Wednesday, October 24

The Convention - Buy Low, Sell High

By Dave Finger
EXPN.com

Sit down, take a deep breath, smile wide and put the anticipation of the snowboard video premier season behind you. The moment you've been waiting for all summer has arrived and we can collectively shout in approval - "Finally, it's here!" That's right, Shred Flick time has arrived and the visual treats are hitting this great nation's youth like some kind of industry air strike.

Eric Brandt (aka Chip Schotte) getting ready to drop - Stevens Pass.

Now we all know that snowboarding is fun, and one of the best ways to document the joy of this sport is through moving pictures. There are so many rider crews out there making films and each has their own style. Some have a rock-n-jock feel, some a very aesthetic artsy type bent, while others display their unquestionable blingedness. One thing that runs common through all these films is a tool used to inform their audience as to what type of feel they have, this tool is the skit. Skits can be antics, skits can be YO!, skits can leave you saying "what?" and skits can be bro.

Regardless of what kind they are, one thing all skits have in common is fun. And no one is having as much fun making their skits as a group of young Washington pros dedicated to their own company called SoundStrait Productions. SoundStrait is a team of professional snowboarders who also just happen to be self-taught lensemen and music producers with one goal in mind, to stimulate yours.

The Flyer

Their first go at making a flick was last year's "The Temple," now they're back with the new in round two. This year's "The Convention" has the most intricate and well-thought out skit story line of any snowboarding video I've ever seen. And yes, the riding is dope.

The evil corporate conglomerate is plotting against the group of snowboard-meets-businessman syndicates and a convention for all members must be held to figure out their strategy towards profitability. The process of getting all key members into one room is the fun part. Whether it's flying high in a seaplane, breaking waves in a cigarette boat or flooring a Lamborghini Diablo, all members must be present to view the ever-elusive "papers."

The Convention premiered October 4th with a capacity crowd at Seattle's Showbox theater, for those that don't know this is one of downtown's biggest and most well established venues and legal capacity is 1300 peeps (I don't even want to think about the guest list!). All "syndicates" were present and in full character, complete with business suits and oversized cell phones. In fact when I slipped key syndicates, Chip Schotte and Po Stitnote, my business card (wink-wink, nudge-nudge) it was just that, all business.

"Sell low, buy high." - CS

"Less Overhead." - PS

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