A New York State Ski Video...

What music do you have in your head when you ski?

Zelda and I were up late last night fantasizing about living in the mountains.  

At one point she said:  "Harv ... go ahead and jump!"



I'd never seen this video before two days ago.  I had NO idea that Eddie Van Halen was also the keyboard player on this tune.  IMO this tune is am A+ performance for every member of the band. EVH is a god.  David Lee Roth can sing, and he can really ham it up. (It looked like DLR wasn't live but eveyone else was?)  That drummer works so hard, and he is tight. No idea about the baseplayer.

I've wanted to make a Harvey Road season ending video for two years. This is a song I'd love to use ... if I could afford the royalties.  I also really like Panama by Van Halen, and a bunch of others.  Crank it up.

This is another tune I love and think of constantly in this regard. It's called "It's for you" by Pat Metheny.  The mellow part in the middle is too long for a ski video.  Start at 4:08 in the clip and go the end at 8:34. That's 4:26 minutes, which would still be a very long video to make.



In my mind, what BOTH of those disparate tunes have in common is exuberance. That's what I'm after.

TO THE POINT: If we could put together a video of Whiteface, Gore, Belleayre, Plattekill, Tug Hill and some Adirondack backcountry with next seasons footage... a NY State ski video ...

I'm told we need someone who understands a program called "Final Cut Pro."  Maybe a videographer.  I honestly think our little point and shoots can provide video with potential to be edited into something great by someone talented.

I'm not married to a specific sound for this.  I love the eerie vibe on CS Film's Update 2 taken at Big Tupper.

If anyone is interested in this project - post it here, or reach out: harvey44@nyskiblog.com.

This song would be good for a ski video with lots of cuts, instead of one with longer (i.e. powder) sequences.

I've been listening to a lot of Grand Funk lately.  They were hugely popular back in the day, but today, they're largely forgotten and IMHO underrated.  Check out those clothes and haircuts.  Yeah, baby!

You are correct Harv. The song "Jump" is perfect - we used it in a Lake Placid Ski Club video at the end of the year party for the kids/parents once and it was a big hit!

I x-c ski a lot and when I am out on training days I always have music along. This is one of my favorites on those long slow over-distance days...

 

What music do you have in your head when you ski?...

Harv, turn down that cheesy Van Halen.

U2's "Elevation"

The Clash "Guns of Brixton"

Beatles "Mother Nature's Son"

Oh, great post topic. I've had this video in my head for a long time. Blue Toes gave me a Panasonic Lumix digi-camera for my birthday, which apparently can shoot HD video with audio. Hmmm, chairlift interviews?

My pick for ski video soundtrack is Peter Gabriel's Secret World, here is a live version (though the shorter CD version would be better for the movie):

I'll spare y'all the trip down memory lane I just took through YouTube.

Suffice it to say, the Talking Heads, IMO, made a lot a great music. Gabriel too.

Thanks for helping the techno-peasants out in the Canadian hinterland...

SBR

If you can't feel the G's in the pit of your stomach as you carve massive GS turns...I can't wait to get back out

when i put together a video i generally try to follow some of these genreal rules -

- include songs that have some significance to the time period of the footage.   like if we heard a certain song in the bar after our day on the mountain that we liked for whatever reason..

- songs that fit the vibe of the footage.. ex. Sublime on a sunny day

- or songs that just rock!!!!  \m/

Sounds to me like Matt and Goofy have video skillz they are looking to showcase.

You know of course the true aim of this thread is to suck you into my pet project...

I keep hearing this on the radio. It's a great song by an emerging artist and will be part of the soundtrack for the mellow, slow motion, dreamy sequence of my ski video. The YouTube video below is simply the lyrics, so just close your eyes, listen and imagine a wistful powder experience...

I pop this tune in, when I've had a bad day at the office.

I was listening to it tonight.

Harv came in. He convinced me that it's really about tree skiing.

"There's a weapon ... we must use ...in our defense ... silence!"

Ha ha, Zelda, great tune and it reminded me of another great song from same "big hair" era. This song is for the telemark feature in the video. For some reason, "Walk Like and Egyptian" is usually playing in my head while I am tele-ing. This is not so much tree skiing music but is definitely the soundtrack for skiing fast on a big open run.

