Brian Solano, producer of Spray, recently did an interview with the French language climbing magazine Escalade. Thanks to Tony for proving that the public education system isn’t completely dead and translating it into English for us. Click here to win your own copy of Spray.
Interview with the director of Spray (a new American climbing DVD which I had the opportunity to talk to you about in one of my previous film clubs). Brian Solano lent himself to the interview for Escalademag and speaks about his latest production, shot in California, and the occasion of speaking about an original idea that is respectful of nature.
How is Spray an “eco climbing film”?
The whole movie, we make a constant effort to teach the viewers about the importance of maintaining and preserving our climbing areas. It’s a privilege to climb in these areas, not a right. Climbers need to respect their cliffs and act right if they want to maintain access in the future. Its only at this price that future generations can profit too. The film was shot on many beautiful beaches in the US, and that constantly reminds us how a climbing area can be fragile. In addition, and outside the message of the movie, we made an effort on the level of the packaging the DVD, since the jacket is made out of recycled materials.
Why the title Spray?
The title has multiple meanings. “Spray” refers first to the spray, when the ocean is blown by the wind, and also when the waves crash against the rocks: it splashes everywhere and it is refreshing, with all the fine droplets in the air. But “spray” is also a word used by American climbers. When someone talks about their day climbing and all the ways it is connected we use the word “spray”. At the same time to evoke the fact that he has “pulverized”, “atomized” in all these ways, but also to say that he bathes everyone in it. Climbing is part of our life, and we bath constantly in this culture, so we always hears climbers saying this word “spray”. With it’s double meaning I found it the perfect name for a film shot by the sea.
How did you choose the climbers?
Joe Kinder and Chris Lindner are two very different personalities that I wanted work with on this project. Chris approached me with the idea of making a film of the climbing areas in Northern California. I was very excited but I needed another climber. Joe is from the East Coast and always motivated, positive, and full of energy. Chris is from the West Coast, more relaxed, and more detached compared to the life. I thought that they would work well together, that they would form a sort of balance.
California is also one of the characters in the film, right?
Yes! Chris suggested shooting there because there had been nothing on this area until now. People had heard of it, but there was never any real press coverage, or any video putting all the beauty of the place on film. Thats also why I wanted to make this film. From an aesthetic and photographic point of view, I wanted to shoot in a primitive, fresh, and naturally beautiful place!
Thanks to Brian for his availability (and his course in English semantics ;-))
are the featured areas the same as in rampage, or different location on the coast?
a while back there was discussion about the fragility of the dunes area crossed to access the beach bouldering by some photographer dood… how does the film address this aspect re: impact? clearly the boulders and sand are not an issue, but what about the access points?
just curious since others have made a big deal about the impact of increased attention after rampage.
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I believe that rampage was mostly southern and central california while spray focuses on areas in northern cali. It has been a long time since I’ve seen rampage though so I could be wrong about that.
There is some mention made of impact such as Lindner using removable bolts for “Window of Opportunity”. From what I remember, access to the areas itself wasn’t really addressed.
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He climbed it using these?
http://www.westernsafety.com/removebolt3.jpg
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Unknown, he just said removable bolts that he took out when he was done.
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rampage had a little northern cali action if i remember correctly. but the location seemed sufficiently vague enough to make impact a non-issue. of course, the problems looked cool enough that if i lived within three hours I would stop at every parking area on the northern portions of the 1 to find them.
it seems that removable bolts still require not-so-removable holes. right?
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I think removing the bolts is probably the better option when compared with leaving them in given what the coastal conditions would do to any fixed gear left behind.
I also think that any time you are making a movie about certain climbing areas, increased impact on the areas depicted is inevitable due to increased exposure of what the areas have to offer climbers. This is something that all filmmakers _should_ be thinking about…
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