An immersive 360 docuseries
that takes you into the lives of women who fly.
Are you ready to soar?
With the Wind and the Stars is a documentary series about female pilots made for virtual reality. It exists to uplift and inspire all women to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams by celebrating the stories of women in aviation.
360 video has the power
to transport viewers to new places where they can meet people they might otherwise never encounter.
In this case, that happens to be inside a cockpit flying alongside a female pilot. This power, to place a story within a spatial environment for the viewer to explore, is exactly why we’re using 360 video to showcase the stories of women in aviation.
We want to break down harmful stereotypes that have persisted in aviation, despite the many contributions of women since the earliest days of flight.
Each episode of With the Wind and the Stars follows the story of a different female pilot pursuing her dreams in the world of aviation. Their stories are filmed using cinematic 360 cameras and meant for viewing inside of a virtual reality headset. There are currently three episodes in various stages of production.
Meet The Pilots
Who are the pilots we're currently following in our 360/VR docuseries?
TEARA FRASER
EPISODE 1 - Launching an Airline
“I will step into the darkness of the unknown and one of two things will happen. I will have something solid to stand on or I will be taught to fly.”
Teara has been a pilot for over 17 years, since a life-changing flight in a small airplane over Botswana sparked her passion for flying. As a single mom with no background in aviation, she wondered how exactly to make her dreams a reality. Through tenacity and hard work, she earned her commercial pilot’s license in less than a year and “made that impossible thing possible.”
Today she is the founder and CEO of Iskwew Air. “Iskwew” is a Cree word that means woman. Launched on International Women’s Day 2019, Iskwew Air is Canada’s first 100% Indigenous woman-owned airline.
As a proud Métis woman working in a male-dominated industry, the significance of this historic achievement motivates Teara to move forward. With a mission of connecting people to the land, Teara is striving to reclaim matriarchal leadership while promoting Indigenous tourism in the aviation industry.
Episode 1 is now live on YouTube, Facebook, Oculus TV, and many more VR platforms.
NOUR UTAYIM
EPISODE 2 - Third Generation Pilot
"My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person. He gave me a dream."
Following in her grandfather and father's footsteps, Nour dreams of becoming an airline pilot. Her dad flew 727's for Syrian Air, but sadly he passed away when Nour was only 5 years old.
Because of the war in Syria, Nour moved to Canada in 2017. Soon after, she began researching how to get a pilot's license. When she joined a flight school in Quebec, the news traveled quickly to her dad's old flying buddies, who were excited to cheer her on. She even received support from Syria's first and only female airline pilot, Wedad Shujaa, who also had to leave her country due to war.
Nour earned her pilot's license in September 2018. Now she's working towards her ultimate goal- flying for the airlines and continuing the legacy of her father and grandfather.
HANNAH MCLAUGHLIN
EPISODE 3 - Building Her Own Plane
“I’ve had people tell me ‘You can’t build a Starduster, you can’t fly this type of airplane, it will be too challenging for you.' My response is ‘Well I’m a really challenging person, so it’s a good thing I’m building a challenging airplane, we’ll be perfect for each other!'
Hannah is not your average 21 year old. She’s been a pilot for almost 4 years, goes to school for aviation maintenance, and practically lives at the small Oregon airport where she’s building her own airplane. She believes every plane has a unique personality, especially older planes with historical significance. As she puts it, “I’m all about the old airplanes. I learned to fly because I wanted an 80 year old biplane... I like those old things!"
Her airport friends call her a “wing-nut” because of her expansive knowledge of engines and for her determination to build the notoriously difficult Startduster Too aircraft.
The team
RACHEL BRACKER
Director & Editor
Rachel has been creating 360 videos for several years as an editor and producer with 360 Labs. She is passionate about giving viewers access to places and points of view via 360 video. With her background in journalism and documentary filmmaking, Rachel enjoys research and regularly gives presentations about 360 storytelling and women in aviation. She also teaches classes about immersive media at NW Documentary, Portland Community College, and Open Signal Community Media. Her idea of a good time is going to an air show and watching fighter jets zoom by.
JESSICA RIDGWAY
Associate Producer & Assistant Cinematographer
Jessica Ridgway is a writer, editor and producer who uses her skills to help others tell their stories. She has a background in multimedia journalism and experience creating content-in-all-forms for a wide range of industries: news, tech, retail, public transportation, nonprofit. Throughout Jessica’s career adventure, one thing always rings true—good stories are powerful and have the ability to create universal connections and inspire change.
ANNA SWANSON
Story Consultant
Anna Swanson (they/them) is a nonbinary trans filmmaker, youth educator, prison industrial complex abolitionist organizer, and drag king based in Portland, OR. They hold an MFA in Film/Video from the University of Iowa, and are privileged to survive capitalism by doing things they love: teaching writing classes at NW Documentary, mentoring houseless youth filmmakers through Outside the Frame, and working as a freelance story consultant for nonfiction filmmakers in the PNW. They are passionate about helping communities tell new stories, and old stories in new ways, and devote their professional and personal time to making nonfiction drag, film, and creative containers for healing and collective liberation.
