Ticket to Ride

We caught up last week with the man behind Mystic Land Productions, Mr. Ben Cormier.  With little news from him since the release of Assault, a project that Ben collaborated on with the guys from Advance Vision, we decided to see what this year had in store.

 - First of all, for all the people who don't know who you are, tell us a bit about you, where you are from and where you ski.

 Ben: I am Benoit Cormier. I am a cinematographer that has been filming since I'm 10 years old, i am now  24 . I studied cinematography in College Montmorency on the north shore of Montreal where i am originally from. Then I bought a video camera and started filming ski movies. At first, I was filming my friends and then I met a few good skiers and started filming riders up in Tremblant and Saint-Sauveur, both considered my home mountains. I now spend most of my time filming in Whistler with all the boys.

 - What is Mystic Land and what have you produced in the past.

 Ben: Mystic Land is a company focused on action sports, mainly freestyle skiing. I have produced over the years numerous videos of action sports which include my first ski movie The Rush, and collaborated on Assault and UP1 by JP and Anthony. That is only for skiing.

 - What have you been doing for the last year?

 Ben: I have been fiilming riders for next year's movie, but i also been very busy on other projects like filming wakeboarding for Musique Plus (French MTV) and RDS (French sports channel). I have also been editing other projects for companies outside of the sports industry.

 - Which riders have you been filming with, and who is on your list for next year?

 Ben: All the guys that i have been filming with are all on the list for next year: Frank Raymond, Antoine and Charles Gagnier, JA Maheu, Colby West, Alex Balsen, JF Houle, Evan Wilcox, Arnaud Kugener, Virginie Faivre, Chris Turpin, JD Zicat, Alexis Godbout, Bishop bros, the whole High North crew, the Whistler crew, the Qc crew, the La Clusaz scene and everybody who kills it!!!

 - So with all of that, where are you planning to be this winter?

Ben: Mainly Whistler's backcountry sledding with my homies and traveling where snow is falling. Probably gonna do a few events as well. I am planning a trip to Europe and one to Alaska.

- Who else is involved in MLP? What are their roles with the film? 

Ben:  LP Sansfaçon from Advance Vison Productions is going to cover a big part of Quebec scene while I'm gonna be in B.C with the others.  Also Charles Burroughs form New Way Productions is going to shoot with other riders around Québec and Montréal area. We have a few other people that will give us a hand like Arnaud Kugener from La Clusaz and JC from Whistler. JA will help me on the marketing and promotion aspect. There is other people involved but on a smaller implication. 

 - Have you worked out distribution yet? Will the film be widely available in North America, Europe?

Ben:  As much as possible I want that movie to be distributed everywhere, so yes in North America and Europe for sure.

 - With all the other digital productions out there how do you hope to differentiate Ticket To Ride from the other offerings on the market?

Ben:  A simple concept of presentation that is entertaining, big focus on good skiing, nothing sketchy,  all really nice tricks with a good cinematography (good framing, movements and composition of image) all of that with a tight editing that blends what you see and what you hear all in one.  That will give you Ticket To Ride, a ski movie that brings you to the source of freestyle skiing in 2005/06.

- What do you shoot most and what do you want to offer to ski fanatics?

Ben: I shoot everything sick, mainly street rails, back country and huge park features. I want to present freestyle skiing in all its aspects and i want to be able to reach the most people in and outside of the ski industry.

- Do you have any partners so far?

Ben: So far, evreything is in the hands of potential sponsors and we will keep you updated with scoops. Many companies from the skiing industry have shown interest, as well as many others outside.

- Any big ups or shoutouts?

Ben: The fans of skiing, People who have supported me, the people who will support me, JA Maheu, LP SansFaçons, Charles Burroughs, my team at Mystic Land, Mom and Dad and of Course Mr. Bishop and CKO. Thanks guys!

Ben was kind enough to put a little teaser together of his work.  Check it here.