"Snow Guardians" Film Interview with Tyler Ginter
ZippedShut PR had the awesome opportunity to interview Tyler Ginter, Co-Producer and Production Manager, about the “Snow Guardians” collaborative film. I am overly excited to see this film. The film crew really pushed the envelope on this one. They took some of the most mind-blowing photos I’ve ever seen and just did an amazing job! Check out the interview below and see more behind-the-scenes photos at http://www.collaborativefilm.org.
"Snow Guardians" Summary of Film:
Document a group of Avalanche Scientists, Ski Patrollers, and Search and Rescue doing daily what most people would consider extreme adventure and hardship. They save lives and keep the mountains safe. They are part of a remarkable and rare community that is passionate about helping others, and absolutely love their jobs. They make very little money and work long exhausting days, but they don't mind any of the hardships because the raw beauty and camaraderie is more of a paycheck than most people will ever receive. Working every day on top of a mountain puts life into perspective. Mother nature is powerful and unforgiving and reminds us that we are in not in control; we are the little guys. This perspective proves you must stick together, cherish the simple things and connect with others who share similar passions.
ZPR: So who came up with the idea for the “Snow Guardians” documentary, and what was the inspiration behind it?
TG: Producer Carson Garner (www.F9photo.com) came up with the concept for "Snow Guardians." He actually grew up in Bozeman, Montana and lived the exact lifestyle we sought to capture in "Snow Guardians." It's interesting because before I traveled to Montana for this documentary, I hated the cold and snow. I attended college in Florida and only went snowboarding on the East Coast. Montana really opened my eyes to what winter is all about. Not just because of the beautiful landscapes and breathtaking views at 12,000 feet on top of mountains, but also because of the people we met. They have an extremely strong community that truly cares about one another, and that's clearly demonstrated by all these "Snow Guardians" who risk their lives and dedicate their time to keeping the mountain safe. More importantly, they live a simple life with respect for nature and the people around them. They absolutely love their jobs and are passionate about life. One of the Ski Patrollers, Deano, is in his early 70s and lives his life to the absolute fullest by staying active outdoors and skiing just as well, if not better, than all the other Ski Patrollers.
ZPR: There were many key contributors who worked on the documentary, including industry professionals Vincent Laforet and Carson Garner. How did the collaboration take place, and how was it working with the other collaborators?
TG: Not only is the story of the Ski Patrollers, Avalanche Scientists, and Search and Rescue members unique, but also is the way this crew came together to make a film. We all met through social media (Twitter/Facebook) or through friends of friends. Everyone shares a passion for filmmaking, and everyone on the crew loves Skiing/Snowboarding, so it was a perfect match when Carson came to all of us with his vision for the film. A lot of films bring freelancers together to work on these types of projects, but what's unique about this film is everyone volunteered their personal time and experience. We worked closely with some amazing sponsors to help fund and donate gear, and everyone pulled together to create something incredible without the pressure of Hollywood prioritizing deadlines and money over storytelling and creativity. The crew was able to collaborate not only on this project, but everyone made amazing connections with one another to work together on future projects. We had some incredible people working on the film – DPs Khalid and Jon, who are well known for their documentary and commercial work, Jim Geduldick who is an amazing VFX supervisor, Red camera technician, Vincent Laforet who is a Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist and incredible cinematographer and director, and James Douglas Shields who is an incredible outdoor and commercial photographer; the list goes on and on. It's a win, win situation for everyone to get this opportunity to work with one another. It truly demonstrates the power of social media and what happens when you combine passionate people with a common goal to create something amazing! For a full list of crewmembers and names, go to http://www.collaborativefilm.org/crew.
ZPR: Describe the process of “Snow Guardians.” What logistics were necessary to create the film? (Discuss the trial and error process, location selection, necessary equipment, etc.)
