flying.. of course … top gun has some big block trans’es audio wise… in that flick the audio sets the background mood…
As you probably have noticed by now… even we all… watch each others for “how did they do it… ” Basically there is no set hard and fast cookbook way… its called style by some… and signature by others.. and of course its always changing with the story line…
Your use of VO and SO is getting good… I was impressed with the opening… but was expecting a pizza and beer deleiver guy or something… after the door bell…no not really.. but it would make a good spoof… then again I had sudden thoughts about vincent prices saying who is their… evil calling… and elmer bernstines’ thriller… thumping music underscoreing… with a cut to Kristie opening the door… close-in of her face showing fear … then cut back to .. looking from the inside of the trailer…out at the masses of silver colored alien people .. wanting to see the insides… as the guy say’s VO … the silver metal is in your blood… you just want to see the inside…no matter where you are from…ahhhh.. might have been a good cut back too… spoof… at the end …outtake…for fun… then someone else came in with the fonz and “Hello Baby” from shantilly lace… for us oldies… grin
so many fun possibilities…
Yep walking around on the top of the airstream is not what one wants to see… most of the repair places that we have been to have a gantry type of thing which arches over the trailer …. that they walk on while it allows them access to the top of the roof…
We saw a different airstream… one that looked a little golden… seems the guy had it treated over at the airfield with alodine… to keep the corrosion (no they don’t rust but they will corrode which is about the same as rusting because the metal goes away) Had just that hint of golden color when you saw it reflect the sunlight… looked pretty good… as he also had the gold film put on the windows… so that it looked like one metal vehicle from a distance…
Looking forward to the next one… keep up the good work…
lets do a test on the gas mileage…. I noticed that you don’t have a camper cap on the PU… some have said that if you did you would make better mileage pulling the trailer over the same course. They draw there conclusion from the fact that your downdrafting air and smacking the tailgate.
Others say it won’t make a difference because of the pressure wave off the front of the trailer…
Wonder who is right…
Are you game to try it out?
Good Luck with your Airsream. About a year ago, I bought my 1st Airsream, a 31′ classic. As I was towing it home from the dealer, it burst into flames and burned up, a total loss. I bought my second Airstream a month later, and it lasted a week, before it got run off the freeway by a big 18 wheeler semi truck and rolled over. My truck and RV were totaled. About a month after that, I attempted to get a 3rd Airsream, but the dealer tried to scam me. That is when I decided the combination of me and Airsream just was no meant to be. As much as I liked the 31′ Airstream Classic, I am afraid to try getting another one. Again, good luck to you.
Wow.. ML your pretty hard on the airstreams. One a month is pretty sever.
However, I don’t think it may have been the trailer that was causing the problem.
GMAs, with regard to the camper cap & gas mileage… I would be game to try it. But at the moment we don;t have a camper cap.
My gut reaction is that it would make some positive difference because the cap should make the rig more aerodynamic. I doubt it would be a huge boost in MPG, but it’s worth a shot.
I will answer your video comments in a separate post.. .:)
ML, they say that over 70% of all the Airstreams ever built are still on the road. So I guess the other 30% have belonged to you!
Sorry to hear about your bad luck, but it sounds like you were not meant to own an Airstream. Hey, at the very least, your story would make a good short film!
GMAs, thanks for your comments about the video.
I agree with you on the issue of timing, and the judicious use of VO and audio cues.
I met a director once who compared video editing to making music…. and I know what he meant, in that there’s a rhythm to a good movie or show just like there’s a rhythm to good music.
Something to bear in mind with regard to these videos is the old axiom: “fast good & cheap; pick any two.” Sometimes we are pressed for time and I don’t have the luxury of doing a lot of editing. That said, I want to make these videos in the best fashion possible given the time and resource constraints.
We are hitting the road in a week for a BIG trip up to Maine and back. I plan on shooting lots of material with the PMW-EX1. I am loving the new camera. At the moment I still feel like a wide-eyed kid who’s learning to drive that new Ferrari, but I look forward to producing some creative videos this spring that make good use of it.
Some of our videos will be short wham bam affairs, while others will be more ambitious.
The thought has crossed my mind to treat this spring like a feature length documentary film that unfurls in small Internet segments. We’ll see.
Ultimately, I’m going to see what happens with The Long Long Honeymoon, our media appearances, and our industry relationships this year. I would like to tackle a feature length documentary film; but it would be difficult to do so while also simultaneously doing extensive blogging. A man only has so much bandwidth. Someday something’s gotta give, but I’m optimistic that our Airstream travels will continue to grow. Maybe we’ll do like TV and establish a “season” that we can produce on an annual basis. And speaking of TV, we need to get our butts out to LA and pitch a show ourselves.
BTW, we do have a little corrosion on our Airstream. Bummer!
Thanks for your comments. Stay tuned for some fun stuff this spring when we put the EX1 through its paces.
