Living the dream – making movies
Chronicle by Johan Hannu
I feel a sense of pride to be the first person to get the chance to speak my mind at this amazing newly launched website for the "Film Arc".
When people ask me what my job is I usually just tell them I’m a film worker, a brand new film worker with a massive interest in motion pictures.
The word "film” is in itself a very broad term. I started filming by documenting my friends snowboarding, because we felt so inspired by the snowboard films that came from across the Atlantic. And now, a few years later, I’m incredibly glad to have been a part of all of the very different and sometimes strange productions I’ve worked with in the past 2-3 years. It’s been a mix of features, commercials, documentaries, music videos and back to snowboard films.
What I don’t understand is why some people frown and claim that making extreme sport films, such as snowboarding and moto-cross films, isn’t as sincere as making features. These films also form a narrative by creating and using imagery. But instead of narrating by using a screenplay, dialogue or a story we will tell you about ground-breaking creativity. To be successful you need to be more innovative with your snowboarding, develop new tricks, run faster and better than what the films showed the year before. People show up and keep pushing the boundaries of what was previously thought to be impossible. A few years ago, nobody even thought about making a back-flip in motocross, and now suddenly these fantastic riders make two in a row.
I am equally amazed by these remarkable athletes as I am by the incredibly talented directors, cinematographers, film workers and actors that I’ve worked alongside. They all create art; they’ve just chosen different canvases and different materials to create it with.
There are also similarities between working on snowboard films and feature films during the winter. It‘s just as rough every time you stand there in the cold, with snow up to your waist as you prepare and wait for the scene or the crazy jump just about to be made. Sometimes things move quickly, but there are also times when things are a drag and everything feels rough. But then we always remember as we stand there to just raise our hats and shout out: “Living the dream – making movies!”
