MSP and TGR going the way of Warren Miller?

[meatdrink9]

I too agree that most ski flicks are pretty formulaic, but they're the best we've got. I'm also glad Ostness is back. I don't want to hear anymore people saying: "Look at snowboarding flicks." as a guide for creativity. If you want to be creative don't look at anybody else. Start generating your own ideas and go nuts.

The current ski movie formula is getting a little old, but I still watch and buy the flicks. I think one problem may be the abilities of the editors. They're usually homespun, inhouse facilities for these flicks. You don't get the type of motion graphic guys you see doing work for Fuel promos, indie music videos etc...

[Buster Highmen]

shaders.

[WhiteHunter]

Next year TGR will try and widen the demographic even more. Werd is they're adding a plot line that will attract a higher number of mainstream movie goers and women. The flick will focus on a love triangle starring Nobis, Micah and Charlotte Moats. The whole sordid mess will be worked out in a tragic salmon fishing, Kodiak bear incident. A mainstream soundtrack starring your favorite American Idol artists and Aerosmith promises a HUGE payday.

Really though, Immersion and Sinners scored with a lot of people because they weren't the same old formula. They had a different, and IMO, good vibe to them At the same time they weren't huge commercial successes so why would either of the two big boys go that far out on a limb with their feature presentation for the year? High Life was the last feature movie I bought in the last four years because it didn't feel like the same canned format. Yet, it wasn't that different.

These guys aren't stupid. They started making movies because they got sick of watching Warren Miller flicks and thought they could do something better. If they don't change they'll die off and we'll watch somebody else. They may not be getting insanely rich, but there's enough money being made that they'll notice when their audience gets bored.

[robokill1981]

What specifically makes the snowboarding movies creative or progressive? What is new every year? Why does the Noeprene movie remind you about how much fun it is to be skiing/snowboarding? I want some specifics.

Thanks for the answer btw.

The Neoproto film was really good because it constantly reminded you of riding with your own friends and having a good time, even though none of my friends are as good as anyone in the movie. That alone made it more fun to watch than any $10,000 heli runs.

Here's my best explanation as to why snowboard films are so much better than ski films. Snowboard movies are influenced heavily by skateboard films. Skateboard films are the best films in the business hands down. I think this has to do with the epicenter of skate films being in LA where there are thousands of extremely talented young people who want to work in or are working in the film industry. These people are also making skate films. They are using the same ideas that go into real films to make skate films. This can be in the form of plot, art direction, editing, whatever it doesn't really matter how it makes the film better, the bottom line is that very creative people are making very creative films.

Major ski films on the other hand are influenced only by each other (from what I see in the final product) and these films are very good at competing with each other, but in terms of alternative sports in general they can't really hold a candle to the creativity shown in skateboarding and snowboarding films (again some films and not all).

Meatdrink is right that you need your own ideas to be creative and this is exactly what goes on in most skate films as being creativly different is the norm for a lot of these films. Some snowboard films have followed this "mold" and made amazing films that are fun and interesting to watch year in and year out. For me this differs greatly from ski films as what I see a ski film for are the tricks which become stale within a season or so as the new films eclipse the old one's as the sport progresses. The good skateboard and snowboard films don't have this problem because there is more to hold the movie together than just flipping, spinnig, and rails.

My head hurts now and I need to get back to work.

[CS]

They are more like skateboard movies

Then they all suck.

[Lane Meyer]

If you guys knew who Charlie was, and the respect he commands as a skier (and from his peers), you would value and respect his opening post and the opinion he put forth there. Maybe not agree with it, but not tell him to "choke on a dick."

Myself, I can't make an informed comment cause I haven't seen the film (yet).

[GI JONG]

Every movie every year is just a bunch of sequences of skiers doing "look at me! Im ripping!!" skiing. We've all seen a million d-spins in the park, and a million shots of some guy skiing what looks to be the same line in Alaska.....:yawn:

Now, take a movie like Sinners for example.
Not super sickter mcrichter skiing in it, but it definitely captures my soul and makes me feel really good about skiing.
All the other shit out there is just the the same porn with fancy editing...........

Put some damn soul back into the sport, I'm tired of the "I wanna be Evil Kneivel-stunt-skier" bullshit. If those wanted to really do something special, they'd delve into the unknown by breaking the world record cliff huck. That's something I'd like to see over another guy sliding a rail in the Safeway parking lot.

[slippy]

Then they all suck.

Christ, go rent a movie before posting.

'Yeah, Right' is my favorite.

[freshie247]

[QUOTE=lax]msp has a weak list of athletes comparatively QUOTE


I wanna see you call Shane ,Hugo & Ingrid weak to their faces,hell I'll even pay admission to that feature!

I liked Hit List better than Yearbook even though I liked Ingrid's segment in YB better,More powder less jibbing!

Gaffney's humor is virtually the only humor out there in a sea of porn.

I love the powder in TGR,but I find their moives to be very dry & porn like.

Scott Gaffney, IMO ,makes the best films.His films have a good balance of porn & humor.Both he & Shane crack me up.

Bad mouth WM films all you want, but the guy invented this genre & is an 80 year old ,wealthy ski bum skiing powder everyday that he wants to at an enormous private skiing resort in Montana.

Sounds like the kind of jackass I dream of becoming!

