It's December, early in the season. Hoshino Kouga and cinematographer SHIZO MOV. spent a month working on a solo video project in Revelstoke, BC, Canada. Their documentary, "DECEMBER," has been out for about 10 days. Have you checked it out yet?
･Starring: Koga Hoshino
https://www.instagram.com/hoshinokoga/
･Video: SHIZO MOV.
https://www.instagram.com/shizo_mov/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Iz…
･Music: Mt Fanjing - Knakapi &Chanyo
https://linkco.re/6grV2mR1
･Lyrics: chanyo
https://www.instagram.com/chanyo/
･Produced: knakapi
https://www.instagram.com/knakapi/
Supported:
･Faction Skis
https://factionskis.com/
･BCA
https://backcountryaccess.com/
･Revelstoke Mountain Resort
https://www.revelstokemountainresort.com/
We spoke to Hoshino Kouga again about the behind-the-scenes of this video. Please enjoy it along with the video
-Why Revelstoke?
"At the beginning of the season, Revelstoke was the first place that came to mind as a place where snow falls in large quantities on a scale that is not found in Japan. When I was 19 and holed up in Whistler, I didn't even know the name of the place. I first learned about Revelstoke properly thanks to Sasaki Yu. I watched his YouTube videos and thought, 'This place is amazing.'
Then, my local snowboarding friends Sato Aya, Kubota Kuya, and Hoshi Hiroki told me that the conditions there are amazing right from the start of the season, so I thought I'd like to go. At first, I was thinking of going there to train for the FWQ FINAL (now called FWT CHALLENGER), but when I told Jizo, who films the snow, about going to Revelstoke around summer last year, he was enthusiastic, so I decided to go with him."
-Why did you limit the period to just one month in December?
"The mountains of Minamiuonuma reach their peak in January, so I wanted to be busy taking photos. I'm sure there will be lots of people who Jizo wants to photograph. From February onwards, there will be more to do, such as attending tournaments and photo shoots, so the month of December was just right."
-What was your impression of skiing at Revelstoke?
"It's not a mountain that's suitable for filming, and even if you do, the competition is fierce. But the distance of the courses and the large-scale terrain make it the perfect mountain to ski on. When I returned to my home slope, Ishiuchi, my senses were messed up and the slopes I usually ski on felt gentler. It was like, 'I can ski with my eyes closed'."
Hoshino Kouga does image training in a gondola with some free time
The North Area was excluded from the photo spot due to poor sunlight, but they continued to explore whether there was anything they could do
Treat yourself to a donut after a good day of skiing
The beautiful sunset in Revelstoke was impressive
--Please tell us about the video. Did you go to the location with an image in mind beforehand?
"I had many meetings with Zizor while I was in Japan. We had an idea of the songs to use, decided on the length of the footage, created the storyboards necessary for that, and finalized the shots to be shot. For example, we decided to start the opening with a shot of the window frame of an airplane. Once we arrived in Revelstoke on December 3rd, things progressed smoothly, and we were able to eliminate the original list of materials one by one, such as filming the scene where we take off into the air
However, unexpectedly, there was no snowfall in Revelstoke. Between December 3rd and 24th, there was only one significant snowfall, and on top of that, from around the 20th, the temperature dropped to nearly -30°C, and the lifts were closed. We couldn't even go up the mountain. It became difficult to create the image I had originally envisioned, but it finally snowed after Christmas, and I feel like I managed to make up for it in the remaining week."
The slope had lost all snow due to the previous day's blast. The temperature at this time was -30°C
Z Cliff was scouted from various angles
--You've done well to complete it
"To be honest, we only managed to shoot about 20% of the feel we had in mind. Most of the riding footage was collected in the week from the 24th. But we were able to do it because we had skied all over the ski resort, looked around, and secured the best spots before Christmas. It snowed, so we were able to get 3 or 4 shots a day.
On the last day, we stuck around until 6pm after the ski resort closed and it got dark. We were particular about getting it right. So, the cliff that appears in the first shot, we called it the 'Z Cliff,' and it's frustrating that we only just tried to get that and then it was over."
--Please tell me what your plans are for the future
"Right now the FACTION team from America is in the Yuzawa Minakami area, so I'll be filming with them until the 20th. After that I'll be doing some street shooting for my own video project. I'll be in Europe at the end of February for the FWQ FINAL (now called FWT CHALLENGER). When I get to Europe, I'd like to ski at La Clusaz, Candide's home slope, as I'm a fan of his."
--Thank you. Please stay injury-free and enjoy the rest of the season
Kouga's first electric scooter ride in Vancouver. Honestly, it was probably the most fun thing he did in Canada
Reunited with YBI senior Akihiro Ishida for the first time in three years. The two are excited
〈Afterword〉
Normally, Revelstoke has abundant snowfall from December onwards, which means powder conditions are perfect from the start of the season. However, for some reason, there was almost no snowfall this year, meaning that if you wanted fresh snow, you had to go to the backcountry area
Sasaki Yu, who lives in Revelstoke, said, "This may be the first time we've had so little snow in December," so it's safe to say that the timing of our visit was just bad. Still, we filmed under the best conditions possible at the time, and Hoshino Kouga's signature speedy riding was fully captured on an overseas scale. This footage eventually reached the FACTION head office, where it was officially posted on Instagram, reaching the eyes of skaters all over the world.
Hoshino Kouga is currently in the midst of a Japan shoot with the FACTION TEAM. We're looking forward to seeing what kind of footage he'll leave behind.