JANUARY 2022
by Mike Ferrell
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We’re halfway through January which means we’re almost to the point where we can stop writing 2021 on everything. January is a special month and not just because of winter fun, or because Nick and I turned a year wiser, but because we all get a chance to start anew. It feels good to prepare for the year ahead while trying to remember the previous one with gratitude.
If you’ve visited our website recently you might have noticed some updates. We restructured a few things, added more detail to our services and about pages. We rewrote our mission statement to reflect why we do what we do as filmmakers, creators and human beings. In simple terms it comes down to bona fide curiosity.
We’re on a mission to better understand the world through filmmaking. Driven by our innate curiosity to learn what makes humans tick, places hum and the planet sing; we aim to capture the imagination and hearts of our audience with unique stories, motion and style.
We are excited about the year ahead and hope to connect with all of you soon. Thanks for joining us for the ride.
Dynafit introduced their new Free ski line a year ahead of schedule due to the pandemic. They came to us with a concept and a quick turnaround. We met and the next day Nick left for Oregon to catch the last few days of shootable snow.
We brought it back to the editing bay to create a 30-second commercial to be featured on Dynafit's homepage and a piece with Ski Magazine. We also created a longer-form 'behind the product' video for local shops and the community at large.
Fred Marmsmater is a former scientist turned commercial and expedition photographer. He is one of the best in the outdoor industry. Nick and Dutch have worked with him for years but as TopTop, we’ve worked with him twice: ASCEND (re: header image) and most recently, the Dynafit commercial. Fred has the uncanny ability to make documentary-style photographs look like a perfectly planned photoshoot. His images capture the grandiosity of the moment and that is difficult. He’s a pleasure to work with and we look forward to more shoots with him.
Learning to Drown follows the life and career of professional snowboarder Jess Kimura as she unapologetically shatters stereotypes with her own brand of unwavering determination and go-for-broke mentality. This film represents pure grit and the fragility of life.
One of my favorite lines from Jess, I’m paraphrasing, “I’m able to talk positively today because I feel good but there are many days I don’t feel good. Even though the clouds are grey and it’s hard to see the light, I know the sun will shine soon and blue skies will eventually reappear.” I kept thinking about the film and this line well after I watched it. There are a lot of powerful moments throughout the film.
It’s directed by Ben Knight and produced by our friends Kaki Orr and Rob Wassmer from The North Face. Check it out this weekend!
A random assortment of my top 100 songs that got me through 2021. Enjoy!
Let's collaborate!
We say this at the end of every newsletter because we mean it. We're always looking to partner with good people and creative minds. So if you’re an athlete on a mission, a producer with a concept, or a marketer with an audience – we would love to collaborate with you. Email hey@toptopstudio.com, let's have some fun.