I’ve noticed a perilous trend in ski movies lately. It’s barely noticeable as the eye is dazzled with backcountry bangers, switch-ups beyond comprehension, and outerwear specifically designed to look confusing on camera. If you listen closely you will notice it, the ubiquitous voice of bro narration. There have always been cheesy voiceovers in ski films, but the whisper has grown to an unavoidable roar as some snow jock over-explains every segment of film. If a rider is trying to do something different, we are told; if some fool battled injury to bring you their banger segment, we ARE told; and rest your ass assured that if Joe Skier decided to take his park tricks to the backcountry this year, we WILL know about it.
We at BroBomb have decided to wage war against “bro narration.” It must be stopped, or at least quieted. So we are going to search the internet for edits (skiing and otherwise) that communicate fun, passion, enjoyment, friendship, and whatever else those dopey voiceovers usually cover – but without ANY narration. You see, we believe in the fine art of cinema, and we believe that a real artist with a camera can SHOW these things, rather than blurt them out through cheap and inorganic monologues.
This week’s edit is “First Snow of the Year” by Ian Welty. It goes above and beyond by not even including a single human being, yet the excitement of a skier watching the first flakes fly is all over it. Enjoy.
If you’ve made (or will make) an edit that meets these criteria, then please send a link to: jon@brobomb.com If anybody decides to buy some ad space on this site and thus provides us with a budget, there might even be a small prize involved eventually (but more likely it’ll just be the satisfaction of getting props from some cool ass dudes!).
Hey Guys. Thanks for the great critique on ski filmmaking! I completely agree. While I feel that some VO (Warren Miller in Refresh) adds texture and context to ski films that can’t be as eloquently captured in other ways, other films (Contrast) make me roll my eyes and do my best to not gag. However, it is such a fine line. Bottom line, exposition is bad, insight, particularly fresh and funny insight, has a place. Keep it up. I look forward to being a daily reader.
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Yes, your critique is spot on.
Let the audience do the math.
I would like to add another element to this.
Slow motion has taken over ski movies, some worse than others. While this is a nice effect that can set a mood or shows subtleties and nuances that we might not otherwise see, overuse seems the rule these days. We don’t ski in slow motion, shouldn’t the movies we watch reflect that?
True true true…and I like the term. Bro-ism needs to be kept in check, no one sounds very deep when they say: “I am going to express by self by taking my tricks to the backcountry”.
M@- in response to your comment, I was a long time proponent of “realtime” documented action, partly because it was the only way of shooting digital until just recently. However, slo-motion isn’t taking over ski movies…it has ALWAYS been in ski movies. Look at any old Warren Miller, Stump, Barrymore, MSP, etc. etc. feature and the film was probably 80% slo mo, with big lines and comedy sequences reserved for the real motion. That was how film was shot when rolling on “action”, mostly because it smoothed down the tricks and turns for the eye of the audience to digest, and because the option was available. There is something to be said for that, but I agree it can get quite boring. When used appropriately is can be pleasing, but otherwise it should be kept in moderation.
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