Sean… no word on Kristies arm? was so looking forward to hearing some good news…
Yes beg borrow or steal a camper cap… after you do some mileage checking to insure that you think you have enough data… then put the cap on and run the curves again…
It a debateable issue… as most seem to think that the cap may not make a difference… due to the pressure wave in front of the AS… I know we have one on our truck and it was not put on for the economics but rather for the storage and protection.. as well as the short overnight trips into areas that you don’t want to take the trailer into.
If the pressure wave off the nose of the trailer is such that it also backbuilds into the tailgate area of the truck.. one should not see any gas mileage difference… on the other hand if it doesn’t build then it should. One could put some flags in the back of the truck and see which way the wind is blowing and how stiff… would be my take on it… Of course putting a live specimen in the bed of the truck and using ones wetted finger could also be a experiment… however finding someone willing to be dedicated to science… ahhh I don’t think she is up to that … just yet.. and I am sure your not going to do it either… while she drives… grin…
Maybe someone with some computer modeling could undertake the issue and post it for all to see and find out if one wants a camper cap on the truck when pulling the trailer for better economy.
As to the videos’ … do some playing with the wide/normal lenses… otherwise your doing a great job.. and have come a long way from when you started.. (if you go back in time and look at your first stuff… big improvement that is not only the camera but the user behind it…) Keep up the good work… again I am suprised that AS is not promoting as they should even now.
Speaking of which… we recently were sent some pictures of the AS adventure that went to AK last year… when a family took the 30 footer… seems they had some major body/frame problems that really look ugly… but, not the first ones we have seen that have done similar…
To which… corrosion… best way to treat it is to lightly scotch bright the area… if its filform (looks like little white worms) use a small inst to break the surface of the corrosion… Go to the aircraft supply store.. (Chief’s in oregon or Aircraft spruce ) Their you will find two chemicals… alumiprep and alodine… alumiprep will be put on the area of the corrosion..(paint brush or sponge.. etc) it will stop the corrosion without damaging much of the other.. won’t hurt plastic etc… then when you rinse it with water.. keeping it wet… apply the alodine … again new paint bursh or new sponge…directly to the area using rubber gloves so as not to get it on your skin.. and let set for at least 5 to 10 min… you don’t want it to dry… (alodine comes in two flavors… clear and a sort of gold) You want to use the clear if you want to keep the trailer in that metal look… after its been on for about 5 to 10 min.. rinse with more water… and let air dry.. don’t rub it… or you will take the chromate salt off (the alodine is a chromate salt and it will go into the metal about 10-30 mills… it then protects the alu from corrosion by the salt action.. but its not like sea salt .
We did this to our alu propane tanks and they still look as they did when new…
I am sure if you follow the way that they treat airplane skins for corrosion by looking it up on the web you can stop and prevent any further corrosion from happening…
What ever you do don’t ever buff the skin of the AS.. to make it shine like a mirror… its labor intensive and when you stop… or do it for a while… and wear through the soft alu clad… your going to be very sorry.. as the trailer will start to corrode and almost become white powder… Airstream pickled their metal to keep the corrosion down… then coated it with a lacquer finish or some other means to keep the air/moisture from getting to the metal… once you buff that protection off… bad ju ju…happens… grin
As to the question and all you asked about diesel vs gas… we will address that when we get more time… in itself its a whole novel topic.. that will have some boiling and others jeering… about like which is best ford or chevy… we all know dodge and toyota are not major contenders… ops.. here comes the rubber hoses again.. smile…
Say by the way how is the boogie board weight loss working… or what ever that thing you try and break a leg on…is called… grin..
Take care my friend.. the adventure contenues
GM>
Just some help on keeping ‘em new looking…
GMAs, Kristy injured her hand while doing some yard work, but it’s fine now. (It was a mild wrist sprain.) Thanks for askin’…
I would be surprised if Airstream hadn’t done some research about the camper cap and fuel economy. As I’ve written, we get a consistent 12 MPG (11.8 actually) when towing. I expect this will improve as our diesel engine gets broken in. Some people say that fuel economy will get even better as the diesel approaches 100,000 miles. At the moment we have about 34k miles, so we’ve still got a lot of camping to do before hitting that mark.
My current goal with the videos is to master the PMW-EX1, a task that will take me a while. The camera is fantastic… I want to use it to capture some shots that would’ve been impossible with some of our HDV cams (overcranking, undercranking, and lowlight footage). I also want to do some interviews while we are on the road, and help some other people tell their stories.
The Wii Fit is great. The only problem with the thing is that it doesn’t do the exercise for you! We were using it heavily for a few weeks, then we slacked off for a bit. I will probably do a video on Wii Fit soon, too.
Yeah, any time you want to chime in on “Diesel vs. Gas” drop by LongLongHoneymoon.com.
Cheers,
Sean