Travis Rice on his new movie 'Depth Perception'

Like Jordan on the basketball court, Ronaldo in world soccer, Travis Rice has no equal on the slope. Travis is a living snowboarding legend. In a perfect world, it should be like this: you pick up a snowboard and a teaser of one of Rice’s movies automatically pops into your head. Four X-Games medals, the first double at a competition, the first double at Chads Gap, a spot on every 6-star TTR International Snowboard Tour, movies that have revolutionized the way we think about snowboarding as a culture – that’s not his entire list of accomplishments.

In one of his interviews, when asked “What is his main difference from the equally famous rider Shaun White?” Travis Rice replied with a smile, “Shaun wants to be a rock star, and I just want to grow a beard and have fun in the great outdoors.” That’s what Rice is all about, his greatness is in his simplicity, his legendaryness lies not in titles and awards, but in his ability to live in harmony with nature, to feel it like no one else, whether it’s snowy mountains or the hills of Kamchatka.

Ride like Travis. The video can be seen on the official Jackson Hole YouTube channel.

This fall Travis and his team visited Moscow again with another premiere. A year ago, together with Quiksilver, Travis Rice successfully presented the blockbuster “The Fourth Phase”. This year the movie “Depth Perception” is no less long-awaited release. On the eve of the public screenings, which took place at the House of Cinema, we managed to meet and talk to Travis to understand the depth and texture of the new film, shot in the virgin, untouched forests of British Columbia.

The trailer for the new movie can be viewed on Quiksilver’s official YouTube channel.

In order for you to get into the atmosphere as much as I did, there will be little insert-snippets in the interview, quotes from the movie “Depth Perception” that are seamlessly integrated into the material.

Have you ever heard of a guy named Travis Rice? Rumor has it that he surfed a burning asteroid in the Milky Way and landed on this planet. His reverence for the mysteries of nature lies so deep that even animals are silent in his presence.

– Travis, hi! Last year around this time you came to Russia with the premiere of “The Fourth Phase”. One year = one movie. Don’t you think this is becoming a good tradition?
– That’s a good question… there was a big break before those two premieres. To be honest, we don’t have any filming plans for next year right now, but it could definitely come up. The idea of filming Depth Perception last year came about this time last year. So we keep waiting for winter, and maybe in the near future, if inspiration strikes, we’ll be able to make another artistic but honest movie.

A still from the movie “The Fourth Phase”

– What makes “Depth Perception” different from “The Fourth Phase”?
– In “Depth Perception” we focused on one location because we wanted to reveal it as much as possible. To show this place through the symbiosis of real relationships inside, to convey the cosmic essence of the origin of things, the colors of the forest, the unique geological features of the area.

– The title of the previous movie was inspired by the theory of biophysicist Jamie Pollock, what about the title of the new work? How did it come about?
– The very title of the new movie “Depth Perception” in English means the ability to see deeper, to perceive depth, it’s like looking at ordinary things through binoculars. You know, you see things up close for the first time: you try to figure out why they are there, you give them a name. In the movie we wanted to get to the bottom of things, to understand what happened here, in this area, many years ago, to make a connection between nature, history and man.

A teaser of The Fourth Phase can be seen on the official Red Bull YouTube channel.

– How long does it take to shoot and produce a movie?
– In order to produce a movie, we have to set aside a couple months to research where we’re going. After that we start filming, it only lasts six weeks. Then comes the most challenging period: editing, production and all that.

– What was the most challenging for you during the filming period?
– The first thing was figuring out the logistics of how to transport everyone upstairs every day and bring them back safely. You have to bring all the equipment and just things that we might need in the forest. But probably an even harder thing is coming up with an idea and seeing it through to completion, realizing it with a team. It’s not an easy way to create a project all together. After all, a movie is not only about shooting and the idea, it’s also about motion graphics, voice-over narration, proper editing, and music. It is important not to lose the idea, not to stray from the original concept.

Still from the movie “Depth Perception”

– Tell us about the uniqueness of the location in which the new movie was shot.
– The movie was shot in the Galena area of British Columbia. The location is very far up in the mountains and it’s really hard to find. You can’t get there by car or go up there on foot, you can only get there by helicopter. We went there because the area has very unusual terrain surrounded by an ancient forest. This forest has never been cut down by man, it has not been touched by fires or other cataclysms. It was very cool to ride near trees that are almost 800 years old. You have to visit there to feel how pure untouched nature is magnificent. It’s a place of power.

This story starts in a place that looks like a fairy tale. I’m not kidding, perhaps fairies used to live in these woods. This place is called Galena…

Brian Fox. The filming of Depth Perception.

Brian Fox. Filming Depth Perception.

– How do you usually explore the mountains and hills where you’ll have to ride during filming? How long does it usually take and how important is it in principle?
– The location we shot at this year, I had been eyeing for about three or four years. Finally the stars aligned and we got permission to snowboard there. Sometimes the search takes many years, you plan for a very long time, you don’t get enough snow in one winter or it gets too windy. And sometimes the opposite happens very quickly – you come around the corner and realize that this place is perfect. The first time you see some slope and you just start driving, and then you say at the premiere, “Oh, that was so easy!”(smiles).

– How many people are on your crew?
– The main characters in this movie are Brian Fox, Austin Sweetin and Robin Van Jean. In addition to those you’ll see on screen, there are usually about eight people working behind the scenes.

It’s not just a movie, it’s a story about four guys: a young talent, a veteran, a hottie and another guy.

– What does your first step look like before you start producing a film, start organizing a trip? Where does it usually start?
– The first step is to get your idea down on paper. The next equally important step is to find people who will believe in the idea. You know we’re supported by Quksilver, and that’s an incredibly important support for me, because these kinds of shoots are very low-budget in production. I can’t even imagine what we would do without them. So before I plan trips, I put all my thoughts down on paper, find people who can be inspired by the story and tell them “Believe in us, please believe in our project. We have a cool idea and we’re ready to do it!”(laughs).

Travis Rice

– Do you and your crew have any plans to travel to the Russian mountains in the near future?

– During the shooting of the last movie we spent some time in Kamchatka, it was very beautiful there. The next place will probably be Sochi. I’m not going to guess, Russia is a very big country, there are a lot of interesting places here.

– Where do you like to ski the most?
– For me the place is not so important, the main thing is to have good weather conditions and a group of friends. Last year my favorite place to ride was that place in British Columbia that you see in the movie.

– If you could ask one of the great directors to help you through the filming process, who would you choose?
– I think it would be Wes Andersen. We were inspired by his work when we made Depth Perception.

– What do you think about the future of extreme sports movies? What will it be like?
– I’m not very sure about it (smiles). After all, all alternative sports are a constant experiment, there are no clear rules, but there are a lot of talented guys. Most importantly, if you like a movie, I urge you to buy it. Because in the last 20 years, people have become completely weaned on paying. We find what we want on the Internet, naturally for free, download it and enjoy it. It’s not right, if you like some project or some song, support the author or the artist, spend 10 dollars, but show that you believe in it. I think that would really help the development of extreme.

If you search long enough, who knows, maybe you’ll come across one of these marvels.

– Movies are great, but does Travis Rice have a favorite book? Recommend something to read.
– I would recommend the book A Course in a Miracles.