Long time Hokkaido resident Neil Hartmann shot to prominence with the release of snowboarding road trip movie Car Danchis in 2005 . The sequel Car Danchi 2, including the classic footage of the epic 2006 New Year, has been ranked by some as one of the best good-time snowboarding movies ever made. Powderlife chats with Neil about the philosophy behind his movies and gets some recommendations for the best places to ride while we’re at it.
How did you get interested in making snow movies?
It was a kind of dream of mine since I was in high school. At that time I didn’t really think about setting up and running a snowboard-based production company, but I did want to make and direct movies. I was DJing on the radio in Japan until 1997 when I decided to quit and take a chance on making snowboard videos. My first effort was a video titled ‘Introduction’ and it’s just snowballed from there.
How did you choose the name One Films
I thought about a lot of different names and ended up settling on One Films for the following reasons: snowboarding involves the use of only one board, it leaves only one track, and at that time I was one person working alone to make the film. Taking it a bit deeper I would add that everything in the universe comes from one and we are really all one in this together. As for the ‘Films’ part, I was shooting on Super 8mm film a lot of the time and wanted to make that an important part of the company image.
Who is involved in filming and editing your movies?
Well until the last year it had been just me working alone. As things have grown bigger and the projects I am working on more varied, I’ve started using some people to help me shoot on location sometimes. The editing process is pretty much solo even now. The movie I just finished this year called UE snowboarder featuring Uemura as the star, was a little different. Since he is the only one in the movie I made sure that we did all the editing together so as to make sure that he was happy with the end result.
What are your basic principles on workmanship?
I like to work hard. I have always been a bit of a workaholic and I like other people who are willing to put in the extra effort. I think that is why I have tried to keep One Films so small. I could do with five or even 10 staff helping out, but I tend to get frustrated with other people’s working styles, or lack of work ethic. So in the end I find it faster to do things on my own. It is the tiny little details that the audience will probably never be aware of on a conscious level, but they are so important. And that is what really creates a distinctive style. I like films that grab you and don’t let you blink or swallow or think about anything other than the film you’re watching to the very end.
How do you select the riders for your movies?
For the Car Danchi films the only rule to being part of the crew is that you have to sleep in your car when we go filming! If you can’t do that then you can’t be in the movie, no matter how good you can ride!!
What is the secret of One Films’ success?
I try to encapsulate the essence of fun. I want people to watch and go, ‘wow that looks like super fun, I want to go there and ride like that’. Most snow films out there now are so high level and so hardcore that I think most people can’t relate to them. But really I don’t think One Films can be said to be a success yet. We are doing pretty good, but there is still a lot left to be done and it’s going to take more major sales to truly be a player on a global level. You’ve got to aim high, right?
What are your top three tips for visitors to Niseko?
1 Try to ride/ski every course in the Niseko United in one day!
2 Then go to NAC, climb the wall and eat a brownie.
3 Go to the Loaf Lounge in Kutchan to meet and skate the bowl with the locals. All in one day if you can handle it!!
To win a copy of Car Danchi 2, tell us about your best ever snowboarding roadtrip. Email [email protected] before January 18, 2008.