Finding the right music for a ski movie is hard.  A lot depends on what kind of skiing you're showing.  When you're putting together a movie, it's crazy to see how different music completely changes how you feel about what's on the screen.  I generally adhere to a few rules:

1.) Reggae for Trees - Soul skiing deserves Soul Music
2.) Hip Hop for Park - Something about Bomb Beats helps make rail slides and Terrain Park Kickers "bounce" more
3.) No Classic Rock (or cheesy 80's pop) that everyone knows - Nothing is worse than watching a movie and completely being taking out of the skiing by lyrics you've heard a million times before.  The only exception to this rule is that it's sometimes fun to use a Classic Rock song either in the intro to a movie or in the emotional climax of a movie.  Which brings me to my next point:
4.) Whatever music you choose, it has to have ups and downs to it - Music can't be the same general feel the whole way through.  The best music has crescendos, decrescendos, stops, starts, build ups and climaxes.  This is because you are putting several scenes into the same song, and if you time the scene switches with the changes in the song, the end product looks professional and a lot cooler than a collection of shots set to an 18 minute Jam Band solo.

When it all comes together, it can be really cool:

That video has some unbelievable shots.

Let's get down to why I really started this thread.  

It would be killer to make a Harvey Road Ski Film. A New York Ski Blog Film. All NY State Skiing.

There are some things we'd need:

• Snow: May the force be with us.

• Skiers: Know any?

• Camera and Editing Skill: From what I've seen, one method is to shoot a TON of footage, and have an ace in the editing room.  I'm told that Final Cut Pro is the way to go.  I've got a guy who's a FCP whiz, but he's not an athlete and he knows zilch about skiing. Does that matter?

• Music: I've got a band that wants to do an original score for the film after it's shot. Or I'm open to other options.

• Money: do we need it?  I'm confident we could land some sponsors.  Local sponsors, Lake Placid, North Creek, Glens Falls, Belleayre, wherever. And hell, if I can't make that happen I may sponsor it myself. I really want to make it happen.

• Motivation: Am I dreaming? Would anyone be willing to pull up on a day when conditions are great to set up a shot?

Matt and I have been dancing around this idea for a few months now ... anyone think we could produce something decent? Anyone have any of the skills we need to pull it off?

It is absolutely unfreekin real what some people do on skis. That vid has some at speed skiing you don't usually see on extreme terrain. The way they were skirting those  snow lips, fast and hard, one little shift of the snow and they'ld be over the wrong side brother. That's some stones there.

Straight lining down those spines and that chute.....Wow!!! What a ride. Sure would be F U capital freegin N- FUNNNNNN to ski like that!!!! Nothing in normal life would ever thrill you like that again. How freegin awesome. As many times as you see something like that it is still unbelieveable.


Yea, you can make a great movie, H44. MC2 can rip and so can many others here. There would be slide footage. The average pocket camera now takes awesone video. Plenty good enough for your first movie. With a larger SD card, they'll store/take hours of HD video.

Harvey44 wrote

There are some things we'd need:

• Snow: May the force be with us.

We can make a movie regardless.  Even in last year's historically poor snow season, the Slides were open, and Trees were good for a majority of the year.  Plus, there's always park footage to fall back on (see below), and Hunter always has good snowmaking.  Obviously, it'd be a hell of a lot better with a lot of snow, but it's not an absolute necessity.

Harvey44 wrote

• Skiers: Know any?

I know a few . . .

Harvey44 wrote

• Camera and Editing Skill: From what I've seen, one method is to shoot a TON of footage, and have an ace in the editing room.  I'm told that Final Cut Pro is the way to go.  I've got a guy who's a FCP whiz, but he's not an athlete and he knows zilch about skiing. Does that matter?

Final Cut Pro is the way to go, and it kinda does matter if the person is a skier.  You'd be surprised what a non-skier thinks is good footage.  I had a guy who was a decent skier put together a movie using some footage I shot, and the movies I made were waaaaaaayyy better (and I'm not claiming any greatness in my videos - the only thing I had at my disposal was windows movie maker).  I know a guy with Final Cut Pro if need be.
 

Harvey44 wrote

• Music: I've got a band that wants to do an original score for the film after it's shot. Or I'm open to other options.

NICE.  HUGE bonus.  

Harvey44 wrote

• Money: do we need it?  I'm confident we could land some sponsors.  Local sponsors, Lake Placid, North Creek, Glens Falls, Belleayre, wherever. And hell, if I can't make that happen I may sponsor it myself. I really want to make it happen.

Money is probably not needed for Lift tickets (we've got the Whiteface and Gore Pass, and any mountains that we go to to film, we probably would've gone to anyway with our own money, depending on the movie - see below again).  We do need money for supplies (Blank DVDs to burn to, packaging if needed, etc.), but that's a small expense.