COREY CRAWFORD
Sound Supervisor
Corey has worked in traditional recording studios, audio post-production film/broadcast, and location audio. Not being afraid to experiment and be at the forefront of technology led him on his journey into spatial audio and VR. When VR hit the market, Corey knew that audio was going to play a major role in fully allowing the viewer to immerse themselves in the experience. The idea of working with spatial audio in its infancy where there is no set rules truly got his creative mind ablaze. He jumped right into this new expression of sound and has gained valuable knowledge working with not only post processing spatial audio, but various different ways to capture audio for 360/VR on location.
FORREST BRENNAN
Post-Production Specialist
Forrest is a visual effects guru, working in the 360 world since 2016 after several years with traditional media before that. He focuses on the many aspects of VFX, but enjoys filming as a licensed drone pilot and scuba diver.
KERRI LYNNE THORP
Contributing Producer
Kerri is an artist, futurist and feminist, exploring story and culture through documentary, virtual reality and public engagement with a desire to expand access to technology and use of storytelling as a crucial way to affect social change. She is a documentary Producer/Editor and has worked in post production on major motion pictures. Kerri teaches 360/VR documentary storytelling at NW Documentary and is the creative director for the youth programs Produced by Her and Recording Resilience at NW Documentary in Portland, OR.
Why 360 Video?
Immersive documentaries are powerful because they engage the mind and body in the story.
360 virtual reality video is transformative. It is wholly immersive and completely engaging. All of your senses are heightened. You believe you are there, wherever there happens to be…
We’re using 360 video to show our viewers that 1.) female pilots do exist and 2.) women belong in the cockpit. 360 video is uniquely equipped to communicate these truths, as they are felt and experienced in a visceral, intimate, and immediate way. We believe our films can shift misconceptions and widen perspectives, and we hope the impact of that leads to greater equality for women in all places, both inside aviation and out.
How Do I watch this?
With the Wind and the Stars is coming to a screening near you and will be optimized for viewing in a virtual reality headset.
Ultimately, each episode will live in several places online including:
YouTube, Facebook, Oculus Videos, and Vimeo.
We want our films to be accessible to everyone. Since most people do not own or have access to a VR headset yet, we’re looking for community partners to help bring this film series to a wide audience via public VR screenings using multiple VR headsets.
If you would like to host a screening in your area, or be notified of screenings please contact us!
Support Us
We are proud to build a community around this important film series and appreciate support from those who share our mission.
With your help, we can continue production and bring our film series to a wider audience! Donations are welcome and deeply appreciated. Contributions over $200 will receive thanks in the film’s credits and on our website. You can also support us by signing up for our mailing list. We’ll keep in touch with you about our progress, upcoming opportunities to support on-going film production, and future screenings.
Our Sponsors
With the Wind and the Stars would not be possible without the support of sponsors who believe in our mission. Thank you to our generous sponsors!
360 Labs - 360 Labs is a production company specializing in 360º immersive panoramic photography and video with more than a decade of 360 video production experience. Their goal is to create meaningful and memorable experiences for virtual reality, desktop, and mobile applications. They strive for exceptional quality in the 360 medium, employing advanced panoramic photography techniques, stereoscopy, photogrammetry and gigapixel capture. 360 Labs creates truly customized experiences for each client, providing VR application development where a solid user experience is at forefront for every project.
Regional Arts and Culture Council - RACC provides grants and services for artists, organizations and schools. RACC serves the Portland metropolitan region, including Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties. RACC provides grants for artists, nonprofit organizations and schools; manages an internationally acclaimed public art program; raises money and awareness for the arts through workplace giving; convenes forums, networking events and other community gatherings; provides workshops and other forms of technical assistance for artists; and oversees a program to integrate arts and culture into the standard curriculum in public schools throughout the region through “The Right Brain Initiative.”
NW Documentary - NW Documentary’s mission is to practice, teach, and share the art of non-fiction storytelling. With the core belief that “everyone has a story and everyone is a storyteller,” NW Documentary makes digital tools accessible so youth, adults, and community organizations can tell their stories. Since 2003, they have trained over 1,300 adults and 265 children, resulting in 450 films.
The University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication in Portland- Located on the historic White Stag Block—a landmark in the middle of the biggest media market in Oregon—SOJC Portland is home to the industry-facing Agora Journalism Center, two professional master’s programs, and the new Oregon Reality (OR) Lab. Director Rachel Bracker is a graduate from their Multimedia Journalism Graduate Program and a proud Duck!
Oregon Arts Commission - The Oregon Arts Commission was established in 1967 to foster the arts in Oregon and ensure their excellence. Nine Commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine policies, establish long-range plans, and review applications to grants programs to determine funding levels.
The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature, federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, and funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust.
A Special Thank You
To Our Community Supporters-
We are so grateful to have the support of individuals who believe in this film series and everything it represents. Thank you from the bottom of our heart!
Without your help, we couldn’t make these films. The following individuals have made a donation to With the Wind and the Stars to keep our production going and help us reach a wider audience via our public screenings:
Anita Damiano- In Memory of John Damiano
