So what do you want to see???

So I'm in the storyboard stages of making our next movie and thought it would be nice to hear what you all would like to see happen with ski movies. My whole take is to make something different then the ordinary ski porn that being made these days. Its certainly riskier stepping outside the box, but I think its time to make some changes in the way movies are being put together. That being said, I'd love to hear any suggestions on what your vision of the perfect ski movie would be, from types skiing, shots you like or dislike, and music. Since you guys are my target audience, I think its important that my next movie incorporate some of your ideas.

Didn't see it this year, had to work that night, but put in some ripping Tele'ers.:D Little to no rails, everything else is good. Deep, deep pow shots are ALWAYS the best.

long billy goat technical lines the whole line top to bottom. I don’t care if they have to stop to rest and puke, keep filming.

I wanna see deep powder and helmet cam of me staight lining the upper Bat Cave at Alta.:D

http://biglines.com/photos/blpic13475.jpg

Urban Extreme...maybe in the Bonus section.
And Omen...stoked about the showing up here at PLU in Tacoma!
Thanks for the deal with that, it's gonna be huge.

I think a bump section would rock, and not lamo comp footage. Get out there a film some local teams(man does CU Freestyle come to mind ;)) ripping it up on the afternoon of a powder day in normal lines at the mountain.

Er. Some plot lines would be cool. Think back to Immersion. There were lots of little plots in the movie that kept it interesting:

- Waiting for the snow
- CR's it's best to ski what you know
- JT conquers the line he blew his knee out on
- Christmas at Donner
- Skogen overcomes major injury
- Kid with cancer skis with Shane
- Robb skis the line that Mike Hattrup skied.

None of these are plots to best sellers, but they frame things up nicely to hold the viewers intrest. (Hey, it's just like real porn... :D )

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Originally posted by Julio
http://biglines.com/photos/blpic13475.jpg


And Omen...stoked about the showing up here at PLU in Tacoma!
Thanks for the deal with that, it's gonna be huge.

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No worries. Thanks for hosting it...I wish I could be there myself.-

I think the next movie is going to be big mountain only...no park/comp footage. I like the small plots throughout idea...I've actually have a couple that I'm working out right now. Thanks everyone for the replies- Omen

I've thought about this on more than one occasion, and it's a tough one. One thought I had was to follow a core group of riders from a certain locale throughout a season, truly documenting what "the life" is all about. Using time and date to dictate the storyline offers up some connection everyone's reality. Allowing viewers to go, yeah...I was blah blah blah on that day. This also allows for more development of the charachters than just a few witty sound bites before thier music kicks in. One thing that most movies miss completely is the true essence of what towns like JH, CB, T-ride, Bozeman, Nelson, etc are really all about. The dramas, the charachters, the vibe that comes from knowing everyone and dating half of em is to me the real soul of skiing...that and endless slow mo white room over the head face shot action. It's be cool to start with the jonesing for the first snows...first turns...and end with hiking for the last scraps hiding in the shadows, using the seasons to set the bookends of the film.

Wouldn't it be cool to roll into a premier for a flick...just drooling over the first big storm predicted for next week, and have the film open with your rockstar heros drooling for thier first turns as well?

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Originally posted by Billow
I don’t care if they have to stop to rest and puke, keep filming.

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I think Billow is on to something here. I think there is a lot more story in each line skied. Something about the vision/creativity of it from the skiers point of view. I think of the part in 1999 when Rob skis Schmidiots. Obviously, you don't want a whole movie of that, but more of it would be awesome.

i think it would be sweet to show a really burly line from conceptual start to actual finish: spotting something, polaroids, planning, heli/hike up, standing on top (what it looks like compared to the pics), thoughts from the rider(s) as they're about to drop in, and finally the actual skiing, afterthoughts. it might take 5-10min of your film's time, but throughly delving into a sick line would make a neat ending to a film.
can never have too much helmet cam in my opinion, and i've always wanted to see some good tree skiing on deep days and a few white room shots from helmet cam. i'm not sure if these types of shots would turn out quite the way i envision, but it might be something to try.
i like truth's idea too.
as far as music goes, think rasta.
just some thoughts...

edit, oh yeah, tele is good too...

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Originally posted by Telephil
Didn't see it this year, had to work that night, but put in some ripping Tele'ers.:D Little to no rails, everything else is good. Deep, deep pow shots are ALWAYS the best.