Harvey44 wrote

• Motivation: Am I dreaming? Would anyone be willing to pull up on a day when conditions are great to set up a shot?

Ahhh, therein lies the problem.  On a Powder Day, do you want to take the time to set up a video, or would you rather just ski?  It's always a hard choice, and that's why I always end up having a limited amount of video to work with when I finally get to the editing process.  And also, what mountains are we talking about?

That's a huge question too.  If it's just a Whiteface/Gore thing, that would be easy.  We all ski at those places anyway.  We get the footage from everyone, and then just edit it together and call it a job.  But if you really want to make a New York ski movie, then we're talking about taking it on the road.  We could hit the easy ones like West, Hickory, Hunter, Belleayre, Plattekill, Big Tupper and Windham without too much difficulty, but what about the ones further out?  McCauley?  Royal? Titus?  What about Western New York?  Holiday Valley?  Bristol?  Greek Peak?  One of the things I like most about the Meathead films is that, even though they always have the obligatory Stowe and Jay footage, they usually try to visit a lot of new places throughout the year.

Would we want to "waste" a powder day at those places?  A mountain like Hickory would be much better on a powder day (and slightly questionable on a non powder day).  Mountains like West have a good terrain park that can be used if the powder doesn't pan out.  But then we need park skiers (I know a few of those too).  I'd want to show the mountains we go to in the best light possible, so I'd kind of want to hit a Big Tupper or a Plattekill after a nice storm.  But then you run into the money issue again.  Tupper is cheap, but I'd have to drive right past Gore to go to it.  It's awful tough to pass up Highline on a Powder Day - especially when it's "free".

mattchuck2 wrote

Harvey44 wrote

I've got a band that wants to do an original score for the film after it's shot. Or I'm open to other options.

NICE.  HUGE bonus.

To be honest I've never heard the band. I know the drummer, and he plays a sweet acoustic guitar, but that's all I know.  I asked him to describe the genre... he said "think of a cross between teddy thompson and smithereens." I don't even know what that means.

mattchuck2 wrote

Harvey44 wrote

Am I dreaming? Would anyone be willing to pull up on a day when conditions are great to set up a shot?

Ahhh, therein lies the problem.  On a Powder Day, do you want to take the time to set up a video, or would you rather just ski?  It's always a hard choice, and that's why I always end up having a limited amount of video to work with when I finally get to the editing process.

Hey I threw this out there because I know it's an issue for ME.

mattchuck2 wrote

And also, what mountains are we talking about? If it's just a Whiteface/Gore thing, that would be easy.  We all ski at those places anyway.  We get the footage from everyone, and then just edit it together and call it a job.  But if you really want to make a New York ski movie, then we're talking about taking it on the road.  We could hit the easy ones like West, Hickory, Hunter, Belleayre, Plattekill, Big Tupper and Windham without too much difficulty, but what about the ones further out?  McCauley?  Royal? Titus?  What about Western New York?  Holiday Valley?  Bristol?  Greek Peak?  One of the things I like most about the Meathead films is that, even though they always have the obligatory Stowe and Jay footage, they usually try to visit a lot of new places throughout the year.

I don't think my idea is quite as organized as you might be thinking.  This might be unrealistic but here's what I'm imagining....

Anyone who's interested sends me or Matt and email. Ideally we'd have at least two regulars from Whiteface, Gore, Belleayre, Plattekill, Greek Peak and Tug Hill. Any other mountain or BC areas are certainly welcome.  

When I said "setting up shots" that may have been misleading. When PDQ and I skied together, the first time we met (Gore Mtn: 12/20/08) we took a ton of stills and video. We basically leapfrogged all day with the person ahead pulling up to shoot.

But if you've got 20 people - 10 groups of two - that ski together 10 days - and take (2) 20 second clips each time - you've got 200 clips x 20 seconds = 4000 seconds which is about an hour of raw material. Obviously it wouldn't all be good, but I'm trying to get a final product maybe 4 minutes long.  Like I may have said, this might not be realistic, but all of Harvey Road is built on dreams. Many aren't exactly realistic.

My idea on the story would be to retrofit it to the video we get. That's how the blog comes together and I'm used to working that way.

With regard to the New York State thing ... I like the idea. There's a ton of VT films out there, and not as much New York. Maybe even get an I LOVE NY logo on it.  I'd like to push the NY angle, but then again there's the issue of the Bloggers Summit at Jay Peak next Feb. Would probably want to include some footage from that...

Y'all be headin to Sundance Film Festival......

B.Cassidy

Could be a good year this way. The lake is really warm. Got lake effect rain going on today