Eddie Grams is a special and talented little creature. We like him. Any real snowboard movie nerd knows that when it comes to the who’s who on the up and up in the shred/film game Eddie’s not only driving the bus he’s paving the road.
GUNS OUT TEASER
Gnarcore.com recently caught up with Eddie to talk about what inspires him, the state of video these days and his new film “Guns Out”.
How many films have you made and what are their names?
So far I have made 4 films. The first two were just for fun with my friends in Arizona when I used to live there & they were called “Risen Sun” & “Arediskee.” Once I moved to Utah I made one called “Yup,” which consisted basically of our crew of friends that all met eachother from living in the dorms. Last year I made “Workplay,” which was our first sponsored video.
You gained quite a reputation up here in canada last summer with your C.O.C video’s how did that job come about? What are you views about Canada? Whistler? That whole summer scene?
I had been a camper at COC in the past & loved the experience that I had up there, so I figured it would be amazing to be able to go back & film since that’s what I love to do. I just got in touch with Fabia & sent her examples of my work to try & get the job there & it all worked out! I was super stoked about it & had the time of my life up there. I love being in Canada, especially Whistler. The people there are extremely polite, its a beautiful place, & you just can’t beat snowboarding a perfect spring park in the summer time. It was a blast & am very much looking forward to going back this coming summer.
Did you meet any riders up here that impacted you?
I met quite a few people up there that I was pumped on.. actually pretty much all of the coaches at camp, & the lunch boys. I had a really good time hanging out with Matt Belzile, Robjn Taylor, & Geoff Brown, they are rad guys & its really fun watching them snowboard together everyday just killing it. Riding with Mark Sollors was sick too, I was really impressed with him, & then saw his part in Child Support & was blown away. I also became really good friends with Max Honegger, who has ended up filming with us a lot this year & plans on having a full part in the movie. He’s been a really good asset to the project & is very motivated. Finally meeting Sean Johnson was really cool too. I learned a lot from him & it felt good to have him giving me advice & input about filming.
Your new movies called “guns out”. Why?
We were just looking to have a name that stood out & wasn’t the typical “inside the box” title. It was something that caught our ears & we all liked & thought worked, but I guess the literal meaning is along the lines of something like “ready to draw,” as in ready to do whatever it takes to work hard at making a good movie.
Why did you decide to make this movie? Did you have any other offers for work this season?
We decided to make this movie because we were all a group of good friends that had been working towards making a legitimate movie the past few years & finally had the resources to do so. I had a couple of other offers for work this year, but having to finish up school & not bailing on my friends was pretty important to me, especially the school part. I didn’t want to have to drop out just to work & then maybe not finish for a while.. I wanted to get it overwith so that I could do whatever I wanted next year.
Who is your partner?
My partner in the project is Tyler McLeod.
How did that collaboration come about?
We have both kinda been doing the same thing the past few years, just making videos for fun with our friends. We had all become better friends last season & were going to work together but had different things lined up, so this season it just made sense to plan it from the beginning & it has all worked out really well.
Who is your current roster?
As of right now these people can be expected to have shots in the movie:
Alex Andrews, Ben Hanisch, Trevor Rhoda, Drew Fuller, Max Honegger, Sean Black, JP Tomich, Matt Piasecki, Cameron Pierce, Ted Borland, Zane Miller, Jonah Owen, David Kunz, Alex Sherman, Spencer Davis, & a couple others here & there.
How did you choose riders? Because of sponsors or personal reasons? Or both?
Most of the crew is just the original group of friends that we had for Naptime Films, in addition to Tyler’s original crew of David, Jonah, & Spencer. It ended up working out that a lot of the kids had sponsors willing to support the project & a few were added to the roster because we knew them & felt they had something to offer to the movie, & conveniently they had the same or different sponsors willing to support us as well.
Who are your filmers? Do you have other filmers?
Tyler & I are the main two fulltime filmers, but we will probably have shots in the movie from other people as well. Max has a filmer out in Ottawa that has helped him get shots, Matt with one in Buffalo, NY, etc, and we are good friends with Gabe L’Heureux from the MDPeople crew who has helped out with a few shots as well.
