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HeatUK (The DVD) – From The Backyard To South West Four - World Premier Preview: Interview with SnowBall Productions
Reported by littlemissgenki
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Submitted 09-12-04 11:17
What happens when one of the world's most innovative up and coming film companies meets one of the most progressive cutting edge club promotions in the UK? The result: HeatUK (The DVD) – From The Backyard To South West Four! HeatUK (The DVD) documents a year in the life of the HeatUK promoters, as well as telling the story of how two aussies can start in London from humble beginnings, throwing a party in a back yard in Walthamstow, and turn one of their passions into a business that can put on sell out events on Clapham Common and fill the top clubs of London, Amsterdam and Ibiza. But how on earth do you film people dancing and running round in clubs and turn it into a story worth watching? Enter SnowBall Productions, extreme sports fans with a love of film, who have also turned their passion into a successful business in a very short space of time.
And if clubbing can be classed as an extreme sport, then HeatUK would have to be in the very close running for a gold. While their crowd is certainly one of the more international out there, it is perhaps inevitable that with two aussies at the helm, there was always going to be a high proportion of antipodeans at any HeatUK event. With your average antipodean only having a short time frame of two years to fit a lifetime's worth of clubbing in, marathon clubbing adventures such as 24 Hours in Amsterdam suddenly seem a little more understandable. The Antipodean experience in Europe is another important aspect of the story told in HeatUK (The DVD), but as HarderFaster discovered when catching up with the SnowBall guys, there's certainly a lot more to this production than meets the eye. . .
Hi Ryan and Jase, how’s it going? Congratulations on nearly finishing HeatUK (The DVD) – From The Backyard To South West Four! And double congratulations on keeping up with the HeatUK crew for a year! How did you do it?! Damo is one of most hyper people I’ve ever met and he and Anton must’ve more than kept you on your toes!?
How did the concept for HeatUK (The DVD) come about? What inspired you to cross the line from clubber to movie maker? Have you always been into clubbing?
Jase: We filmed the 24 hours in Amsterdam event last year . . . Damian enjoyed the piece we cut so much, he decided there and then we had to make a film. Our film making careers started in Switzerland filming the Cresta Run and we were clubbers long before that, so the line is somewhat blurry. I cannot say we were always into clubbing; in fact, Ryan and I met whilst studying forestry in South Africa, so not too many big clubs around back then. Ryan introduced me to clubbing the day I arrived in London in September 1999. He arrived 8 months before me and was already well into it.
It’s all very well to come up with such a great idea, quite another to go out, film it then put it all together. How did you decide what creative direction to take the DVD in? Did you have a set plan when you started about what you wanted to achieve, or was the final decision making done in the editing booth?
Ryan: The idea progressed in little jumps from a small commercial dvd aimed at clubbers on the 24hrs in Amsterdam trip in 2003. In fact, it’s progressed so much that 24 hrs in Amsterdam will not even feature in the premier but it will however be included, along with Ibizian Heat in the dvd version of the film.
It says on your website that ‘Our crew has a thorough understanding of how the scene works and is therefore very smooth and efficient when shooting in a club environment’. But this is clubbing, right?! Surely, sometimes no matter how much you plan, what can go wrong will go wrong? From your experience, is it usually the human factor or the technology that gets in the way? Cue for funny stories please . . .
Jase: I think the biggest thing that can go wrong is losing bits of equipment; you do get bumped around a bit and sometimes little covers and lens caps etc. go missing. In terms of the shoot, every party is different so there is not much planning involved, we just turn up and get the shots. The technology is really good these days, we have had the lenses fog up on occasion but that’s not the camera, that’s just a really good party. The 24 hours in Amsterdam trip was pretty intense, we made the customary coffee shop pit stop, needless to say quite a few bits of equipment joined camera gear heaven that night!
As well as working with the HeatUK crew, this project has involved close liaison with Kirk from Radical Escapes. How does this work in practice? Has it ever become a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth, or do you all have different parts to play in the grand scheme of things?
Ryan: Radical Escapes, HeatUK and Snowball are all good at what they do and the communication between parties is great. Good intentions and a charismatic approach are the key ingredients to this fantastic synergy.
Filming the documentary has spanned across some of the UK’s top clubs as well as taking in tours to Amsterdam and Ibiza. What challenges have you had to deal with along the way? How do you cope with having to work such long hours on the road?
Jase: I think fatigue is the biggest problem, but one of us always seems to be capable of carrying on or we feed off each other. I filmed the Ibiza trip by myself, which was hard going, I decided before hand not to indulge and I did a fair bit of running and swimming in-between sleep and filming, which seemed to do the trick.
