FULL CIRCLE is an inspiring true story of snowboarder Trevor Kennison and legendary skier Barry Corbet. Directed and filmed by Josh Berman, this outstanding project is a reference for micro-budget indie production, that gives the million dollar result. Passion and dedication are the key. Read Berman’s insights below.
FULL CIRCLE: An unbelievable story
FULL CIRCLE is a true story of redemption, perseverance, and the triumph of the human spirit, featuring Legendary Sit Skier Trevor Kennison & Jackson Hole legend turned author/community leader Barry Corbet. The film was directed by Josh Berman who served also as a camera operator. Plot: In 2014, Trevor Kennison’s life was forever altered by a broken back – for worse and for better, in equal measures. Barry Corbet, an intrepid skier, mountaineer, explorer, filmmaker, and Jackson Hole legend, broke his back in a helicopter crash in 1968. Frustrated by a pre-ADA culture that did not accept or support the disabled, Barry reinvented himself, becoming a seminal leader in the disability community. Full Circle follows Trevor on a path towards post-traumatic growth in parallel with Barry, 50 years later. Their stories mirror each other, connected through time and space by common locations and motifs; injuries in the Colorado backcountry, rehab at Craig Hospital, fame in Jackson Hole; but also, through their shared resiliency and refusal to let their passion for life be limited by their injuries. Full Circle is an unblinking examination of the challenges of Spinal Cord Injury and a celebration of the growth that such tragedy can catalyze. Watch the trailer below:
Prizes and awards
- GoPro exclusively premiered the trailer on their YouTube Page with 10.8 million followers in support of the theatrical release of Full Circle. This partnership marks the first time in its 22-year history that GoPro has released third-party content through its channels.
- 1st Place Audience Award – 2023 Breck Film Festival
- World Premiere – 2023 Santa Barbara International Film Festival
- Feature Film Award Winner – 2023 Wasatch Mountain Film Festival
- Official Selection – 2023 Telluride Mountainfilm
Director’s insights
YMCinema asked the director of FULL CIRCLE, Berman, to throw his major insights taken from this special project, so other filmmakers can get inspired. You can read Berman’s remarks below:
Wearing a lot of hats on a micro-budget independent project
“There were a number of significant technical challenges in the shooting of FULL CIRCLE. Any micro-budget independent film requires each member of the crew to wear a lot of hats… and that’s even more so the case when shooting outdoor sports scenes in remote high-alpine environments. We had a great crew on this project but oftentimes on destination shoots, I had to do almost everything as a one-man band- producing, directing, shooting, running audio, DIT- no small task. I do have a background in shooting ski films and am well-versed in working in cold and snowy mountains, but this project in particular was more challenging than most as we were looking to capture a lot more than just highlight-reel action moments. Sound was paramount, and content capture that illustrated all of the trials, tribulations, and successes of our protagonist meant that I was rolling almost nonstop (and carrying the batteries required to keep cameras going for long days in sub-zero weather)”.
Any micro-budget independent film requires each member of the crew to wear a lot of hats.
FULL CIRCLE Directed – Josh Berman
Filming the interviews
“The interviews with nearly two dozen main and secondary subjects that make up the structure of the film were also a challenge. Again, our very limited budget meant that often it was a 3-person crew, myself (running A cam, B cam, and assisting with interviews), our producer (running interviews), and our editor (running C cam on a programmable slider and recording primary and backup sound), so everyone had a lot on their respective plates. Our limited budget also meant we often shot interviews in our subjects’ homes which gave us less flexibility than we would have liked in dialing in our setups- and every location offered a unique set of lighting and framing challenges that we didn’t always have all the gear to appropriately deal with. Ultimately it was an exercise in doing the best we could with the time and resources we had, which is really what filmmaking is all about, at any scale”.
Our very limited budget meant that often it was a 3-person crew, myself (running A cam, B cam, and assisting with interviews), our producer (running interviews), and our editor (running C cam on a programmable slider and recording primary and backup sound).
FULL CIRCLE Directed – Josh Berman
RED Gemini as the weapon of choice
“The RED Gemini was my go-to camera for the entirety of the project, though we also used RED Komodo as our backup camera. The Gemini isn’t a typical run-and-gun ‘doc’ camera, but for my goal of really elevating the action sequences with a real high-end production feel this was a great tool- it gives me variable frame rates at 5k (up to 96fps), and the RAW image capture lets us take advantage of the dynamic range in the snow where it’s really helpful to preserve details in the highest of highs and lowest of lows. The camera package is simple and quick to build which becomes a factor when moving around the mountains, and I can keep it almost fully assembled in my pack. It’s also particularly robust and survived frequent below-zero temps, snow, sleet, rain, and everything else we were able to throw at it, and wasn’t much worse for the wear”.
The Gemini isn’t a typical run-and-gun ‘doc’ camera, but for my goal of really elevating the action sequences with a real high-end production feel this was a great tool…The RAW image capture lets us take advantage of the dynamic range in the snow where it’s really helpful to preserve details in the highest of highs and lowest of lows…It’s also particularly robust and survived frequent below-zero temps, snow, sleet, rain, and everything else we were able to throw at it, and wasn’t much worse for the wear.
FULL CIRCLE Directed – Josh Berman
Shooting handheld style
“I do often shoot with the MOVI Pro gimbal on commercial work and where we have time and/or resources to support it shooting outdoor or action sports, but often being a one-man-band, and/or in situations where our ability to transport gear to remote locations was limited I was forced to shoot everything on this project handheld. Shooting handheld gave me the flexibility to change up angles and get all the coverage I needed, especially when I was the only camera operator, or even on multi-cam shoots if I felt like I needed to be the one capturing multiple elements of the scene because of my specific relationship with the talent”.
Shooting handheld gave me the flexibility to change up angles and get all the coverage I needed, especially when I was the only camera operator.
FULL CIRCLE Directed – Josh Berman
Filming in a snowy environment
“Working in the snow I’m often in situations where I can’t put my gear down but also need to free up my hands which presented some unique challenges. I did adapt a neck strap and shoulder hardness to support the RED and allow me to go hands-free though having a 15lb camera hanging around your neck isn’t something I would recommend”.
Using an iPhone too
“The best camera is whatever you have with you when you need it- especially when making a doc. There are a few iPhone clips that I shot on an 11 that I mixed in with RED and some high-end drone clips in one scene… I wasn’t able to get to my camera quickly enough and had just enough time to grab my phone out of my pocket and switch the settings to 4k 24p. With a little color grading those shots fit in almost seamlessly with the rest of the content around them (I shot these horizontally, of course) and I don’t think anyone will ever be able to guess which clips came from my phone and which came from a “real” camera”.
The opening was in NY on October 20th at Village East by Angelika. The screening has been expanded to LA, Canada, and multiple US cities beginning October 27th (Filmmakers and Trevor Kennison attending multiple locations). Check out the official website here.
Do you know what the budget was? Or exactly what “micro-budget” entails?
I shot a short drama this year that cost around £6-7,000 and that meant no pay for director, AD and myself (dop), and I provided the camera and a few other bits of kit. Hire budget was around £1,200.
This was for a four day shoot.
This is not “micro-budget” in any sense. All I had to lookup was the rental day-rate for a Red Gemini camera. That alone is $1000/day. AND they had a Red Komodo as a backup camera. If you have any competence shooting, of course it’s going to look fabulous.
This is ridiculous. For just the rental price of these cameras for 3 or more days alone, I can shoot a GLORIOUS fashion shoot. On far inferior equipment. Photo and video.
This reminds me when I heard a black comedian talking about what white people think as poor and what black people think it is…
Want to impress me? Do the same for $2000.