TG: The logistics of any documentary is a challenge because you are working around the schedule of real people with real jobs. For this reason, the majority of the film was uncontrolled action, which means you have to really be on your toes so you don’t miss the moment. We had crew on helicopters, skiing backwards, chasing rescue ski patrol dogs down the mountains, and filming on top of ridge lines only several feet wide at temperatures down to -30 degrees on some days. As a result, the gear we took needed to hold up to these extreme temperatures and conditions. High Definition camera technology has come so far in the last few years, and we took full advantage of every tool we could. We had a Red MX camera that can record up to 120 RAW 5K frames per second, the new AF100, GoPro HD Helmet Cams that we strapped to Ski Patrollers throughout the day, and the full range of Canon HDSLRs (5DMKII, 1DMKIV, and 7D). These small and portable camera systems were rigged on RedRock Micro support systems so we could shoulder mount and handhold the cameras. We used follow focus systems, matte boxes, and small HD monitors in order to control our focus and shallow depth of field in the bright sunlight and harsh snow reflections of the mountain. We also had motion control sliders and jibs from Kessler Crane that let us get some epic cinema shots. Lastly, we used Adobe CS5 Production Premium and Lightroom 3 to handle all the data management and post-production. Lightroom 3 contained almost 4TB of footage, photographs, and time-lapse on several G-Tech drives with multiple backups in Montana and New York City to protect our important footage. Our goal was to tell this story with a very cinematic look so we needed all this gear to pull off our shots, but we also needed to keep portability and durability in mind every day. The gear we chose worked flawlessly!
ZPR: What was the best aspect of “Snow Guardians?”
TG: Working with a group of talented, motivated and passionate filmmakers who pushed one another to create this story. I'm a strong believer that you are whom you surround yourself with, and it was an honor to be a part of this project. Moreover, filming a group of "Snow Guardians" who were very similar to our group of filmmakers was very enlightening. It further proved my point above how life is all about surrounding yourself with amazing people who share similar passions! One of my biggest role models is Ed Catmull, the founder of Pixar, who makes the conclusion that great people are far more important than great ideas. You can listen to his inspirational speech here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2h2lvhzMDc There's nothing more rewarding than finding that group of great people, and we saw this not only in our crew but also in the Ski Patroller, Avalanche Science, and Search and Rescue Community.
ZPR: What kept you guys motivated? Was there any time you felt overwhelmed?
TG: We kept each other motivated. Everyone was wearing several hats on the crew. For example, Chris Dowsett might have been filming behind the scenes one hour, setting up interview lighting the next, running audio for the interview, then DPing a shot for the film at the end of the day. It was difficult to work in this sort of environment where everyone was doing so many different things at once. However, these stressful times brought everyone closer in the end, and afterwards when we were going over the footage we were proud of what we accomplished. Hard work under pressure, with a great team, always feels better afterwards. The group just got stronger each and every day.
ZPR: Looking back, now that the documentary is complete, is there anything that you would have done differently? If so, why?
TG: The main filming of the documentary is now complete, but we still have a long way to go. Jim Geduldick revealed the trailer on the Adobe main stage in front of hundreds at the 2011 National Association for Broadcasters in Las Vegas. We still have a long way to go and need to edit down 20 hours of interviews into a 45-minute film. As a result, there is still a lot of post-production work that needs to be done in Adobe CS5. We are confident that we have 95 percent of the content we need to create an amazing story, but there are a few more interviews we want to capture after the edit is almost complete. We are projecting close to 9-12 months of post-production before the final documentary is released to the public. Filmmaking is a long process that involves patience and dedication, and we want to ensure the story of this film is accurately represented.
ZPR: What projects can we expect to see from you in the near future? Can we expect a future collaboration?
TG: A lot of the crew from this film lives in New York City, so we definitely plan on working together on future projects. The filmmaking industry is all about getting your foot in the door, who you know, your passion for the art of filmmaking, and hard work. There is nothing wrong with volunteering your time to work on a collaboration project like this, and I highly recommend seeking opportunities like this if you are passionate about this industry. It will definitely pay off in the long run, and I see networking from this film happening every day and opening up huge opportunities for every crewmember involved. Jim Geduldick is a perfect example of someone who is now working on an even bigger film based off the connections he made while working on “Snow Guardians.” Jim is now working with Curt Morgan, the Director of Brain Farm Cinema, on the upcoming snowboard film, “The Art of Flight.” You can watch the trailer here: http://www.artofflightmovie.com. This just goes to show the power of Collaborative Filmmaking! My biggest advice to anyone out there is pick up a camera, any camera you can get your hands on, and go tell a story!
Tyler Ginter is a filmmaker, photographer, editor, and FXPHD instructor. He currently resides in New York City.
Check out the following links for more information on Tyler Ginter and his work.
http://www.tylerginter.com
http://www.collaborativefilm.org
http://vimeo.com/f9photo/moonlapse
http://vimeo.com/20092283
http://www.collaborativefilm.org/collaborative-film-crew-in-action/
http://www.collaborativefilm.org/behind-the-scenes/
FreshDV video interview at NAB2011 - http://www.freshdv.com/2011/04/nab11-tyler-ginter-and-collaborative-film.html
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