Goin' Mobile

On April 8th, Jeff and I shot snowmobiling, a segment we thought would be somewhat interesting, until we actually hopped on the snowmobiles. The shoot turned out to be one of the best to date.

This was my first time on a snowmobile. With no prior experience and only a quick spin in the parking lot before setting sail, I was a little nervous about keeping the ride smooth enough for my DP/Producer. He had to sit behind me and shoot from the vehicle. Aside from avoiding bodily harm to both Jeff and I, it was important that we keep all tracking shots as smooth as possible. After a short while, I soon got the hang of riding.


Bud Larson and his wife Alyssa, were gracious enough to be the talent for our sequence. They also provided the snowmobiles and land. The Larsons own and operate Thousand Peaks Snowmobile Adventures, a great touring company just 55 minutes from Salt Lake City. Located in the beautiful high country near Smith and Morehouse. This 60,000 acres of terrain proved a perfect location for our production. It had just snowed a few days before, so the only tracks to be found, were the ones we made.





Our first shots were in a large flat area near the river. It was overcast, which made filming the snow a bit difficult. Snow is always hard to shoot because it's either too bright or to flat (no depth). As we began to shoot, we had no problems getting great shots. However, because the snow was so white, is was hard to tell that the camera was even moving with the snowmobile. Only the background gave away any camera movement. It almost looked like the snowmobiles were sitting still on the snow. That said, we were able to get a variety of shots that won't trick the eye.




Next, Bud and Alyssa took Jeff and I up to the "Super Bowl", located at 11,000 feet. "The Bowl" is particularly profound because it's the location where Bud was paralyzed. The fact that Bud chose to return to this location for our project not only surprised me, but also made a huge impression on me. It's difficult for many people, who have had spinal cord injuries, to return to the sites of their accidents. It certainly takes courage. I'm thankful to Bud for going where he did, and letting us film him there. "The Bowl" is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Completely untouched. Powder as far as the eye can see.




Jeff and Bud shot in the bowl while I watched from afar. Afterwards, we followed Bud and Alyssa back down the canyon. Jeff and I tore through the powder. I was apprehensive, but Jeff egged me on, so I had to do it.



This was a fantastic shoot. Jeff got some really great footage and I'm excited to start cutting it together. Bud and Alyssa were really great to work with and I think everything went extremely well.



Next up: Southern Utah