[gramboh]

Excited to see Tangerine Dream, looks good. Hit List, may as well go to the premier, doubt I'll buy it. Teddy Bear looks really good.

Anyone seen Community Project or Paradox? Both look pretty sweet, Jeremy Jones rides a pretty insane looking line in Paradox trailer (Standard Films).

[frozenwater]

Please don't assume that TGR must suck this year because you went and watched MSP's new movie and didn't like it.

This year we have a movie that is different that look at this athletes segment, now on to the next.

People in the industry seem to be really digging our latest endeavor.

The next question is how much money do you fools all think we have to make these movies??? "little" snowboard movies have so much money behind them it is ridiculous. A good friend of ours just finished "The Community Project" He had more budget for his intro song than we did for our entire soundtrack.

Bottom line is this. If you want to bag on TGR's latest - fine. Do it. But at least WATCH it first.

[ill-advised strategy]

have to make this quick....

I voted "not that bad" instead of yes, because of the "stars in AK/stars in the Park" fomula that is good watching, but doesn't always dig deep into my skier's heart and soul the way that seeing some local shredders killing it inbounds does...Think of the telluride sequence in blizzard, it's a story, there's some local flavor, it's about ski town life vs. being about ski stardome...know what I mean?

[cberg]

I started this whole discussion and want to make a clarification. I don't think what is being done now by TGR and MSP is the worst. And I don't think making a good ski movie is easy. I understand, at least to some degree, the work involved. That said, I think it is fair as a consumer and skier to ask the industry to provide the sort of films that I want to watch. I mean no disrespect to any of the athletes involved - they are all skiing at a level that most of us can't even relate to, let alone reach. I just think skiers deserve better shit than what some parts of the industry churn out. And from my perspective, MSP and TGR are moving in the wrong direction. That said, if they take the place of Warren Miller, our sport is better off.

[The Suit]

Can I vote? And if so, can we add a "MSP is turning into Warren Miller, but TGR is not" category?

[frozenwater]

CBERG, I respect your opinion above. What I take extreme umbridge too is you watching MSP's movie this year, being disapointed by it - and then lumping TGR into that disapointment. Have you Seen THIS YEARS tgr movie? If so I apoligize. But from your first post it doesn't really seem like you have.

Give it a spin - then you have the right to bitch about what direction we are headed.

[Nate Dogg]

frozen - check PMs

Just thought I'd throw one more opinion into the fire...from a general perspective it seems as if there will be a constant cycle, or at least struggle, for the big dogs to avoid the repetition and get recognition for their creativity. The more established and well-known they become, the quicker people will be to shoot them down. The small companies that are making their first and second films are more easily praised, although they may struggle more to make ends meet.

[runethechamp]

More of the same

Again, I just want some examples. Like: "I like 1999 because it is filmed at Squaw at terrain I can relate to, follows some of the flow at the resort during a big powder day, has some good humor mixed in here and there and has a grand finale where Robb Gaffney skis Schmidtiots for the first time in 4 years."

[robokill1981]

Again here's an example: "The Neoproto film was good because it constantly reminded you of riding with your own friends and having a good time, even though none of my friends are as good as anyone in the movie. That alone made it more fun to watch than any $10,000 heli runs."

It was more of an overall feel to the movie than an exact scene. It felt like a bunch of friends got together, had a kick ass time and made the best movie they could.

[runethechamp]

It was more of an overall feel to the movie than an exact scene. It felt like a bunch of friends got together, had a kick ass time and made the best movie they could.

There we go. Didn't mean to be an asshole or anything, just wanted to know...

[frozenwater]

...although they may struggle more to make ends meet.

Wow, if they are struggling more than TGR is to make ends meet - they are SCREWED.

[Dexter Rutecki]

If you want to bag on TGR's latest - fine. Do it. But at least WATCH it first.

How dare you suggest I know what I'm talking shit about?

[Nate Dogg]

Wow, if they are struggling more than TGR is to make ends meet - they are SCREWED.

I think you might agree that some found out just that, there are countless small ventures that never catch enough attention and end shortly thereafter.

[robokill1981]

There we go. Didn't mean to be an asshole or anything, just wanted to know...

No you weren't at all. I just got sucked into talking about the movies and not really answering your question.

[cberg]

CBERG, I respect your opinion above. What I take extreme umbridge too is you watching MSP's movie this year, being disapointed by it - and then lumping TGR into that disapointment. Have you Seen THIS YEARS tgr movie? If so I apoligize. But from your first post it doesn't really seem like you have.

Give it a spin - then you have the right to bitch about what direction we are headed.

I have not seen this year's film. I'll check it out for sure when it comes to Tahoe. With regards to last year's TGR film, I tended to see it in the same light as "HIT LIST". That's why I lumped you guys into the discussion. I'm not trying to piss everyone off. I'm simply curious what other people think about this. And I'm finding out for sure.

[GI JONG]

Wow, if they are struggling more than TGR is to make ends meet - they are SCREWED.

How about TGR gets rid of all the heli-time, and films athletes doing sick shit off the inbounds terrain we all ski and can relate too? I wanna see the famous guys huck all of bad news, throw spins over the fingers at Squaw, invert off the chair 4 cliffs at Vail...catch my drift?