Through The Woods
"You'd think a good catch is what gets me out here, but really it's the early mornings on the river. It's the first hatch of the day. It's cold fingers fumbling on small knots and flies. It's really about pushing my reach and seeking the unknown along the way."
Coming Together
This trip really came from a desire to create something that we could all really get behind. When chatting with Orvis about this project, we wanted to make it clear that this was somewhat of a short feature narrative, and that we weren't out to just stand around and film a few guys catching some fish. On the flip side, I knew the project had to feel real and authentic, so naturally having the story revolve around two great anglers, Nate Leavitt and Spencer Higa, made total sense. With all those elements, it was a trip and story that I knew anglers could get behind as well.
The goal was for it to feel slightly documentary, but have much more of a stylized and cinematic approach. For me, fly fishing films always seam to have this similar rhythm and feel. I actually really dig it, but I really wanted to bring something different to the table. Just taking it to another level really. There's a lot of content out there and I wonder sometimes if what we're actually saying is interesting. You know its easy to bring some killer gear down to the river and go get some pretty shots, but I hope people see the project for the subject matter and message. It's not just an edit with some good shots and music, its about saying something. Every time someone watches one of my projects I really appreciate it. They're giving me their time, so I hope in return I can give them something of value. If every angler said "man thats totally fishing" Id be a happy guy.
The Shoot
A lot of thinking, planning and scouting went into this thing. We had a real look we were going for. From the evergreen trees and rivers down to the the camera set up. I really wanted to shot on these beautiful anamorphic lenses, all RED Epic. We had a set out plan and shot list, we knew which character would play out which roll, but we definitely left a lot of breathing room to let Nate and Spencer have a good time and really enjoy the trip.
We shot this all over the east central part of Utah. Not far from Salt lake. It was mid June and we were chasing good light so we had some long days waking up at 3am and shooting till 10pm sundown, then offloading and talking about the next day till late. One of those shoots that really pays off when the footage starts to come together, but sometimes those shoots you suffer for have the biggest pay off and make all the difference.
In my mind, a good adventure can't be completely scripted. Some of the best moments happen in between takes so we wanted to make sure we captured it all.
Written by Nate Gunn
We want to acknowledge and thank the past, present, and future generations of all Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples whose ancestral lands we travel, explore, and play on. Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!
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