Behind the scenes in Canon's snowy Patagonia film
See how a drone and an array of cameras captured high-speed skijoring action in the extreme conditions of snowy Patagonia in Canon’s latest film.
Canon has released a new ad inviting us to look at the world of skijoring. Once a way to travel through remote places during snowy months, skijoring is now one of winter’s most extreme competitive sports. A person on skis holding on to reins is pulled along behind specially trained, rider-less racehorses. Participants race at breath taking speeds of up to 50km/h.
Skijoring was a demonstration sport in the 1928 Winter Olympics and nowadays races are held in many countries including the USA, Canada, France and parts of Scandinavia.
"Most races are between five kilometers and 20 kilometers in length, explains Canon. "In all cases, the horses are reared and trained to remain calm in racing conditions and to be comfortable with reins and the skier behind them."
To get closer to the thrill and adrenaline of skijoring, Canon followed 55-year-old Franco Moro – reigning world champion, speed freak and snow chaser – as he trained in Argentina.
Franco has been feeding his skijoring obsession for 31 years and has been a part of the White Turf event in St Moritz, Switzerland for over three decades.
"His passion for the sport reveals a different way to experience the coldest time of the year - to celebrate the snowy extremes, rather than hibernate indoors," says Canon.
With all the Christmas ads that are doing the rounds, you will find this spot refreshing as it captures a wintery theme without any mention of festivities. Director Marcus Söderlund used only Canon equipment to shoot the film, pinpointing the perfect angles that convey the raw strength of the horses. The work, part of Canon’s "Come and See" campaign was filmed through production company, Academy.
The film follows on from last year’s Johathan Glazer-directed spot, which was an introduction to Florence’s Calico Storico – an annual ‘gladiator football’ contest which has retained the brutality of football's medieval origins in apparent free-for-all of physical violence.
Director Marcus and the film crew had to overcome challenges when shooting the skijoring story, using a drone and an array of Canon cameras to capture the high-speed action in the extreme conditions of snowy Patagonia.
A Canon C300 Mark II was mounted to a drone to capture the final epic shot of Franco and his horse Paulito continuing their journey into the unknown.
The director of photography, Daniel Takács, had to prepare to shoot before the snow arrived. Weather conditions were extremely changeable and in just the space of five minutes, visibility went down to just 1.5 metres.
The crew used a snowmobile to get close to the action. The engine had a top speed of 64kph but had to work hard to keep up. The additional horse, a snow polo champion, ensured Franco Moro’s horse, Paulito, felt comfortable in familiar race conditions. Both horses wore specially designed ice shoes to help them ride through the snow.
Images courtesy of Richard Walch. Canon Ambassador
16 November 2015
Shop our print magazine and 200 Best book series to discover the finest in visual, TV and digital advertising: Subscribe now
You might like:
