andywrightphoto.com

 Brad, you rock man!

Brad, I just finished checking out the teaser for your latest project, Follow Me Around, and we are all impatiently awaiting the release date.  If you will, tell us a bit about your latest work.

We just wrapped up post production on Follow Me Around. I am very

happy with this movie. The snow season wasn’t quite as good as the year before so it didn’t seem as good as we were filming. But i gotta say that the crew worked very hard and actually came out much better this year. I credit this to a very hard-working crew of the best

snowboarders in the world. I was also very impressed with the look and feel of FMA. If you are going to have the best shredders, you might as well get the best filmers, and it all paid off in my mind.

You’ve been capturing snow doggers for quite some time now. Where did you get your start? Any formal training?

No formal training here, just a lot of hard work and being at the right place at the right time. My first job was with a clothing company here in NorCal called 916. I made a team video called BUTTER for them. The next season I shot one day at Mt. Rose with Blaise Rosenthal, Tamus Ganon and Eden Carter. I sent the footage to whitey and he really liked the footage and used it for a mid-season release called Substance. Whitey offered me a job for $500 a month and I accepted it right away. I learned a lot from Whitey and worked with him for quite a few years.

Will you give us a rundown of the many projects you’ve had your filthy lens in?

Butter, Substance, Brown Trout, Warriors, Kingpin Chronicles, Mission Impossible, Decade, The Revival, Destroyer, Brainstorm, Bulletproof, Happy Hour, Back in Black, Chulksmack, From ___, With Love, Follow Me Around

How does Follow Me Around differ from these other films?

My goal has always been to make the best snowboard film ever produced. Follow Me Around is yet another step toward that goal. I think it is getting really close.

What aspect of your work do you find becomes the most difficult?

Music. We do all of our music legit. Most people don’t. We didn’t at Kingpin, for instance. And the music industry has really gotten tough with all the download stuff they are dealing with. So getting the soundtrack we want is very difficult and expensive, but it’s so important to have the right music and it causes more than a few headaches.

You’ve worked with a slew of different riders over the years. When it comes to consistently getting the shot, nothing else, which three riders get your top ranking?

Hmmm, how about four?

Jeremy Jones

DCP

Jussi Oksanen

Eero Ettala

Who is the longest running rider you still film with?

That would have to be Jeremy Jones. I started filming with Jeremy back at Kingpin years ago, and he is going stronger than ever. It’s pretty impressive to see Jeremy killing it year after year with no signs of slowing down.

If you had to desribe your formula for success as a filmer, how would you break it down?

To be a successful filmer in snowboarding, you need to be able to do so much more than film. You need to be able to work well with others and be a leader, a team manager of sorts. You need to be an excellent organizer to be able to plan and execute the right trips at the right time. You need to be the motivator to get the riders to stay stoked and get the shots, but also know not to cross the line. You need to let the snowboarders do what they do best. And you need to be a very hard worker. Filmimg snowboarding takes up SO much time, and you will have to make many sacrifices in your life for it. But the rewards are great if you want it.

Film-wise, is there any work outside of snowboarding that you have been involved with?

I’ve worked on a few music videos and did a four-minute mini movie for Ski-Doo. But snowboarding takes up so much of my time that when I get time off, I like to keep it off.

What goes on with the Follow Me Around premiere tour?

The tour is going to be a big deal. It’s the first of its kind in

snowboarding. There have been teams doing tours, but never a snowboard film company. And with the edition of the People crew this year, it will have something to offer for everyone. You will be able to meet some of the people involved in the films – snowboarders and filmers. There will be product give-aways: a snowmobile give-away, photos from photographers that we work with that you can view and/or purchase, and much, much more. We are trying to make it an event. not just a movie

premier.

When you came to editing footage of these 14 riders, how much involvement do they have in the process?

Each rider is different. Some are involved from beginning to end, and some do their snowboarding and that’s it until they see the final product. I invite them all to be involved as much as they want.

What is the most rewarding part of your craft?

Knowing that somewhere out there is a kid who watches my films and feels the same way I did when I watched snowboard movies growing up in Kentucky.

How has having a family influenced you and your work? If you’d like tell us a bit about the Kremer crew.

I have a wife, Mayumi, and two boys, Teito and one just born (currently named “the new guy”). Teito absolutely LOVES snowboarding. He watches the movies so many times and knows them by heart. I’m super excited to see what he does with his life as he grows up, and if he will be into shredding and/or filming. My family is the best thing in my life. I feel so lucky to be able to have this and be able to make snowboard films. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

For all the tech nerds who fought off the A.D.D and made it this far, what kind of equipment do you own/use?

Equipment is changing ever so quickly these days. So even if I go

through the list, it would probably change before this goes to print.

But an ARRI S 16mm has been the camera of choice for many years. I’ve also used many different super 16s, 35mm, digi and HD cameras. The HD revolution is starting to gain momentum in the action sports world. We’ll see where it goes. 

Thanks a bunch.