KH Films

This call came last minute as well and it too was a welcome one.  To shoot World Cup champion and US Ski Team member Lindsey Vonn training in Vail, CO for a segment in next years Warren Miller ski feature film.  I have worked with Warren Miller Films as one of their director + dp’s for over ten years however I unfortunately haven’t been able to work with them much the last couple of years due to other film projects that have had me busy.  For this shoot I’ve teamed up with line producer turned cinematographer Josh Haskins to cover Lindsey’s downhill training runs.  Despite there currently not being much snow in the Colorado rockies right now the course is in good shape.  Fortunately on day one we had great weather and blue bird skies providing for some great back lit, high frame rate shots. On day two the day broke with cloudy skies, snow falling, and wind however by mid morning the sun was out and we again had another great day of shooting.  One of the things I like most about shooting for Warren Miller is that we still shoot film. Because much of the ski action we shoot for the Warren Miller movie is in slow motion and is in very high contrast environments, film is still the preferred format.  There is no doubt that there are digital formats out there that deliver a great image however those cameras tend not to perform as well in the cold & snowy environments we expose the film equipment to. Shooting for Warren Miller is all about run and gun.  Being fast on your skis, finding the best terrain in the best light, setting up fast, nailing the shot, and moving on.  There is little to no time to have to worry about sensitive electronics or back focus issues due to the cold.  I work with a very stripped down Arriflex SRII camera package and everything goes on my back in a Lowe Pro pack.  I don’t ski with poles and I carry a tripod in one of my arms.  I have worked in this style and with these tools shooting skiing and mountaineering projects around the globe including the Himalayas, the Alps, the Cordillera Blanca, and the Alaska range and I have never once had an equipment failure.   Shooting for Warren Miller over the years has provided some of the best training I have had.  I have no doubt that the years of shooting ski action for Warren Miller eventually led me to shooting on the big Hollywood action units I shoot on now.  When shooting ski action there is never a rehearsal nor a second take and all of your shooting takes place in the winter months when there is a limited amount of daylight so you have to move fast and trust your instincts.