Explosion of Fly Fishing Films
- This topic has 21 replies, 18 voices, and was last updated Feb 28, 2010 at 2:06 am by
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Hey guys –
I’m working on a piece right now and, in part, I’m looking into this explosion of fly fishing films we’ve had lately.
From conversations I’ve had its more of a ‘hey, i can do that’ idea after watching other sport films like warren miller’s (ski), kayakers going down huge waterfalls, surfers riding big waves etc.
It was a mostly untapped genre for fly fishing. Fishing films before ‘fish porn movies’ were about catching the big one, not about exotic places, fish, and adventure, while adding an artistic element (camera angles, music, scenic shots, different lenses, underwater views)
These films can be done on a budget. Prices have come down a lot in the technology involved such as HD portable cameras, editing software, etc. The films can be made in an apartment, not an editing studio. Warren Miller uses helicopters, whereas an angler can hike in or float a body of water to get their shots.
Add in the ability to share films over the internets gets them out to a lot of people very fast.
on a side note, i’d like to see a ‘menu’ of films at the film tour. no more scribbling down on a napkin.
Look at the parallels with skiing and snowboarding. Tom Bie touched on it in your interview. What Powder was to Skiing and Ski magazines 15 years ago, the Drake is to the big 3 these days.
The same thing happened with films in the ski and snowboard industry. Folks like Greg Stump, Steve Winter, the folks at TGR, and countless others challenged Warren Miller and turned skiing and snowboarding into what it is today. (And please note that I left out a ton of names who I couldn’t even begin to list, and I’m not taking a shot at Warren Miller – their films progressed right along with everyone else).
The same progression is now happening in fishing. For filmmakers, I think the instructional and promotional stuff just isn’t fun to make. Hence what we get at the film tour. I think there’s also an appeal to be the one to post the latest photo or video that goes viral in the blog world. And now that cameras and digital media are so accessible and easy to share, flyfishing is becoming a media driven juggernaut. We’re a younger generation of anglers. Maybe we’re a little more competitive. Maybe like Kip in Napoleon Dynamite we just love technology. It’s a media driven world out there and it’s hard to avoid it, even on the river.
I think it’s easier to do now because of the web. I bet most on the board have seen running down the man which was of the first videos to go “viral.”. Now with YouTube it’s even easier to spread the word.
I bet in 1995, a film/phenom like RDTM would not have been possibe
I think one of the main reasons , that many of the other posters touched on, is that you can do it now. Much like the some of the saturation of photography discussions we have had on this board. It is financially accessible to almost anyone who has the desire to do it. With a fairly small budget, some buddies, and a bit of DIY skill you can do a ton with very little cash.
Another reason driving this, also touched on, is technology itself. You can make a video, put it out there, and have almost anyone see it. In my opinion, not only is this important for just some guy who wants to have fun making a fly fishing video… It will become more and more important for outfitters, magazines, and businesses who want to give something more than their competitors.
I agree with JT and CK.
It’s easy, the technology is good and can be affordable for the everyday guy.
Yeah…I’d agree with the last 3 or 4 posts.
Zack, I think you have received a wealth of information in these posts.
Now it is so easy and cheap to share information that we are seeing the old ways of info distribution drying up. I’m all for it.
Corey- let me know when you want to do a trout fishing in Costa Rica movie.This is a good topic Zach. I agree with the above comments and have a few additional points. Having recently been forced into video for my other work this subject is fresh on my mind. I think that video can be grouped into three broad categories for fly fishing: 1)action/adventure, 2)education/tutorial, and 3)documentary. What I see mostly in regard to fly fishing is the action/adventure footage, and it ranges from amateur Zoom type cameras all the way to full scale professional motion picture or DVD quality. That is the exciting stuff. However, I see the most potential for education and documentary style videos in this industry. Frankly, fly fishing is a very visual past time and if someone can capture the dimensionality of say fly casting or fly tying in the visual arts then we would all benefit. In particular, we are missing those great documentaries. Although boring to produce, it would be great to see some of the pioneers on film and capture the history of the sport with good equipment.
As for the “explosion”, it is probably a combination of technology catching up and the younger generation feeling comfortable with the equipment. I see more and more fly fishing guides posting footage on Youtube and that is good for marketing. However, there is much more potential yet to be explored. Again, fly fishing is a visual sport and capturing it on video just makes sense.
Finally, videos have huge potential for driving sales.
Cory and Keith seemed to make the most sense to me.
My two cents:
I have family that commercial fish in Nova Scotia Canada. Right after the movie version of “The Perfect Storm” came out I was visiting with them. I anticipated a critical response to a Hollywood version of their lives. I got just the opposite. They felt legitimized, mainstreamed, even cool.Fly fishing geeks (like many of us) have been around for long time and in someways are just recently being thought of as cool for it. Thanks to the hipsters putting it on film with sweet sound tracks.
portable hd technology. everyone wanting to be “famous.” the internet. i think that pretty much covers it.
Short and simple .. and prob pretty accurate on many counts
Good discussion.
This media is the future of this sport for better or for worse.
Personally I think it is long overdue.
Hey guys,
Zach, sorry that this is a more specific post, but I thought it was worthy of the topic.
Last year at the Fly Fishing Film Tour, we saw the trailer for Eastern Rises. I have been unable to find any information about a release date, and the film looks great. Has anyone heard anything?
Best,
Dave
Check out troutpredator.com. That is exactly what I’m talking about. I used to fish with the guy. I was there when the website was birthed. While it provides lots of good information to people, the true purpose was for the individual to become a known commodity in the FFing world.
Please don’t take this as a criticism. I really don’t care. To each his or her own. You want fame more power to ya.
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