If you missed the first part of the interview, you can find it here.
What has been your favorite place you’ve shot a film in and why?
Zack: Well we don’t usually film in too many spots I wouldn’t love to go back to, but I’d have to say somewhere in the backcountry. I can’t be too specific but I love being in the wild. Montana is great in that there are so many spots that are relatively unchanged with time. Yes there might be more people using these areas then in the past but the landscape is relatively unchanged and being miles and miles from the nearest road is a great feeling when you’ve got a fly rod in hand. We hope that comes through in our films and that it inspires others to set out on an adventure of their own. You’re rarely let down here in Montana if you do that.
Travis: Anything in the backcountry really appeals to me. Your success is completely dependent on your planning before you go on the trip and you have to get extremely creative with your surrounding resources. Not to mention it’s usually going to be physically challenging and the scenery never disappoints.
If I may ask a trade secret. What equipment do you guys take into the field to film with?
Zack: Haha this is a big trade secret. We get this question SO much that it’s become almost bothersome. Apparently people actually believe that the camera you use dictates how good you are at filming or photography. I heard a funny story the other day from a photographer who mentioned a friend telling him his work was amazing and that he must have a really nice camera. Well after he had eaten an amazing dinner at this friend’s house he told her that she must have a really expensive oven. It’s just a tool. If you don’t know how to use it you won’t be able to do much even if I hand you a RED Epic. With that said we use Nikon cameras. Big shocker since it’s appeared in quite a bit of our imagery and been mentioned quite a bit in times past. Other than that I won’t say. I’m not a big fan of laying it all out there for people because our setup doesn’t fit everyone’s needs. If people have honest, specific questions we’ll help them out but you really need to do your own research and figure out what fits your shooting style best if your looking to invest in a new camera. But enough about the nerdy stuff.
Travis: Our #1 asked question. We use Nikon DSLRs for the most part. It seems these days that everyone wants to follow what others are doing. Its not about what camera you have, its how you use it, plain and simple. Creativity always outweighs having a nice camera. Slow motion is a great example. You see slow motion taking over films in both the hunting and fly fishing industry. Yes slow motion is cool, but when used appropriately. Nobody wants to see you tying on a fly on your line at 240fps.
What is it that made you guys want to start shooting fly fishing and hunting films?
Zack: Well coming from a skiing background I instantly looked online for fishing and hunting films. In skiing you’ve got the best online and for free. In fishing and hunting that wasn’t the case and still isn’t today. All I saw were old guys who had money going on trips that were filmed and looked like they were filmed about 10-15 years ago even though they weren’t. There was no connection to our generation through media and I wanted to share some of what we were doing with people because I thought it was too good not to share. A lot of people don’t like that though. There’s a lot of selfishness in this industry and very few actually care about recruiting more people to the sport. It’s an infringement upon their happiness but I see if differently. Anyways, once I got into fishing and hunting I was just so blown away that literally none of my friends had ever opened my eyes to the sport and I never had been influenced by either industry. I felt like it was necessary to share it with people and show them that fishing and hunting is fucking rad. I mean today’s society is all about trapping you in an endless, non-stop circle of crap. You’ve got distractions from the second you wake up to the second you fall asleep and never have a chance to breathe. Going fishing or hunting gets you away and puts you in God’s country. It gives you a better perspective on life and teaches you some actual values which are often overlooked in society now a days. I want more people to take advantage of that. That’s the core of it.
Travis: I grew up watching skiing and snowboarding films growing up and that was always my way of getting stoked to go skiing. I couldn’t find that stoke when watching fly fishing or hunting videos. The videos seemed outdated and we saw the opportunity to bring a new appeal to fly fishing and hunting. I didn’t grow up fly fishing or hunting and wasn’t very skilled at either. Zack and I wanted to share videos that were not always about being the ‘best’, but more about having a great experience in the outdoors and is available to anyone who wants to put in the effort. Everyone misses, everyone looses fish, and that’s reality so why not show it?
Any advice for budding filmmakers?
Zack: Man I could write a book on this one. First have a reason for making films. And make it a good reason. Second, why is your film going to be different and appealing? Don’t beat a dead horse. Think about what you do that is different and then do it. I mean when we started there was really no crossover between skiing and hunting as far as film. We were like hey we can do that. Today it’s different. If you do something new expect people to follow and try to do it better. Your going to have to be highly motivated, smart and creative to make it work. Third, did I say be smart? This means a lot without saying more. And finally I would definitely say don’t expect to make a living doing it. Do a little research on who is making a living doing it. It’s a really small number especially for fishing. This takes you back to number one. Have a reason and make it a good one otherwise it’s just a very expensive hobby.
Travis: Filming is a great hobby for any outdoor enthusiast. Reliving your experiences is great, but if your going to get serious about filming, be prepared to spend the time and money. It’s by no means an inexpensive hobby and it takes a ton of time and experience to continue to progress your filmmaking skills. Lots of people want to get into filmmaking for bragging rights, but that is not going to get you anywhere if you don’t do it because you love to. What do you bring that is unique and different from everyone else? If you see something you like in films, learn from it and make it better, but don’t copy them. Research other industries and the films that they create. First step when you have a question about filming, Google it.
What can we expect to see from you guys in the future?
Zack: I wish I had something juicy for this but I don’t. I’d just say look at the direction we are heading and keep going down that road. We don’t plan on going backwards at any point so hopefully just better content to keep you guys stoked on hunting and fishing. We have endless ideas and the path could be quite varied. It really comes down to what doors actually open and whether or not that fits with who we are. We’ve definitely declined plenty of jobs because it isn’t who we are. We’ll always try to stick to our core and hopefully make cool content for people to enjoy.
Travis: We have so many ideas that its tough to decide which ones to pursue. Definitely be looking for some higher quality films and hopefully we will have some opportunities to work on bigger projects than we have in the past. I want to make sure we stick to our current values and ideas and don’t let others alter our creativity. In the end I always want Montana Wild to be about inspiring people to get outdoors, find their own adventure, and enjoy God’s country.
Simms Shoot Out 2013 – “BENT” from Montana Wild on Vimeo.
STATE OF MOTION from Montana Wild on Vimeo.
