At its core, a ski film is a fantasy. It is more often a recollection of how an experience felt, as opposed to how the experience actually went. Naturally this leaves the process open to a wide range of interpretation when the question of how it felt arises. Different film makers and creators have answered this in wildly different fashions over the relatively short time line we in the world of skiing have to look back on. There are the rock n roll thrillers, the emotional attention grabbers, the compelling story lines, and then there are those that could be placed in a category of their own. That fourth description comes with an inherent gamble of whether or not an audience will resonate with the product. When you break away from an established formula, you leave behind the guarantee of an established crowd. This means that your final product takes on the most risk, and simultaneously holds the most potential to be extraordinary.
Out of the box projects come with this associated risk, and it’s one reason why crews like The Bunch are far and few. It takes genuine passion and bravery to make films that run said risk of not being well received, knowing that the stability of your career depends on the projects success. But often times this risk and danger, beyond that of the skiing, is what we as viewers adore. Year after year now, The Bunch has created films prove this to be the case. Each movie they’ve crafted drags you into a different world than the last. Just look at two of their recent projects for evidence; Is There Time for Matching Socks? and Love You Too. The projects are wildly different from each other in terms cinematic style, themes, and they even barley over lap when it comes to the features and skiing showcased. Both run their own course, and both are phenomenal. Many Fantasies Later is the groups 11th film, and from the freeride skiing that takes up the majority of the screen time to the incredible drone shots, it’s as different from any Bunch movie of the past as it is similar. There is so much beauty to be created when you neglect to define exactly what you’re going to make.
With this lack of definition comes danger. Danger that the public won’t recognize what you’re trying to convey, that people will misunderstand your intentions, or that they’ll criticize you for trying something new. This is why so many ski films, and art pieces as a whole, avoid danger and stick to the formula. You know people will watch it and they’ll feel comfortable with it. When an artist denies us of this contentment and challenges the viewer to go beyond their normal experience, real art is created. It’s real because danger is an inherent part of what makes art, art. There’s a quote from the great Duke Ellington that sums it up well, and it goes like this, “Of course art is dangerous. It is one of the attractions: when it ceases to be dangerous you don’t want it.”
There are obvious caveats to this idea, and one could look at comfortable art for the rest of their days and live a happy life. However, as every skier knows, there is an immeasurable gain that can occur when you take that step outside of what is comfortable or normal. Sometimes a different route is necessary. The same goes for how we document our beloved sport. Making art that is different is dangerous, and we should be grateful that people like Magnus, Alex, Björn, Hugo and every person involved in this film are not afraid of the dangerous. The films created by The Bunch continuously force us to look at our actions in a different perspective. Lucky for us, they take the gamble that others won’t; they change up the script every time, and the payoff is immense. A surrealist masterpiece, Many Fantasies Later is surely an example of this distinctly different payoff, (and don’t call me surely).
As Mr. Hackel proclaims half way through the flick, “a good ski movie really is community work ethic.” Judging by the sound design (shoutout Hugo), the filming and of course the skiing, The Bunch has no shortage of that. Hopefully we’re in for plenty more mad-cow fueled films in the future. Thanks again to this incredible crew for being distinctly different, in the best possible way. From butter 3s to sustainability initiatives, The Bunch continues to pave a better future for skiing.
From Youtube – The Bunch presents their 11th film “Many Fantasies Later”…. Every time you set sail you dream of finding a new land, but sometimes you just go in circles. During this voyage we came down with the mad cow disease & won film of the year. Are those two things a coincidence? Separate Events that have nothing to do with each other? I think not…as we have never gotten the mad cow disease or won film of the year before. Which would leave me to wonder if we should have gotten the mad cow disease sooner.
Directed by Björn Eklund, Magnus Granér, Alex Hackel
Supported by Haglöfs, My Switzerland, Peak Performance, Newschoolers
Produced by Alex Hackel, Magnus Granér
Skiing by Magnus Granér, Alex Hackel, Evelina Nilsson, Hugo Burvall, Emil Granbom, Jake Mageau, Øystein Bråten
Editing & Cinematography – Björn Eklund
Sound Design Hugo – Burvall
FPV Drone – Luke Bredar
Drone – Magnus Granér
Additional Cinematography – Johan Höllmuller
Graphic Design & Still Photography – Alric Ljunghager
Sustainability – Levi Kammer
Producing Ski movies is a carbon-intensive process, and The Bunch understands that. During the film we recorded our actions and analyzed them under the microscope of the Albert carbon calculation system, allowing us to offset our emissions while funding the development of renewable wind energy in Brazil. Total emissions: 12.98 tonnes C02 This compares to the average C02 emissions of: • 10 Long distance flights (California to London) • Saving 10.7 square feet of arctic ice • Driving a personal car 32200 miles/51820 kilometers
