For as long as he can remember, Seth Hill has loved snow.
Hill spent his early childhood skiing, however at the age of 10, with his parent’s permission, he decided to try something a little different – snowboarding. Fueled by his passion for skateboarding, Hill was immediately hooked by the escapism and competitiveness of the sport – and never looked back.
Progression seemed to come with ease for Hill. From the high school snowboard team, to contests, to sponsors, Hill took the path many take en route to a career. With each passing day, he would focus on the next big trick, pushing himself to capture it on film – but there’s a lot of work that goes into landing a trick and scoring 10 seconds of solid footage for a three-minute clip. As much as Hill loved snowboarding, he quickly took to the filming aspect, both shooting and editing.
“I realized that contests weren’t necessarily doing it for me anymore and I wanted to kind of test this film world – and it opened up a new outlet to try something new, as well as refine my skills,” the 27-year-old admitted during our interview. “I found it to be a really interesting and fun challenge.”
That’s when Hill came up with the idea for a hybrid film, a unique look at snowboarding that was part documentary and part trick footage – and soon Really Gotta Wanna was born. The five-part film project – backed by Red Bull, one of Hill’s most influential sponsors – dives deep into the sport, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the hardships of making it in the sport, as both an athlete and a filmmaker.
“[Really Gotta Wanna] is basically an insider’s look at the real life of snowboarding,” he admitted. “[We] kind of approached it in the way of, stepping out from the classic snow porn, for lack of a better word, and bridging the gap between action and documentary. It’s kind of all the stories behind riding and different stories I’ve encountered through different athletes and different parks.”
Much like traditional sports, every athlete’s story is different – and Hill wanted to highlight the vast difference, whether it’s the leisurely athlete, the thrill seeker, or the professional. To translate the various styles and lifestyles, Hill created sub-titles for each of the five parts. Each segment stemmed from his own experience – from progressing as a youngster, to performing in contests and more.
Really Gotta Wanna Teaser from Seth Hill on Vimeo.
Filming began late last December, so it’s been a quick turnaround for Hill. However, two months ago, Hill broke his back while snowboarding and it forced him to take the remainder of the summer off – but allowed him to prepare the film for its Oct. 2 world premiere in Denver.
“I’m really a one-man show here, so I’m still trying to lock in after-parties and sponsors and all that stuff,” Hill added. “This movie wouldn’t be happening to the extent is now, without [Red Bull]. There’s a lot to be said for them taking a chance with me, the first-time filmmaker. I am, obviously, very excited and I think it’s going to be a good time – but it hasn’t quite hit me yet!”
A portion of the proceeds for the film will go to Protect Our Winters (POW).
Ed Miller is a contributor for CraveOnline Sports and a movie quote extraordinaire. You can follow him on Twitter @PhillyEdMiller or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photos courtesy of Seth Hill
