THE BIG SCOOT!

Directors:

Writers:

Corrie Vaus

Producers:

Corrie Vaus

Run Time:

1:10:47

Awarded for the following Category(s):

Awarded Category(s)

Scooters are for joyrides not cross-country treks. Try telling that to 182 riders who signed up for Scooter Cannonball. On wheels the size of dinner plates, they attempt to cross America in eight days on back roads. THE BIG SCOOT! follows along as riders face scorching desert heat, rutted mountain passes, and even wild animals. Crashes and camaraderie become their constant companions as they learn that the true reward lies in the ride itself—if they can survive it.

Submitter Statement

No budget, no crew. What was I thinking? Chase 182 scooters across America in my decades-old SUV? Sheer folly. My internal battle raged: common sense versus love of story. The latter won, fueling the crazy idea that I could capture the 10th running of Scooter Cannonball…and do it alone. When the scooters took off, so did I. Pedal to the metal. Stop. Shoot. Drone. Repeat. For eight days straight. When my primary camera slammed to the ground on Day 2, I almost quit. But that was nothing compared to the scooter crash I witnessed a bit further down the road. “If they can make it coast-to-coast so can I.” And so I did, leaning on 30 years of experience as a video journalist and the deep desire to share with the world this charmingly ballsy, back-wrenching, backroad adventure on a scooter. One final note. At the finish, several riders graciously shared their GoPro footage with me. My husband included, on his orange Vespa. In that moment, the number of cameras increased sevenfold, and post-production possibilities exploded. I am forever grateful for the contributions and support.

Corrie Vaus is an award-winning journalist and first-time filmmaker who captures the stories of ordinary people in the midst of extraordinary experiences. Vaus, 62, works solo — embedding herself as a ‘one-woman-band’ armed with a high-end camera and drone. No production crew. She covers the real-life action in the field for days, weeks or months, and then takes the project full circle as scriptwriter and editor. Vaus graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder School of Journalism, and worked 25 years in San Diego as a video journalist with NBC7 and COX4 before going independent. Her work has earned 16 Emmy Awards and nine Golden Mikes. Her news special, ’A Father’s Return,’ aired on PBS in 90 markets. ‘The Big Scoot!’ is Vaus’ first full-length film.

Key Cast

Other Credits

Associate Producer: Jacob Judge Vaus; Colorist: Ray Levé; Sound Design: Justin Lenoir