Filip Christensen, boss man at Field Productions.
Freeskier: Hey Filip, How are you?
Filip Christensen: Hey Shay. I am good, thanks. We are currently in New Zealand filming backcountry. Good times!
FS: I hear that Field is doing a two-year project, rather than releasing a film this fall. Can you tell us a little about that?
FC: The two-year project came to mind the summer of 2011 while we were working day and night with our latest film Being There. To grow and fulfill our goals for where Field Productions is going, we need the time. It does not mean we are slacking, but rather that we are working even harder than before to make sure we make a film we can be proud of. It has been a good and intense season filming, but at the same time we have put a lot of effort into finally getting an office and spending over five weeks getting it up and running. The final film will be released in the fall of 2013.
FS: What can we expect in the way of webisodes and/or edits in the mean time? People are going to be bummed not to see Field at iF3.
FC: We will release an eight episode web series starting November 1, 2012 that will give you an insight on this past season, and you'll see the athletes and the crew in all kinds of situations. In 2010 and 2011 we released a successful behind the scenes web tv series on the Norwegian newspaper site vg.no. The series has got millions of views and it has helped us grow toward a wider audience. We show high quality content that helps you to know the crew and the people we film with, and also shows some of the action and stories that we can't fit into the full length film. This year we will make it international and add subtitles and make it easier for the world to understand Norwegian.
FS: So with a two-year project, can we expect a doubly amazing section from Even Sigstad?
FC: Even and Jesper Tjäder have been killing it on the rails as usual, and they will keep doing that the coming winter as well. I have a good feeling about what they will bring to the crowd. You won't be disappointed.
No movie is complete without some heli shots.
FS: What were some of your highlights from this past winter? Any new or exotic trips this year?
FC: Amongst many places, we have been filming creative urban outside Spitsbergen, which is a really special place with Even, Jesper and Aleksander Aurdal. [For more information on that, check out the Field Productions blog story: fieldproductions.com/svalbard-mission]
FS: Are there any new faces that will pop up in the two-year project? Is there anyone you'd like to add to the roster in the second season?
FC: Regarding new faces I am proud to say we got Tim Durtschi killing it for us in the backcountry in New Zealand at the moment, and that Eric Hjorleifson has been stacking big mountain shots with us up north in Norway this winter. We also brought German big mountain ripper Tom Leitner to Haines this winter. For the coming season we have some really talented Norwegian young bloods that will show the world what they are good for. More news to come, but this is it for now.
FS: For the techies out there, what newer and better cameras have you been rocking this year?
FC: We shoot mostly with RED Epic and Scarlet, and Canon 5ds/7ds for the raw documentary stuff. The RED camera gives your creativity a new dimension. It's amazing what you can do with that camera.
Just another day at the office.
FS: Do you think all these new cameras and systems are making ski movies better? Or have the companies been focusing too much on the tech, and less on the actual feeling of the movie?
FC: It is not necessarily the camera systems that makes the ski movies better, but the people behind the lens. I can admit I am a tech freak myself, but the feeling of the movie itself will always be the most important thing for us. Worth mentioning is that the RED cameras will make the overall experience for the audience better as the quality is stunning.
FS: We also heard the Field crew had a run in with some thieves. What was that all about? How did it get resolved?
FC: In the end of May I was going to the garage to get in my car to head to Folgefonna. The car was packed with all kinds of gear—thank God not our RED cameras—but with total worth around $50K. The sight I met was terrifying; the car had been totally robbed. The Norwegian cops were not helpful, so we had to start searching for our stuff on our own. We ended up of finding the gear lying on the street, being guarded by crazy drug addicts wearing Field Productions hoodies. We took our stuff from them and ran. As they chased, we were able to call the cops and they showed up quickly and busted the thieves. We got all of the gear back and it ended up being a good story. A sad thing is that the thieves were back on the street a few days later. That is the Norwegian system in a nutshell.
The thieves were eventually apprehended.
For more on Field Productions: Twitter — @FieldProd, Facebook — Field Productions, Instagram — @FieldProd, and blog — Field Productions Blog.
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