Not so Local just released the trailer for their upcoming movie Badlands. We checked in with Nicky Hartmann and LC Pilon, two of the dudes behind the film!

What’s going on guys! What have you and the rest of the Not so Local crew been up to lately?

NICKY: This time of the season is filled with hype considering winter is only a few weeks away, but it’s also a pretty busy time considering we’re trying to deal with getting the movie promoted as much as possible and also deal with all the premieres. It’s also a time where we plan out the upcoming season and see if we can get to work with anyone involved in the industry.

LC: Hey, for my part my time has mostly been filled with trying to manage my time. It’s crazy how we don’t have a lot of it! I decided this summer that I would make a living out of video production, which means a lot of motivation and overtime. Honestly, with the Badlands project in the back of my mind as well, it was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, I really wanted to make this project happen because I genuinely thought we had a big idea. So I worked extra hard to bring it to completion, often working 65-70 hrs/week. Now that it is over, I can finally breath, but school is back in the picture and the premiere arrangements, promotion and visuals surrounding Not so Local make it hard to stay focused. For now though we are just slowly planning out our season and trying to make the most out of Badlands.

Can we expect to see a lot of the same riders? Any newcomers to the crew?

LC: The basis of the crew from Quebec stayed together and for those who have been following us since our beginning in Whistler, we tried to have as many international boys to come back in the picture, even though we established that we wanted to spend the season out east. Jeremy Quirion, Nicky Hartmann and Fred Pratte bring their skills to the streets and new comer Phil Gaucher adds the technical and creative aspect to urban that completes the crew. Also, Sam Gagnon ended up contributing a few snowboard shots to fill in the gap. Basically, whoever followed our mentality and killed it was invited to contribute to the project. Without mention, Chris Bolduc, Phil Langevin, Jeremy Pancras, and Max Moffat add to the mix without forgetting a recurring presence by our favorite German, Ole Pavel.

I think it is also important to mention the cinematographers that helped out during the project. Our drone boys, Jay Nadeau and Tommy Leahey and cinematographer Paul Dussault who helped me out on our first film.

Really digging the music and vibe of the trailer. Dead End won Best Editing at iF3, what was it like having LC Pilon on board for cinematography and editing again?

NICKY: Thanks for the thumbs up! Me and LC love to send each other different tunes and we seem to have the same taste music wise so it’s always super sick to pick up songs. Having LC on board for cinematography and editing is pretty much the best fucking thing that ever happened to me in skiing. I remember watching some of his edits before knowing him and telling myself he was a friggin genius! I actually met him at his first movie premiere and we immediately connected. A few weeks later we moved to Whistler and that’s where we started working together. Seeing the timeline on his editing program freaks me out, straight up! So many details it’s crazy, but that’s what makes it so rad. I think the editing is what makes a movie rad, even more than the actual tricks. Everyone in the crew considers themselves very lucky to have someone as talented behind the lens and the computer. Thanks LC!

What’s it been like following up an award winning film? There must be some pressure there to keep the next one up to par.

LC: I have to say, it’s easy to look back at a project and identify its flaws. Even though Dead End was acclaimed at IF3, I really thought that we could’ve done better. Having the experience and knowledge we acquired from our past films we were ready to take on the Badlands project with assurance. We were really motivated and not gonna lie, my goal was to win every award in the AM category at IF3 2017. Call it pretentious maybe, but that idea sparked the motivation for Badlands, a very ambitious project. I definitely think we topped Dead End in every aspect but it sucks that IF3 wont happen this year. Badlands is better in every way; Shorter, more bangers, no bull, intense and emotional.

What was the motivation behind putting out urban only segments?

NICKY: I think filming an urban only film is something that is essential if you want to be perceived as an all-around ski crew. I was a skateboarder for a long time before I really got into the ski scene, so I kind of have the skateboarder mentality where streets are essential if you want to be recognized. Nowadays, anyone can put out a sick park edit but its takes a lot more time and effort to get urban shots. We wanted to keep it RAW for this movie and change the format we had last year, which was more park oriented. I really respect anyone that gets out there and pushes them self in an environment that is not necessarily skier friendly.

LC: In the past, we always made park footage oriented films so not only was it a personal achievement for me to produce a urban only film, but I also wanted to step out of the “been there done that” park segment to get creative and productive in a street environment. We really stepped out of our comfort zone for this one but it was for the best. We could have never predicted the final result. We are very proud.

I saw the iconic West Coast Session jump shot in there. Where else did you guys shoot?

One of our cinematographers, Paul, met up with the other half of the crew in Oregon to wrap up a western segment true to the Not so Local brand, who was created out there. However, that’s the only segment out of Quebec. We really focused on hitting local spots to stay productive and to financially be able to support ourselves and our project throughout the whole winter. We traveled mainly in Montreal, QC City, Sherbrooke, Eastern townships, Tremblant and more rural places such as Victo beach.

Some of the guys got injured during the filming of last year’s flick, which is unfortunately the price many pay to get the shots they want. Was everyone able to come away unscathed this time around?

NICKY: Actually, I suffered from a torn MCL about half way through the season while filming for the movie. It was probably the worst day of my life. It’s sucks when you have so much planned out and just get cut off like that, but hey what can you do its skiing! Other than that, some of the boys got minor injuries but nothing too serious. Our German brother Ole Pavel and Jeremy Quirion both came back strong this year after blowing their knees last season so that was super motivating for me. Also, LC probably popped his shoulder 20 times but that’s just on his daily routine I think! (Laughs)

If this is Not so Local’s last movie, what’s everyone planning on getting up to this season?

LC: Not to be negative or anything but year after year, the Not so Local projects have been getting more and more ambitious and time consuming but the views have decreased given the lack of attention from the public for full length features. It’s very unfortunate, but passion is the only element left guiding our projects. Our passion is not gone; it has changed. There will be no more full-length Not so Local films but we will keep the brand alive through various shorter, creative projects that will carry on our legacy. Most of all, we will try to inspire kids with innovative concepts that don’t require as much attention as a full 20 minute film format.

NICKY: Ski as much resorts as possible, get back in the streets and most importantly have loads of fun while doing it.

“BADLANDS is a last attempt at trying to make skiing exciting again.” What do you think is wrong with the current state of skiing and what do you hope everyone watching will take away from the movie?

LC: I’m just tired of ski porns man. I’ve been getting tired of ski projects because they are all the same. They just all seem unoriginal. Not to take anything away from the bigger production companies, but I just don’t get as excited as I was before. Nice shots, cool tricks, sick setups, but where is the atmosphere? The originality? Creative direction? I miss Stept man. They had the emotion and atmosphere locked down. This is the kind of stuff we are going for. New, creative, RAW concepts that focus on atmosphere and its impact on the viewer’s emotions. That is exactly what Badlands is; A Fucking roller coaster of emotion through precise editing, great soundtrack, core values and most of all, a distinct and creative storyline.

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/842845/BADLANDS---Official-Trailer

Check the trailer here.

Thanks for taking some time to let NS know what’s up! Definitely hyped to check out Badlands. Anything you wanna leave off with?

The film drops at the end of November and we hope you have a good time watching it! Spread the stoke and stay true to your roots. Stay tuned for more shit dropping next year! Cheers!

@notsolocal