As well as the material you’ve gained from following the HeatUK crew for a year, the DVD is going to contain rare footage from the first backyard party, as well as other footage gained in HeatUK’s three year journey from throwing parties in backyards to sell out events in Clapham Common. Was it difficult to fit it all into an hour? What problems, if any, did this extra footage cause?
Ryan: No problem with fitting 30 hours of footage into 1hr (Actually, the dvd is 1h30) as our style of editing is much more intense when it comes to cuts. We cut sooner and quicker to maintain energy in our sequences because the music calls for it. Many of our shots are moving, this is also a very unique, hand help style that we have developed which again adds to the tempo. On this basis, 30 hours is almost not enough. We are still shooting interviews this week, leading up to the premier on Sat!
Surely the unwritten law that what goes on tour stays on tour is completely destroyed by you filming in such places as Amsterdam and Ibiza?! Have there been many times that you’ve turned off the camera for ethical reasons? Or is this really a no-holds barred version of events?
Ryan: Never turned the camera off for ethical reasons but a reasonable sense of discretion is always maintained on any production. We shoot with the intention to capture those beautiful moments that clubbing so often holds, the rest we do not see or edit out. After all, it is one of the most colourful sports in the world.
One of the goals of HeatUK (The DVD) is to give the outside world an idea of what it's like to be to the antipodean clubber in London. Was this difficult? Do you feel you achieved this at the end of the day? Why do you feel antipodean clubbers are different from any other?
Jase: We have not released the film onto the outside world yet, so we will have to wait and see. But, I think it has been put together really well, Damian wrote the script and he’s tied everything together nicely. I think antipodean clubbers are different in that they’re usually only here for 2 years and then they leave, so for the time that they’re here, they really go hard out.
I understand from your website that you make films and documentaries on many things, predominately sporting. What other projects are you working on at the moment? Has it been difficult to fit HeatUK (The DVD) in with the other aspects of your business over the last 12 months?
Ryan: We are working on a few projects at the same time. We are marketing a finished documentary about cricket bat production in Kashmir, we are also working on a training video and short film for the Cresta Run in Switzerland. We are making a tourist video on the Golden Triangle and in pre production for another short film, Malcolm’s Mind. It has been difficult juggling different things around this HeatUK project but one always manages to find time when you’re so passionate about your goals.
You obviously have a passion for filming and editing human movement, be that dance or extreme sport, and technology has certainly come a long way in the last few years in terms of capturing such moments on film. Are there any new techniques used in the DVD? There must’ve been many times when you just wanted to get people to just stay put and let you get on with it?!
Ryan: Technology has come along way and we are exploiting those progressions to the max. No longer does one need a whole studio or production team to produce things of a high quality, with the advent of digital cinematography we are riding the wave of inspiration and creativity!
A stereotypical clubbing video tends to have a cheesy trancy soundtrack pumping along to semi-naked women gyrating on podiums, without much semblance of plot, story or structure. What’s the main story behind HeatUK (The DVD)? Did you lose the plot many times along the way?
Ryan: The main story behind HeatUK is the story of HeatUK itself. It is a magnificent story which needs to be seen to show people just how far humans can go when they have their heart in the affairs. It will serve as inspiration for many travellers and locals alike who may envisage starting their own ventures in life. The boys from HeatUK have really proved that you can earn a living and have a great time all at once.
I know a few HeatUK regulars are getting a bit concerned about the concept of a ‘warts and all’ documentary showing what they really get up to in the weekends. Is there anything you can say to put their minds at rest, or should they justifiably be very afraid? Are they your target audience, or do you have a bigger picture as to who the DVD will be marketed to?
Ryan: Don’t be afraid fellow clubbers, this dvd is not aimed at exposing anything. It simple tells a spectacular story while unravelling your favourite parts of clubbing i.e. pumping tunes and wicked dance sequences cut together like nothing on earth.
The soundtrack alone of HeatUK (The DVD) is something for dance music fans to get excited about. Was it difficult to choose which tracks you wanted for particular scenes? Who took ultimate responsibility for this?
Ryan: The pool of music was choosen by HeatUK except for one track, ‘Divine Remedy’ by Mike Devine which is used in the funky Ibiza section. There are some old classics to be heard along with some upfront tunes by Marc French amongst others.
You’re also presently working on a short film with Saloum N’Jie entitled Malcolm’s Mind, about an alcoholic trapped by his mind. This must be very different to work on than your clubbing and sporting projects?! Your website says that the film has a powerful message to the world: is this going to be shown as a form of rehab to recovering HeatUK clubbers at any point?
