Wakeboarding in Iowa?
By Russ Oechslin Journal correspondent | Posted: Saturday, September 29, 2007
OKOBOJI, Iowa -- What began as an idle conversation about a year ago turned into a opportunity this week for several Iowa high school and college students who got to work alongside professional photographers and cinematographers in filming professional wakeboarders, at night, on the Iowa Great Lakes.
Wakeboarders in Iowa?
The idea was conceived last summer by 2004 Spirit Lake High School graduate Nick Schrunk who is now a graphics design major at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
A wakeboarder with no desire to turn professional, Schrunk says he "picked up the camera instead of the big tricks," and wanted to add the contrast and excitement of night lighting to wakeboarding.
"The scenery here is different than the tropical locations like Florida, California and Hawaii that you usually see in wakeboarding action," Schrunk explains. "We wanted to do something different. And it turned out to be a good fit with interspersed cuts of trees and farm fields."
Schrunk’s campus work with the Red Bull Energy Team led to the company’s sponsorship of the week-long Red Bull Blackout that involved a dozen students from three state universities and Spirit Lake High School along with professional film-makers and wakeboarders from all over the country -- and two helicopters, in addition to what Schrunk says was "an incredible amount of community support."
Schrunk is modest talking about his involvement. "I just started kicking a snowball down the hill. A lot of others contributed their time and talents."
Many logistical problems
Using two chartered helicopters -- one for photography and one for lighting -- posed one of the biggest logistical problems, Schrunk says, requiring permits from the Federal Aviation Administration. The crews also needed permits from the Department of Natural Resources, along with security for the West Lake Okoboji and Center Lake locations. "Without (DNR Officer) Gary Owen, this would never have happened.
"In addition to the help from the DNR, Gary helped us with many of the logistical problems -- way beyond what we needed from the DNR. He helped line up support from merchants, the chamber of commerce and many community groups, like the EMTs and fire departments that provided lights. The support of so many people was such a blessing."
Schrunk adds that he also had considerable help from two elementary school classmates he met when his family lived in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Nicholas Sandvig and Stefan Harvey, now students at the University of Iowa and Iowa Central Community College, respectively, produce what Schrunk calls "the biggest baddest wakeboarding festival in the state, each July, at Twin Lakes." The event attracts 50 to 100 riders each year, he says.
The final high-definition production, possibly including some of the student efforts, is destined to be a 30-minute television special that "will probably air on a sports-action network like ESPN-X, next spring, the beginning of the wakeboarding season," Schrunk explains. It will be one of the first high-def wakeboarding productions, as most others have been shot on film. A DVD version is also planned, he said.
Lighting in the dark of night was "an incredible problem, even for the riders, especially with smoke bombs used to put mist in the air for effect." And it was even more difficult for the still photographers who were part of the shoot than for the video cameras, Schrunk added.
Much of the night lighting came from 34,000-watt beams from both the Arnolds Park Okoboji and Milford volunteer fire departments. MFD member Emil Richter explained the department uses a considerable amount of light for emergencies both on and off the lakes. "And in the winter those lights are hot enough to melt the snow all around you."
Producer Ronn Seidenglanz of Sidewayz Productions has been traveling worldwide with professional athletes for the last 15 years. He estimated the total cost of the shoot should be about $75,000. The Boise, Idaho-based producer was assisted by Los Angeles cinematographer Brooks Ferrell, who jokes he’s "a freelancer, but not paparazzi. I haven’t stooped that low yet."
"A friend of Abbey’s, Seidenglanz was all for doing a night-lighted spectacle -- to really bring it to life for the student teams," Schrunk explained with reference to Abbey Robertson, his supervisor with the Red Bull Energy Team. "This project has been multiplied 10 times with the pros and all her help."
Red Bull also brought in top professional wakeboard/wakeskate talent in J. D. Webb, Brian Grubb, Adam Errington, Collin Harrington, Reed Hansen and Ben Greenwood -- all in their teens and early 20s and all idols of their generation.
Spirit Lake students Rylan Nitzschke and Ryan White, who study video production at SLHS, held many small roles working alongside the professional producers and wakeboarders in the three days and nights of production that went well into the early morning hours.
Nitzschke said he and White enjoyed learning about the lighting and camera angles -- techniques that will probably show up in their SLHS Newstime programs. White thought it "was pretty fun to work with the pros -- producers and wakeboarders."
Schrunk’s mother also got involved in the project, tailgating hot chili to those involved with the shoot at the Arnolds Park Amusement Park during a cold evening shoot. A teacher and mother of four, Sharon Schrunk explained that "Kids are great. They give you so much opportunity."