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I'll second this

Skip the jibbing. Skip the rails. Skip the competitions. Skip to the lou my darling.

Build charaters
Talk about some local characters, show their quirks
Anticipation is always a good feeling to movie
Some narration adds a lot to a film
Dark stormy days, deep back in the trees days
Show somebody waking up on powder day pumped
A little sound bite of the snow phone on a fat day

I think the best bit of plotting in any ski movie was the shootout in 'Blizzard of Aahhs' - classic stuff. It also leads on to what I thought was my favourite part of 'High Life' - the local ripping Utah boys who were suddenly let loose in the Alps.

I think there's a whole film to be made there - taking somne up and coming guys who tear up areas like Kirkwood or Squaw and really creating a great warts'n'all travelogue with some big lines at some monster Euro locations. I don't want to see the jaded rockstars looking bored through the Plexiglass bubble of yet another A-star. I want the excitement, the shock and the awe I feel when I go somewhere that blows me away coming right back at me.

Budget wouldn't have to be ridiculous - it would just require a bit of expert planning.

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Originally posted by bigAK
i think it would be sweet to show a really burly line from conceptual start to actual finish: spotting something, polaroids, planning, heli/hike up, standing on top (what it looks like compared to the pics), thoughts from the rider(s) as they're about to drop in, and finally the actual skiing, afterthoughts. it might take 5-10min of your film's time, but throughly delving into a sick line would make a neat ending to a film.
can never have too much helmet cam in my opinion, and i've always wanted to see some good tree skiing on deep days and a few white room shots from helmet cam.

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I second these, there's a few flicks out there with small bits showing polaroids, discussing a line etc. It adds a whole other dimension to the skiing showing that they didnt just drop in and carve this huge line blind, adds more humanity, more reality. Helmet cams and mics are big bonuses, i want to see what they see, i want to hear their breathing quicken, i want to hear their prayers when their tips go off the edge of a big huck.

Lets see some meaning to a film, a general theme or idea that's trying to be conveyed not just a random compilation of a bunch footage. Some reason to watch the film other than to get stoked would be nice.

Another thing i've noticed listening to some jibbers is that they like their films more because they're more "exciting" well i think a huge part of the "excitement" is that the camera can be within 10feet of the skier so the actually filming can be more exciting whereas most of the big mountain stuff is filmed from a fixed point far away. So while the skiing in big mountain is more exciting, it isnt as easily perceived as so.

How about screaming death metal and rapid fire edits from helis of unbelievable athletes nailing jaw dropping lines while screaming through torrents of slough and flipping off cliffs that no mortal should contemplate even getting near.

If that doesn't work you could probably get Shane McConkey to do something stupid for a cracker.






I'm KIDDING GODDAMMIT!!

I'm down with the story of the story behind the story. The unseen segment of the seldom seen scene. The real goings on behind the curtain draped over the entrance to the cutting room floor. The shocking reality of the inner sanctum of the secret brotherhood of the spancered freeskier demigod.


That or just remake Immersion with some unknown rippers who are so jazzed that they are in a movie.

Of course, topless women would be best. Is that some kind of big problem? Does distribution get tricky? I mean it, some sweet chica nekkidness and rockstar skiing together would certainly sell very big time. Is every ski film producer out there so durned concerned about their rep that no one will do that?

I would buy it in a second. The naked one I mean, not that other crap I posted.

Travels ! one of the coolest things in ski movies is the part when people get to areas they haven't been before.
EUROPE !!!! I WANT EUROPE ! and not only Cham but smaller and "normal" areas. It is cheaper AND more interesting.
And Pre-Storm-shots; for example people watching a weather map saying its gonna be huge.. and then a cut to Powder shots right from that Storm...(i liked it with swell maps in a surf movie)
and Powder (ok i guess im not the first wishing for that..... ..... ;) )

and ME, i want to see me in a movie... hrr hrr :D

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Originally posted by subtle plague
Travels ! one of the coolest things in ski movies is the part when people get to areas they haven't been before.
EUROPE !!!! I WANT EUROPE ! and not only Cham but smaller and "normal" areas. It is cheaper AND more interesting.
And Pre-Storm-shots; for example people watching a weather map saying its gonna be huge.. and then a cut to Powder shots right from that Storm...(i liked it with swell maps in a surf movie)
and Powder (ok i guess im not the first wishing for that..... ..... ;) )

and ME, i want to see me in a movie... hrr hrr :D

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I'd agree with all of that! Travel makes it interesting. It would be nice to see Europe get a little coverage. Seeing AK and BC heliski stuff is amazing, but gets old. Let's see some epic powder days at Saas Fee or Verbier, or as you said, some of the smaller lesser known resorts. I could give you a nice list.