Ryan: Malcolm’s Mind is about a tramp that realises, through being an alcoholic he is not his mind, that he is everything but his mind, like everyone else, like you and me. It shows how the life of a tramp is more enlightening than people may think. Almost like it may be a privilege to be someone of that sort. If that makes any sense . . . It’s one of those . . . “Wow, I’ve never looked at life like that films . . .”
SnowBall Productions also offers a range of services such a dubbing and DVD duplication. What percentage of your time in any given week is put aside to keep the mechanics of your business running? Or is every week completely different in such a busy industry?
Jase: I think this past year has seen us spend nearly 100 percent of our time on keeping the business going, we are only 1.5 years old and the film industry in London is fiercely competitive. Our weeks are generally completely different but things are finally starting to stabilise, which is a relief, it’s been a long year.
It says on your website that St Moritz, Switzerland, is the birthplace of SnowBall Productions, alongside a picture with a gorgeous view. Is that where you’re from or where the inspiration for the business came from? What made you give that up for grey London town?
Jase: We both started filming on the Cresta Run, which is where that picture is taken from. Ryan and I decided way back in 1997 that we would go into business together. After filming together on the Cresta Run we realised we had found something we really enjoyed. The problem was that filming the Cresta is seasonal and we wanted to work in film all year round, so we decided to make a go of it here in London. We still go out and film the Cresta every season, but this season I’ll be going alone as things are too busy this side for both of us to leave.
In winter you cover St. Moritz’s famous Cresta Run. What does this involve? How the hell do you get any footage of people in toboggans hurtling down at mountain at 140km/hr?
Jase: The Cresta season is only 9 weeks long, but the run is open 7 days a week for those 9 weeks – weather permitting. Basically we spend 5 hours a day at around –15 degrees, filming riders hurtling head first down an ice track, on a 40 to 50 kg toboggan. There is one corner – Shuttlecock, where riders often fall out the run, which is where we spend most our morning. The afternoon involves a quick and intensive edit and we have the video in the bars of the three hotels we work with by 5pm. Most of our filming is done from the side of the Run. We have attached cameras to rider’s helmets to get some headcam shots and we have also hired helicopters on a few occasions, which was great fun.
For many readers, making clubbing DVDs is a dream job. What got you into the film industry to start of with? Did you always dream of making movies or was it something you came to through experience? Was there much training involved or have you managed to learn on the job?
Ryan: Never trained in the film industry, met Jason at Forestry College in South Africa. We used the internet and books to learn the trade and found that working in it was always the best way to learn anything. When I was very young I did like the idea but then I forgot about it and wanted to become a game ranger (like so many young South Africans!) and since I started four years ago it’s like the opportunities have just flowed our way. It all started on a beach in Thailand when I met Ben Farmer, an Aussie who was running the Cresta Run filming in Switzerland. He invited my brother and I to join him for a season and we absolutely loved it and it’s been production ever since. I believe that it was serendipity that got us together and this it is that magic of situations like this that are responsible for all the good things in the world, including a strong connection with HeatUK.
What advice would you give readers wanting to make it in the film industry?
R & J: Don’t try and get a job with big production companies, start your own thing (buy a small camera and some editing software) and start sooner rather than later, the industry is moving forward at a huge pace. Don’t listen to anyone when they say it too hard, that probably because they have been unsuccessful on the basis of that very same belief. This industry is booming and is showing zero signs of waning. Whatever your idea of it is, so it will bring to you. We believe that it is like that with everything anyway. That’s why we went into business together, to take that belief and show it to the world. Most importantly, keep your day job while you’re starting up, and for a while after that.
Has filming the DVD put you off clubbing for life or are you now a HeatUK regular?
R & J: HeatUK is not your regular clubbing event, it is something special. So we’re definitely not put off. We also wish HeatUK was around when we were stacking shelves more seriously. It funny, we could have been making this film for Frantic if our services were not turned down. It was due to this, coupled with a freak chance that we became involved with HeatUK. We truly come to realise that there is a reason for everything.
Please describe the DVD in five words.
R & J: memorable, epic, energetic, surprising, unsurpassing
Finally, other than the free drink, why should HarderFaster readers come down to the Prince Charles on Saturday?
R & J: Because you will regret it if you don’t . . .
Thanks Ryan and Jase! See you at the Prince Charles on Saturday!
Thanks to Midnight Expressions, Phill & SnowBall Productions for their fab pics.
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Other Features By littlemissgenki:
Paradise City 001 Preview: From free parties in pubs to private jets—interview with Antiworld promoter Enrico Sorbello
Blatantly Brisk: interview with Paul Nineham
Paradise City 001 preview: interview with Mauro Picotto
Never Enough Maria: Interview with the Queen of Hard Dance
48 Hours in Amsterdam Preview: Interview with Clubbing Travel Specialist Kirk Field
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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