BACKWOODS JAM - 2023
Hi everybody! This is the video I created for this years Backwoods Jam. These jumps, and the people that built them and ride them, have done more for me than I could ever describe. I wouldn't be who I am today without them, so for that, thank you. Huge love to Logan Peat, Paul Genovese, and everyone involved in their creation and maintenance.
I've been shooting this event for a few years now, and this year I wanted to try something new. I wanted to create a video where you could pull out any clip, and it would be able to stand on its own. Instead of a bunch of moments sequenced together in a montage-style edit (which is how I feel like I've shot most of my videos), I wanted each clip to tell its own story; to have a beginning, middle, and an end. This venue is such a perfect place to get creative, and there are still so many rad, untapped angles; even after all these years. One of the greatest sunset sessions I've ever witnessed went down the night before the event, and I'm not kidding when I say that shit is better than Christmas to filmers. The softest red light blasting through the trees, highlighting some of the sickest jumps that BC has to offer, as some of the worlds most stylish riders throw down feel good tricks for the fun of it. Events like these help me remember what its like to be a kid again, even if it's just for a day.
For those that stuck around until the end of the video and are thinking to themselves "How is that relevant", let me elaborate. In March of 2023, I was assaulted on a snowboard film trip. As a result I've battled with bouts of depression and self-doubt ever since. In order to be a creative person, and to have confidence in creative ideas, it is
super important that your mind is clutter-free. During any creative process, there are these crucial moments when your brain steps through an "ON" door, and it's go time. It's really important to jump on these moments when they happen, but the more clutter you have up there, the more things you have to hop over on my way through those doors. For a while after that experience, I didn't even want to look at my camera. Up until recently, those unprocessed emotions held me in a pretty creatively dark place, and I found it really hard to just stick with things that
I think are cool, not what I figured other people will like. It's only been in the last few weeks that I've started dealing with those emotions, and for me, this video really solidified feeling back to my normal self. I wanted to just take the opportunity to shed some light on it, and give people a little window into my brain. It's not always roses, so if you're struggling, you don't need to be alone!
Making projects like these brings me so much joy; some of which I hope translates through the medium and can bring a little bit of joy to you as well. This project is the best representation of what the inside of my brain looks like these days, and I couldn't be happier to say that. Okay, enough about me. Go watch the video in 4k with some damn loud speakers!
Cheers,
Logan