How to make a cool snowboarding video

Snowboarding is such an action packed and intense sport that it lends itself extremely well to the medium of the moving image. However, you might be surprised at just how easy it is to make this most white-knuckle of snow sports look as dull as ditchwater on video if you don’t go about it in the right way. Here is a step-by-step guide to filming snowboard videos that are every bit as thrilling as the sport itself.

All you need is a camcorder or two, tripods to put them on, and a mountain with snowboarders on it. When choosing a mountain, try to find one that has lots of features that will make for exciting shots, such as ramps to jump off and rails to grind on. Talk to the snowboarder(s) that you are planning to film, and try to get them to agree to do as many stunts and tricks as possible, such as rail grinds and ramp jumps.

Next, you need to agree a clear ‘go’ signal with your subject to let them know when to begin their descent. Small hand gestures and verbal signals could be easily misinterpreted, so try to go for a big, clear arm movement. Leaving the rider at the top of the slope, ride partially down the slope until you find a good place to shoot. Try to find somewhere on the outermost edge of the slope, with any ramps or rails within filming range. Set your camera up on a tripod, as this will give you less motion blur and more image stability.

If you have multiple cameras and cameramen, set them up at different points so that you can cut between cameras during the editing stage. This tends to look a lot more exciting than single camera footage, and gives you more options later, but if you only have one camera, you can film multiple passes from different angles to create a similar effect.

Once you are good to go, press record and give the boarder the agreed signal. Try to track their movement by panning the camera, and zoom in and out to keep the figure nice and visible in the shot. Once you have a good few static shots, try to get some action shots by riding behind or side by side with the boarder, and some aerial shots from the ski lift to spice up your video.