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2012 Vimeo Festival

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Tanner-D
Posts: 2061 - Karma: 4,116
Noticed that there is an action sports category this year. Someone on here should seriously jump on this because I know there is a lot of talent out there on this site.

here's what they say about it
. ACTION SPORTS
  • Short description: A video that uses filmmaking to creatively showcase action sports.
  • Maximum length: 10 minutes
  • Requirements: Your submission must be a complete original video that focuses on the theme of action sports. Submissions must be complete standalone videos that present the subject matter in a clear, creative, and original way. We define action sports as any of the following, but not limited to: skateboarding, blading, snow sports, kite boarding, surfing, drifting, body boarding, BASE jumping/wingsuit, sky diving, bmx, motorcross, parkour, etc. Entries may be narrative, documentary-based, animated, or based on an experimental technique. Submissions may not be excerpts from longer films. You must have the permission of the applicable sports organization and/or participants to enter the video in a contest.
  • Judging considerations: We are not looking for trick videos. We are looking for well-crafted videos that elevate the given sport through creative cinematography, editing and storytelling.
Dec 14 2011 12:11AM
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eheath
Posts: 61097 - Karma: 118,221
Fistfuck me, link?
Dec 14 2011 12:12AM
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Tanner-D
Posts: 2061 - Karma: 4,116
More info
Dec 14 2011 12:14AM
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eheath
Posts: 61097 - Karma: 118,221
http://vimeo.com/awards


shit on my dick, licensed music is gonna fuck me hard. definitely entering though, probably february 20th haha
Dec 14 2011 12:19AM
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1337
Posts: 31038 - Karma: 29,003
looks dope! might create an entry
Dec 14 2011 1:12AM
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blatt
Posts: 5584 - Karma: 3,097
challenge accepted
Dec 14 2011 1:13AM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
No trick videos? Guess that disqualifies NS'ers.
Dec 14 2011 2:09AM
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blatt
Posts: 5584 - Karma: 3,097
It's almost like this contest favors skateperception.com
Dec 14 2011 2:18AM
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Frosty
Posts: 1738 - Karma: 797
lol
Dec 14 2011 8:22AM
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SassySloth
Posts: 3753 - Karma: 2,095
.
Dec 14 2011 8:31AM
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.Max.
Posts: 2930 - Karma: 701
They're saying they don't care if it's a Blunt 5 or a Tripple cork 16. They're concerned about well thought out, organized and executed cinematography and editing.
Dec 14 2011 2:08PM
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eheath
Posts: 61097 - Karma: 118,221
.... no homo
Dec 14 2011 2:09PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
I think that's what he meant. Most kids on NS, even the best filmmakers on here, make videos that revolve around the tricks. Think about it: How many times have you heard kids complain that they couldn't see the landing? And when was the last time that you saw an edit that disregarded showing complete tricks, or carried a central theme throughout? i believe landis was saying that as a whole, the freeski community is still really stuck on the trick-centric style of ski filmmaking.

Dec 14 2011 2:20PM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
Bingo. Of course they'll accept entries that contain tricks. My point is that if you completely disregard the trick aspect and judge 99% of ski videos based on their artistic merit (not their apathetic fun-loving "vibe"), you'll find yourself wading through a sea of shit.

I'd be genuinely surprised if the winner is a ski video that doesn't contain a bunch of half baked pseudo-philosophic interviews or general redundant obscurity.
Dec 14 2011 2:48PM
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B-Wald
Posts: 8113 - Karma: 96
isn't being able to see the landing part of good cinematography? when shooting action sports, composition, exposure, etc. are all important, but i think there's a duty to sufficiently exhibit the trick as well. i don't think i would call this being "trick-centric", but rather just another responsibility that comes along with shooting action sports.
Dec 14 2011 6:12PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
Not really, no. I'm sure Landis could explain this in a much more eloquent way than I can, but basically there's SO MUCH MORE to capturing a sport than focusing on tricks and landings. In the grand scheme of things, those aren't really even very important.

Based on what you said, it seems to me that your mindset of what an action sports video should be is centered around tricks. There's nothing wrong with that. Ask yourself this though: Why do you care about the landings? You have a desire to be wowed by the riding, and that's why you watch the videos. And the landings are part of that 'wow' factor.

But to me, an action sports video shouldn't be about the tricks at all. I couldn't care less about the tricks. Rather than having the video show me high level riding, I want the video to show me an experience. I want to see the little nuances of what defines that sport. And if that means showing jumps without landings, I'm completely okay with that.

Consider a large percentage of the videos on top rated. A huge number of them feature awesome skiing with mediocre filming. Why? Because most people care about tricks more. But I can't stand those types of videos, and I know some other people on here are the same way. Because those videos convey absolutely nothing about the experience of skiing. It's just bland, repetitive shots that really don't have anything to 'say.'