The final action shoot of the wakeboarding was made on a pond in a pasture north of Spirit Lake, at sunset Thursday.
Wakeboarders in Iowa?
The idea was conceived last summer by 2004 Spirit Lake High School graduate Nick Schrunk who is now a graphics design major at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
A wakeboarder with no desire to turn professional, Schrunk says he "picked up the camera instead of the big tricks," and wanted to add the contrast and excitement of night lighting to wakeboarding.
"The scenery here is different than the tropical locations like Florida, California and Hawaii that you usually see in wakeboarding action," Schrunk explains. "We wanted to do something different. And it turned out to be a good fit with interspersed cuts of trees and farm fields."
Schrunk’s campus work with the Red Bull Energy Team led to the company’s sponsorship of the week-long Red Bull Blackout that involved a dozen students from three state universities and Spirit Lake High School along with professional film-makers and wakeboarders from all over the country -- and two helicopters, in addition to what Schrunk says was "an incredible amount of community support."
Schrunk is modest talking about his involvement. "I just started kicking a snowball down the hill. A lot of others contributed their time and talents."
Many logistical problems
Using two chartered helicopters -- one for photography and one for lighting -- posed one of the biggest logistical problems, Schrunk says, requiring permits from the Federal Aviation Administration. The crews also needed permits from the Department of Natural Resources, along with security for the West Lake Okoboji and Center Lake locations. "Without (DNR Officer) Gary Owen, this would never have happened.
"In addition to the help from the DNR, Gary helped us with many of the logistical problems -- way beyond what we needed from the DNR. He helped line up support from merchants, the chamber of commerce and many community groups, like the EMTs and fire departments that provided lights. The support of so many people was such a blessing."
Schrunk adds that he also had considerable help from two elementary school classmates he met when his family lived in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Nicholas Sandvig and Stefan Harvey, now students at the University of Iowa and Iowa Central Community College, respectively, produce what Schrunk calls "the biggest baddest wakeboarding festival in the state, each July, at Twin Lakes." The event attracts 50 to 100 riders each year, he says.
The final high-definition production, possibly including some of the student efforts, is destined to be a 30-minute television special that "will probably air on a sports-action network like ESPN-X, next spring, the beginning of the wakeboarding season," Schrunk explains. It will be one of the first high-def wakeboarding productions, as most others have been shot on film. A DVD version is also planned, he said.
Lighting in the dark of night was "an incredible problem, even for the riders, especially with smoke bombs used to put mist in the air for effect." And it was even more difficult for the still photographers who were part of the shoot than for the video cameras, Schrunk added.
Much of the night lighting came from 34,000-watt beams from both the Arnolds Park Okoboji and Milford volunteer fire departments. MFD member Emil Richter explained the department uses a considerable amount of light for emergencies both on and off the lakes. "And in the winter those lights are hot enough to melt the snow all around you."
Producer Ronn Seidenglanz of Sidewayz Productions has been traveling worldwide with professional athletes for the last 15 years. He estimated the total cost of the shoot should be about $75,000. The Boise, Idaho-based producer was assisted by Los Angeles cinematographer Brooks Ferrell, who jokes he’s "a freelancer, but not paparazzi. I haven’t stooped that low yet."
"A friend of Abbey’s, Seidenglanz was all for doing a night-lighted spectacle -- to really bring it to life for the student teams," Schrunk explained with reference to Abbey Robertson, his supervisor with the Red Bull Energy Team. "This project has been multiplied 10 times with the pros and all her help."
Red Bull also brought in top professional wakeboard/wakeskate talent in J. D. Webb, Brian Grubb, Adam Errington, Collin Harrington, Reed Hansen and Ben Greenwood -- all in their teens and early 20s and all idols of their generation.
Spirit Lake students Rylan Nitzschke and Ryan White, who study video production at SLHS, held many small roles working alongside the professional producers and wakeboarders in the three days and nights of production that went well into the early morning hours.
Nitzschke said he and White enjoyed learning about the lighting and camera angles -- techniques that will probably show up in their SLHS Newstime programs. White thought it "was pretty fun to work with the pros -- producers and wakeboarders."
Schrunk’s mother also got involved in the project, tailgating hot chili to those involved with the shoot at the Arnolds Park Amusement Park during a cold evening shoot. A teacher and mother of four, Sharon Schrunk explained that "Kids are great. They give you so much opportunity."
The final action shoot of the wakeboarding was made on a pond in a pasture north of Spirit Lake, at sunset Thursday.
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George Disanto wrote on Sep 30, 2007 1:14 PM: