Go Ski NC
When you think of North Carolina, winter sports is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. Most people around the country aren’t aware that North Carolina has snow, ski resorts, or even mountains for that matter. Here at Nowsay, skiing and snowboarding has been built into our roots from the beginning. Bringing the North Carolina ski industry into the spotlight is not only important regionally, but for the entire ski industry.
The Project
Nowsay was contracted by the North Carolina Ski Area Association to conceptualize & produce a video campaign. This would include a series of commercials to be shown regionally. Its purpose? Highlighting the winter sports and the ski industry present in the Carolina’s. We knew this project would present a lot of challenges and variables, many out of our control. Constantly watching the weather for perfect conditions. Finding the right available talent when the weather was in our favor. Flying down steep slopes with camera gear. Dealing with freezing cameras & drone batteries. Not to mention the constant feeling that our frozen fingers might fall off as we operate our equipment. We had to work closely with the talent’s schedules, since most were families. This was challenging, yet rewarding once it all came together. A fun bonus was having Luke Winklemann on the project. Luke is a professional snowboarder sponsored by Burton Snowboards and Red Bull. Dominic, co-founder of Nowsay, and Luke met snowboarding in the mountains of N.C. nearly 10 years ago. It’s projects like these that bring Nowsay full circle, back to our roots, and back to what our team loves.
Camera Setups
We decided fast & nimble was the approach that would work best for this project. Hauling large rigs across the mountains and slopes would take up too much vital time. Schedules were tight and the weather can drastically change in an instant. We took the approach of using our RED cinema camera, knowing it would work well with such fast paced filming. This, paired with our Easyrig for stability, and on camera follow focus system, was the perfect setup for the job. We also utilized gimbal setups for follow cam action, chasing our talent down the mountain at high speeds. This style of shooting is tough to master. Luckily our gimbal and camera operator, Dominic, has been snowboarding since he was six, and has filmed on snow for over 10 seasons. Simultaneously snowboarding and filming at rapid speeds down a mountain has become natural to Dominic over the years. This skill set is unique, and invaluable in our arsenal for projects like these.
Aerial Cinematography
The DJI Inspire 2 was a vital tool for this project. Our clients made it clear that aerial images were important to them. They wanted the audience to see the vast beauty of the North Carolina mountains. Flying the drone also allowed us to follow talent quickly down the mountain from a birds eye view. Our clients were thrilled, and our team was very happy with the footage captured from the sky.
Video Campaign Deliverables
The final video campaign consisted of a variety of content. Two fifteen second spots, two thirty second spots, one sixty second commercial, and a highlight reel combining all of the best shots. We exported and delivered each video in 4k resolution. Video formatting included 16×9 versions of each spot, as well as 9×16 & 4×5 for vertical televisions used for advertising in various locations, Instagram, and other social media platforms.