Have you seen the movie Life Cycles? I like to use that as an example. I don't even mountain bike, but after I watched that movie, I felt like I completely understood the mountain biking experience, and I understood why those guys like riding so much. Did the movie have the craziest riding with banger after banger? No. Don't get me wrong, it had good riding, but that's not what it was about. If you showed about half the videos on top rated to somebody who doesn't ski, I would be willing to bet they wouldn't feel the same way.
Dec 14 2011 6:39PM
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Downtofilm
Posts: 6896 - Karma: 20,399
Looks really cool, I might enter!
Dec 14 2011 7:14PM
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Westward
Posts: 113 - Karma: 8,322
Looks interesting. We will most likely be entering! I think their choice of judge is gonna make people pretty stoked too! None other than Stacy Peralta!


Dec 14 2011 7:45PM
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B-Wald
Posts: 8113 - Karma: 96
this is exactly what i'm talking about. highlighting the subtleties of a smooth landing, a slight tweak in a grab, the subtle scissoring in pretzel tricks, the small mechanics of what makes each trick what it is. the idea i'm getting at is something i learned from skateboarding photography. when shooting a kickflip photo, it is important to capture it at the proper time/angle so that a) the trick is recognizable in the photo and b) show that the trick was done properly. if the cinematography is not capturing the mechanics of the trick, it isn't capturing the nuances of what defines the sport. you've never been pissed while watching a WME flick filled with guy-in-the-sky shots and pre-landing cuts?

i've seen lifecycles, and it was an amazing piece of filmmaking. i'm not saying this isn't something to strive for. as you said, it's a great movie for people that don't mountain bike. i don't mountain bike a ton, but i thought it was fairly repetitive by the end of the movie. i think movies can walk a line between being produced for mass appeal and for those involved in the sport. if a movie is made with external appeal in mind, i still think it should have a strong enough nod to the technical aspect of the sport to appeal to those that participate in it.
Dec 14 2011 8:13PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
But see how many little things you pointed out? The landing, the grab, the scissor. All just little different aspects that add up to a whole. Does that mean you have to show every one of these aspects in every shot? No. While the landing can definitely add to the shots, it isn't necessary, and that's my point. It shouldn't matter if you always show it, ESPECIALLY if you're sacrificing shot quality to do so.


And I haven't seen a WME movie in a while, but yes, I did used to get bored watching them. But that's because those movies do exactly what I get tired of: they focus on going big and tricks. It's huge jump trick after huge jump trick after huge jump trick. Those types of movies are so far the opposite of the type of film I think ski movies should be.
Dec 14 2011 11:28PM
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bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,462
Looks sick, if one of you guys make an entry post it up here so, share the stoke!
Dec 14 2011 11:37PM
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B-Wald
Posts: 8113 - Karma: 96
i realize that it's hard to get all the different aspects of a trick in a shot, and it's impossible to do it in every single one.

what i'm getting at here is that by not having parts of a trick while shooting you ARE sacrificing shot quality. each one of those things may be part of the trick that the athlete is performing. a cinematographer's goal is to capture what they're doing. i'm not saying that ski movies shouldn't focus on the larger picture than simply focusing on the tricks. i would never say that. i'm just saying that the mechanics of a trick are an important part of that picture and should not be ignored. calling a ski video trick-centric as if it is a bad thing is ignorant in my opinion. to not focus on capturing the tricks in the best way possible would be to disregard the whole reason you're filming in the first place.
Dec 15 2011 1:24PM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
Speak for yourself...
Dec 16 2011 2:41PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
gonna have to agree with landis here, i completely disagree with what you said right there.

and if you really want to say that what i said is ignorant, i could just as easily turn that around on you and say that what you just said is equally ignorant. but i won't, because as i said, there are two ways of looking at it. luckily for me i am able to accept and understand both sides (not that i necessarily agree with both of them) instead of merely writing one off as ignorant.
Dec 16 2011 2:53PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
sorry for dub post, but just so i don't come off as a huge hypocrite, i am well aware that my own ski videos are all 'trick videos.' i try to introduce a more artistic aspect to them, but they are still largely centered around tricks. but that's what gets views right now, and it's what my friends want to see. it's one of the things that frustrates me about my own work and the work of the whole NS community.
Dec 16 2011 2:56PM
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blatt
Posts: 5584 - Karma: 3,097
Everyone should quit arguing about why ns is screwed due to our desire to film sweet tricks. I feel that where all ns'ers lack is in the storytelling category. Lets be honest here: how many edits have you seen that tell a story?