Photographers?
We haven’t had a consistent photographer throughout the season, but we have a few that have come out with us & gotten some really good shots so far, them being Stan Evans, Justin L’Heureux, Ian Matteson, Kealan Schilling, & Jesse Anderson.
Who are your sponsors?
Our sponsors for the movie are K2, Atomic, Celsius, Forum, FUNhat, Rossignol, Dakine, Sessions, Milosport, Brighton Resort, Neff, & Bataleon. We also might have Smith as a sponsor, in addition to one of the big magazines as well.
What are you plans for distribution?
We are hoping to get the movie on a distribution program such as Ally or VAS, but haven’t gotten anything set in stone yet. Hopefully the teaser has turned some heads & everything will work out though!
What filmmakers do you look up to?
I’d have to say that I look up to Pierre Minhondo the most. He has always made my favorite movies, but I also look up to Pierre Wikberg as well. The Neoproto and Robot Food films are & will probably always be at the top of the list in my book. Its hard to not look up to Sean Johnson & Mack Dawg too though. I think that if it wasn’t for them, a lot of inspiration for snowboard movies would not exist. Johnson knows what’s up & Mike & Brad are definitely doing good things with their new movies.
You have a very clean style with your films, is this inspired by anyone?
Well thanks! I really like to have a style of my own, instead of copying other peoples’ styles, but I think in the end, looking back on anything that I edit, I end up incorporating aspects from other movies that I have seen. I really try hard not to be excessive with it though. I’d say that I like to have a style that is a mix of the Neoproto & Robot Food movies. Basically I like to make something that is fun to watch but that still has serious snowboarding in it that is filmed well & edited in a way that flows smoothly.
Who is your favorite shred of all time?
Hmm this is a really hard question! Travis Parker is definitely one of my most favorite people to watch snowboard. Jeremy Jones is up there on the list though & he is still killing it.. same with Seth Huot.
What are your top 3 shred flicks of all time?
This is another hard question, but I’m going to go with Afterlame, Some Kinda Life, & We’re People Too.
Workplay Teaser. Eddie’s ‘07 release under his original production company naptime films
what’s your favorite medium to work with? (as far as filming goes)
I’ve never actually gotten into film, I guess I’ve grown up as a digital kid. I really liked using the DVX but now that I have the HVX I don’t think i’ll ever use another camera.. unless Panasonic comes out with a new version of it later down the road.
What are your views on the HVX revolution?
Ha like I just said above, without looking at the next question, I think its a good one. The HVX allows anyone to have super high quality images that you can view instantly, instead of waiting for film transfers to come back & what not. Being able to film backcountry in slow mo & play it back right away is such a great convenience.
Do you see a change in how films are made now from who they were made 5 years ago?
Oh absolutely! Films have improved sooooo much over 5 years, its crazy. The quality of filming, editing, & riding has had such a drastic change for the better & I think the bar has been raised pretty high for what is expected.
Do you think the information age is killing cinema?
Yea I do for sure. I see video parts popping up on YouTube within weeks after releases & it really sucks. In order for these production companies to stay around they need to make money, but if kids keep ripping the dvds on to their computers & posting them on the internet for anyone to see then it takes away from the profit. Dvd sales have been down over the past few years & I think that the only solution is to have videos be on iTunes as protected files or for free by having sponsors pay more. After all, its all for marketing riders & products right?
What are your views on Internet video’s versus cinema or even DVD’s?
I think that having videos available on the internet can be of great benefit, being that the entire world can download it with the click of a mouse. To have a video be offered on iTunes for a few bucks would be the ideal situation since they are protected & can’t be passed around.
Talk about fun, bring on the park madness. 20 000 views later. Eddie+tws.com+youtube= BOOM!
Where do you get you inspiration for music for you films?
I really just like to use music that I think works well with the snowboarding being displayed. If it in any way describes the rider then its perfect. Its always good to try to find new music that people haven’t heard before though, that way you’re introducing everyone to something new while being original at the same time.
what is your main purpose for making this film? Money? Fame? Art?
