If You Film It, They Will Watch: Behind the Scenes of Our GIFF Film
Description
A tiny town with no stoplight. A maker who keeps a notebook by his bed. And a film that asks a simple question: if you hide it, will they come? We pull back the curtain on our Geocaching International Film Festival finalist and the real story that inspired it—how Chad (aka Tricassius) turns dreams into intricate gadget caches that draw people from around the world to Gilby, North Dakota.
We walk through the entire creative journey, from the Field of Dreams spark to the choice to keep dialogue sparse and the emotions loud. You’ll hear how we staged early-morning “wake-up” shots, filmed build montages without spoiling secrets, and used shelter belts as our stand-in for the iconic cornfield. Then we dig into the edit: rotoscoping dozens of “ghost cachers,” layering subtle sound design, and crafting a score that rises from crickets to a full-on swell as the town fills with arrivals. There’s even a behind-the-scenes confession about an alternate HQ cameo we loved but cut to keep the focus on Gilby.
It wasn’t all smooth—our theater premiere nearly fell apart when the DCP failed, and a single HDMI cable saved the day. Along the way, we celebrate the broader GIF reel, call out standout entries, and share why we chose heart over easy laughs. If you love geocaching road trips, gadget caches, and small towns with big stories, this one hits all the search-worthy notes: geocaching film festival, Gilby North Dakota, travel hidden gems, and the craft behind cinematic cache hunts.
Subscribe to the show, share this episode with a cacher who needs a new destination, and leave a review to help more travelers find their way to the “Disneyland of geocaching.” What moment gave you chills—Chad’s trembling pen, the first ghost, or the final cars rolling into Gilby?























