This is the big one. “Stolen Good” an all 16mm motion picture feature length film.
This film takes approximately 16 months off and on to film.
On Location souther New Zealand alps with my Eclair NPR film camera.
I have to chase snow over three winters: two in Lake Tahoe and one in New Zealand during our summer.
middle / late winter 2000 Lake Tahoe
Spring and early summer filming on Cape Cod
Summer 2000 New Zealand – their winter
winter 2001 Lake Tahoe
It’s the film that almost doesn’t get done. So many problems and issues and drama. The largest project by far I have ever undertaken. I cannot even list all the issues here that happened.
Some memories: myself being personally terrified by a 20-25 foot rock face cliff drop at ASI I have to go do. I wait until my second Lake Tahoe winter and wait and wait for enough snowfall. It seems to never happen. I get advised by Jason Wordal to not do the drop. I plead with him to drop it first and I’ll film it for the movie but he says, “I won’t and you shouldn’t do it either” all due to snow depth concerns. You need a lot of snow there filled in for a potentially safe landing (nothing is safe hucking off a 20-25 foot cliff face and traveling 35-40 feet vertically).
I loose sleep at night. But my character, Jake O’Connor, has to do a cliff drop that has the potential to end his career with a crash. At least I have to crash for the film not land it.
Anyway, I do the drop, it makes the film and I walk away fine. Massive relief!!!
Heli Riding in New Zealand with Kirk Warner and Jason Wordal.
Now, this sounds great. and it kind of was. But we waited maybe two weeks for snow there… and finally they get a 6′ dump and all the helis won’t fly us the first day (they pillage it themselves we reason) and on day two we finally fly. The shots are actually great. and there is some powder. but it’s a lot of dust on crust too. And very underwhelming for that much build up and wait and money. But a lot of it’s in there in the film.
I remember the arguing with the heli pilot over weight and not being allowed to take my tripod which pissed me off. I much later read “ChickenHawk” about a Vietnam heli pilot’s memoir and instantly realize I was off base and the pilots were right about weight being a huge concern. Oops. Folly of youth.
I also remember the heli landing on a knife edged peak… and the heli wobbling all over so he rises off the mountain tip and rams the skids into the peak to try to stabilize the helicopter – ever so slightly – while shouting for us to get out! We hit the snow and get as low as possible trying to tunnel into the snow as the roaring Heli comes to life and screams away above our heads. It’s actually a very frightening moment. And then… nothing. Silence. Getting strapped in with my two buds and looking almost straight down a mountain. With my heavy French built Eclair NPR 16mm film camera and lens. Cannot drop this in the powder.
I execute a masterful if I do say follow cam off that peak in the deep snow following Jason Wordal. His snow spray plumes make gorgeous footage. Footage I use to this day in my demo reel. That’s the New Zealand heli shot right there!