I’m definitely in it for the fun aspect & to create what I think is a good snowboard movie. It feels good to finally find something in life that I’m passionate about & can possibly make a living off of in the future. Right now I don’t really care about the money at all, except that being in debt sucks a lot! I’ve gotten some hate from people recently saying all I care about is money & have forgotten about friends, but when you’re a no-name production company in the game & can’t support yourself off of it then its really tough & you have to stay on top of making money any way that you can so that you can keep doing it & not quit to get some crappy job at a restaurant. Certain things were necessary to purchase to make it all happen for me but in the end its worth it because without them it just wouldn’t work. Making a name for myself is beneficial as well though because that will get me farther in the industry in the future.
Are you making enough money to pay your bills and sustain living for your self?
Unfortunately not at the moment, but hopefully everything works out with getting distribution so that there can be a next year for the crew & Tyler & I can support ourselves. We’ve gotten some good sponsors this year that I’m really stoked to have helping us out, but without a previous years’ income its hard to have a salary as part of the budget. If we can no longer stay together as a crew, I’m sure that a lot of the riders will have other filming opportunities that will be really good for them & Tyler & I will be able to find jobs working for other crews or companies.
Come to camp..Eddies there.
What are your plans for this next summer and up coming year? Any future projects on the horizon?
We’re just going to be editing the movie as soon as the season comes to an end, trying to get it done & shipped out by the middle of June. I’ll be finishing up one of my last classes during the first part of summer & then heading up to Whistler for COC again. I’ll hopefully be helping out with some other projects for the remainder of the year & trying to stay as busy as possible behind the camera.
Whats more important then snowboarding to you?
I think the only thing more important than snowboarding to me is having good relationships with friends & family. Being busy all season long its sometimes hard to maintain consistent contact with people but if you can manage it then it works out really good for you once the season is over & things slow down.
have you ever had to sacrifice to do what you do?
Definitely have for sure. Had to sacrifice taking a full credit load in school, accepting other job offers that were really good jobs, time for girls, etc. Pretty much everything! Its all good though, gotta do what you gotta do.
it’s a little naive to say that “snowboarding is all about having fun” do you agree? What is “snowboarding all about….”
Everyone knows that if you’re trying to pursue a career in snowboarding, you have to work your ass off big time. It isn’t something that comes easily at all. You won’t be able to support yourself solely on “having fun,” but it is important to remember why you do it. It obviously is the most fun aspect of our lives right? So as long as you can still have fun doing it while still working hard, you’re going to stay on top.
what’s the funniest part about what you do?
I really enjoy being in the mountains so I’d say that’s the best part of the job. Filming street stuff is really cool but I like filming backcountry A LOT more. Getting out there on the sleds is a ton of fun & there are no worries about being booted by cops. Being able to ride a lot in the spring time is awesome as well when everything slows down. Basically just being able to take in every part that winter has to offer is what makes it my favorite thing to do.
if you could only pick one person to view your film who would it be?
I would want Rachel Bilson to see it (Summer from The OC) because she is my dream girl! Hopefully she’d like it haha.
And lastly are you planning on entering any contests or festivals with your film? If so wich ones?
We entered the teaser in a contest on REELcomp.com & actually won it so we were happy about that, but I don’t think there are any other contests to enter at the moment. If there are then maybe, but we’ll see!
Keep up on Eddie, Tyler and all them young guns at www.varietyinyourlife.com
Spike Jones fans rejoice and get wild. To many, It’s no secret that Spike is directing the screen version of Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are, but it may come as a pleasant surprise to learn that Carter Burwell (Burn after Reading, No Country For Old Men) as well as The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O will be doing the music for the film. I’m already excited about The Arcade Fire’s ”Wake up” being featured in the films recently released trailer so i’m sure whatever new songs Karen O is writing for the film will only add to the ever growing indie-rad appeal that this film is already dripping with – the realese date has been set for October ‘09 of this year. (thanks pitchfork)