I feel like what would take the cake in the A.S. category is something that is able to express love for the sport through the characters. Everyone entering this festival can get great output from their cameras and software, I think the actual plot/story behind the video is what will separate the boys from the men.
Dec 16 2011 6:02PM
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Tanner-D
Posts: 2061 - Karma: 4,116
My new edit kind of tells a story at the beginning and then I try to integrate the tricks in.

Dec 16 2011 6:19PM
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dispatchQ_main
Posts: 2619 - Karma: 629
Kevin Steen had a pretty sick video that started with a good narrative then switched to awesome ski porn.
Dec 16 2011 6:31PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
It's not even about story necessarily, I usually couldn't care less about story, it's just about showing a sport from a different perspective aside from the typical 'trick,trick,trick,trick' style of video.


for instance, i'd like to see a film crew find a really sick pow/pillow run, wouldn't even have to be technically difficult, just cool looking, and film the shit out of it. do what life cycles did: film it from like every angle possible, and sequence the images together to make a long, flowing segment that really feels like just one run. maybe have a few guys skiing it at the same time. pretty similar to that one segment in All I Can, but even more meticulous.
Dec 16 2011 7:00PM
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TaranItUp
Posts: 1313 - Karma: 802
This, alot of the times I will get a cool shot of someone doing a three and then a not so cool shot of someone flipping. But since the majority of my friends have little film knowledge they focus on the skiing, not the filming. At this point I try and make all of the shots pretty sweet and focus it around the skiing. At the end of the day, it is me filming, and me making the video, so they will just have to deal with how I like it.
Dec 16 2011 7:10PM
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TravelsTI
Posts: 1000 - Karma: 353
Looks sick
Dec 17 2011 1:45AM
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ski8990
Posts: 5961 - Karma: 19
Story is good, and I don't disagree, but a lot of the time it is so forced in "action sports" movies-- it is all about finding a balance. I think that there are often limits to how interesting a ski story can be, as you can't really have much of a conflict, so they sort of have to be a comedy if they don't want to be ridiculously cheesy and self-indulgent ("oh man it's like this indescribably love"-- good, then don't describe it) The tricks, the cinematography, the narrative are all important parts of filmmaking and it is kind of ridiculous to say "tricks don't really matter" or "tricks are the most important"
Dec 17 2011 3:03PM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273

Portraying a "story" takes a certain finesse when it's nonverbal. A story doesn't necessarily mean it has to have an exposition, rising conflict, climax, and dénouement complete with verbal ques. It can be as simple and graceful as having three different angles seamlessly connect to show one action, such as a pillow line or getting on the lift. An ideal form of this is your typical car commercial: fast cuts of emotive imagery connected in a logical and coherent order. The shot of the car being put into 5th gear doesn't come before the shot of the speedometer rising, or the objective angle from afar of the car racing across the horizon. It may seem random at first sight, but the fact that the very presence of any editing or shooting dissolves almost completely is a testament to its effectiveness. A video that does this poorly immediately becomes "exposed," and the viewer feels awkward as they try to piece together a clunky sequence of events.

Previous attempts at this have produced little more than ski-porn style portrayal of non-skiing events. How does one manage to make an edit of someone waxing their skis nothing more than randomly ordered hard-lit slow motion shots of silhouettes put to dubstep?

To say that "the trick/action is the whole reason to film" in defense of poor structure is a very simple way of thinking about it. The "trick-oriented" style has little to do with actual tricks. It's more helpful to think of it like a porno: the "high spots" and novelties which it contains have now become it's sole reason for being. This has been standard since the conception of ski movies, and the dramatic form is just now making a rudimentary appearance in a few select films.

I'm not saying you guys shouldn't try; if anything use this as a motivator to learn what is easily the hardest aspect of filmmaking. I'm definitely interested to see what will come of this.
Dec 17 2011 4:03PM
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Jacuse
Posts: 1792 - Karma: 1,549
One week left, anyone submitting anything?
Feb 14 2012 2:07AM
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eheath
Posts: 61097 - Karma: 118,221
Yup :-)
Feb 14 2012 2:27AM
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Jacuse
Posts: 1792 - Karma: 1,549
Nice! stoked to see it
Feb 14 2012 2:28AM
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eheath
Posts: 61097 - Karma: 118,221
Although is not going to win and is mostly just sick shots, oh well. I wish i had time the past month to put into this, too busy ha
Feb 14 2012 2:29AM
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ChocolateMilk.
Posts: 1129 - Karma: 220
Excited to see what ns submits post your submissions on this thread please.
And good luck to all!
Feb 14 2012 10:06AM
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Trojan~Man
Posts: 1996 - Karma: 1,357
i feel like some of the JOSS edits would be good for this
Feb 14 2012 7:27PM
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