Weather charts are cool too. Before/after is a good idea. And the "gettin to it". Just watching some pros getting dropped off at the top is not very interesting. Let's see some regular guys climbing for it.

And why do ski movies have to be so damn short? Fill up the damn DVD with ANYTHING other than dead air.

people having fun, long flowin runs with multiple key features in em

i like the idea of having some narration in a ski movie, but not just the same voice over and over again. hearing the skiers voice their thoughts before or after a segment is more interesting for me than a monotone voice reading a scripted statement as the soundtrack moves from one tune to the next.

jokes, pranks and stupidness in moderation are entertaining. i don't think a ski movie version of "jackass" would be that smooth, but a view into the life and times of those who live the dream would be cool. and for some reason i thought the local news station footage in "further" was nice, seeing just how massive the storms can be and how different things look up in AK as opposed to where i'm at. represent more of the adventure than just the 1080 d-spin, 3000 verticle foot straightline, blah, blah, blah.

and i forget which movie it was, but i know it was a bunch of years back... there was a scene in some flick of some skiers hanging out somewhere in europe and drinking beers. that scene taught me how to chug a bottle of beer using a bendy drinking straw as ventilation. changed my life. i still bust out that trick now and then when tying one on, and it always reminds me of that particular movie.

i want to see a movie that has more emphasis on fun and excitement as opposed to being something that's imposing and "too cool". it'd be cool to see a movie that makes me want to imagine myself taking part in the action, instead of just being awestruck by the intimidation factor.

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Originally posted by bad_roo
I think the best bit of plotting in any ski movie was the shootout in 'Blizzard of Aahhs' - classic stuff.

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Have you seen Gonzo-ed to Extremes (or something of that nature)? There's a bit in it where Stump talks about how he regrets that whole segment. Something about the competitive nature and slanted way it was presented. He then goes on to show Day and Slattery rip a few nice lines and Plake take a few tumbles (if I recall, one of them involved a snow fence right after the Blizzard version cut out).

Sick and ashamed and happy (and just wanking away),
d.

I think that's the rare thing about the segment - that it was such a breathtaking annihilation of Slattery and Day's claims. There were no congratulations to the gallant losers. It was tough stuff. I wouldn't have been too stoked if I was Slattery and I can't help but come to the conclusion that he didn't know that was how the shoot would pan out. Fair? No. Brutal? Yes. Entertaining? HELL YEAH!

As much as anything, though,, it's the story behind getting Plake to Europe that was probably even more interesting and one which would have made a great 'Bonus Feature' if ever a Blizzard DVD had existed...

I definitely agree. The way the scene and the players were presented is pretty top-notch in terms of gripping entertainment value. The music, the narrative, it all gels into a pretty solid story - even if the outcome is obvious (after all, Plake's name is on the box) and the view biased.

Now I have the urge to watch it again went I get home...

Sick and ashamed and happy (and wishing I was a warrior on the wasteland),
d.

A dozen things I do NOT want to see in a ski movie:

1: Guys with mullets and/or moustaches
2: Footage shot in only 4 locations (Say... Telluride, Snowbitd, Squaw, and Chamonix)
3: Mogul skiers wearing neon one pieces
4: An interview with a guy who complains that the ladies like his dog more than him.
5: Opening narration by the filmmaker telling stories about his childhood
6: Speed skiers
7: the majority of the film being devoted to a small number, such as three skiers
8: A soundtrack by obscure 80's bands
9: The best skier in the film expressing how he wishes physical harm against people who might take legal action to recoup benefits from the tourism industry.
10: People wearing Vuarnet sunglasses
11: Rollerbladers
12: An interview with some "weirdo local"

I mean, doesn't that sound like the formula for the worst ski movie EVER?

That would righteously suck. ;)

I've watched ah-MIG-dah-la and High Life on consecutive nights and it made me chuckle to see the Immersion bleedover effect.

Director: "Right. We need some rambling voiceover that talks about friends and excitement and, um, watching the snow fall."