First let Nic and I apologize for being silent for a couple of weeks. We were recovering. Non-stop sleepless weeks up until the premiere. Then as soon as the premiere finished we were off to our pay the bills jobs. Nic was in the midst of Deep Summer where against an absolutely stacked field he took 2nd! As I left Whistler the morning after the premiere seeing Nic staring at a computer screen with hundreds of photos in front of him and an evening deadline to get his slideshow in, I felt his pain. But he crushed it…maybe if he wasn’t in the middle of a premiere he could have moved to the top spot. His show rocks. He then went immediately to shoot a wedding. I went on to work 12 straight 12 hour days pulling cable and hanging lights in rafters of a giant warehouse for a feature film. We have to pay the bills people.
Ah, but how amazing was the premiere? A year of work all boiled down to the next hour. We shook with nerves, but reveled in the confidence of our work. Since this was our first go at a premiere we only did one show. Big mistake. We sold out the show rapidly and could have easily sold out a second. My phone rang non-stop all day with people begging for tickets. They all received the same line, “You are about the 20th person to call. I wish I had them.” The athletes echoed the same sentiments…non-stop calls for tickets.
After the shwag being thrown to the crowd in utter chaos courtesy of Surface, Smith Optics, Surefoot, Swany, Doglotion, Comor, Intuition, and more, the lights dimmed and Out of the Shadows began. People hooting and hollering during the show happens at every ski film, and it was in abundance at our show. But what happened when the credits rolled made all of the exhaustion, the pressure, and the nerves worth it. The crowd started clapping, and the ovation lasted for a solid minute while the credits rolled. Never have I seen that at a ski film premiere. People cheer always. This was different, Nic and I knew we had succeeded. The ovation meant we had entered the minds and hearts of the audience. We did what films are supposed to do. They need to elicit an emotional response in people and not just stoke the eyes.
We exchanged a bro brah handshake and then proceeded to let the night and the party sweep us away. So many people I had never met before came up, shook my hand, and said things like the following, “You captured the vibe of this place perfectly. I can’t believe it.” “Amazing film. The stories, the pictures, everything. Incredible.” “It makes me proud to live the ski lifestyle.” You couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces, which many people commented on. Tired eyes but electric smiles. That’s what being a film maker is all about.
Let the party begin! Courtesy of Black’s pub and Russell Brewing!
What a day. An absolutely beautiful day and night. Come out and experience it for yourself here in Vancity. Friday, August 27th at the HR MacMillan Space Center Planetarium at 1100 Chestnut Street. If you are coming from downtown go over the Burrard St. bridge. Stay right at the fork and take your first right. Planetarium is on your right. Pre-party begins at 6:30. Show is at 8:00. After party with DJ Mr. Clean goes until midnight with 3 buck Russell beer flowing for the good times. Come get tons of shwag, watch a rad ski film, party on, and live the good life. Tickets are available now at Comor Sports on 4th Ave.
We will see you there!
-Athan and Nicolas
-All photos are courtesy of Aaron Schwartz who also did our awesome posters. Thanks Aaron!
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