Magnetic Movie Whistler Blackcomb
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Origin is Magnetic

John Entwistle
Nov, 2017
7 mins

The world's first ski movie shot entirely within a single resort is now available online.

This month marks the release of Magnetic, a first-of-its-kind, full length ski and snowboard movie filmed entirely within a single resort. The 37 minute film directed and produced by Origin Design + Communications for Whistler Blackcomb is presented by TELUS, and features over 30 athletes in five segments filmed exclusively on Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains over one of the most epic winters in recent memory. In it's first three weeks online, it has generated over 100k views leading up to the 2017/2018 ski season. 

 

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The film’s highlights include a Whistler Mountain top-to-bottom stunt line delivered by Salomon athlete Stan Rey, a Blackcomb park and powder segment shot entirely at night with LED Lenser headlamps as the only illumination and a classic coast range big mountain segment featuring Head Skis Athletes Ian Morrison, James Heim, and friends.

According to Jeff Thomas, the film’s director and Director of Video at Origin, "the best part off filming a feature-length film so close to home, was the ability to wake up in his own bed every morning, commute less than 30 minutes, get on a chairlift, and work with some of the best athletes in the world who did exactly the same thing.” According to Thomas, “When you watch the movie, you won’t believe it was shot within lift access of two mountains within one ski area - but it was.100%”

The film is also a first-of-its-kind marketing tactic for a mountain destination. Origin’s founding partner and Creative Director, Danielle Kristmanson, explains, “This movie represents an exercise in trusting in the strategy of niche marketing. More and more, especially in the mountain resort industry, we’re seeing resorts employing visuals and messaging that are intended to appeal to a broader audience. I feel pretty strongly that our clients’ successes are driven by the awareness, demand and stoke that comes from the core which then spreads out to the masses. Not the reverse. This movie is a testament to that belief.”

Kristmanson points out that Magnetic pays homage to the traditional ski and snowboard movie, its athletes and its entertainment value. “Our goal was to build an entire campaign around this movie. I'm expecting the critics to question our marketing strategy on this one. There is a prevailing sentiment among today’s ski area marketers that their content must appear accessible in order to drive participation and visitation among wider audiences. I don’t buy it,” says Kristmanson. "If all sports entertainment was created to ensure people felt they could participate in the sport, we wouldn’t watch the NBA, NHL, X Games, World Cup Soccer, or The Tour de France on TV. Sport culture is driven by high performance spectacles, the creation of sport idols, and aspirational and yet mostly unattainable levels of play. It’s what we love to watch. It gets us stoked to go out and play. It makes us sign up our kids for sports clubs. It feeds all those industries. Skiing and snowboarding is not an exception to that rule.”

 

For more information about Magnetic or to schedule an interview with its director or producer please contact Jeff Thomas or Danielle Kristmanson.