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Lost snowmobilers' story a Lifetime movie

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Oregongirl

Well-known member
Jul 25, 2002
570
763
93
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Highlands Ranch, Colorado
So, which one was hitting it with the teenager daughter....Julio or Scott?? :p I couldn't quite figure out who was supposed to be who? LMAO!!

Typical Lifetime movie....they could have portrayed sledding in ALOT worse light. No harm, no foul. :cool:
 

zacs

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
A couple of comments from the inside....

A couple of comments from the inside...
The original script was actually really good. Randy & I were imagining all the cool shots with the storms, bad visibility, steep slopes and stuck sleds. The script had made the couple out to be pretty good riders. It even included Suzanne getting caught in a mini avalanche (we didn't figure that this would make the actual shoot schedule...we already had an idea of the time of year and the budget....not easy to trigger a little avalanche when conditions are go anywhere spring snow.)
Then we started to shoot. Not sure whether it was the actors' strike that delayed the filming, but the snow sequences were shot in late March. The last helicopter shots of us (Jim & Suzanne) walking up the mountain shortly before they were 'rescued' were shot around April 4th. The snowpack was almost non-existent in the areas that the film company had permits to shoot in. Of course this led us to a ski hill with limited options. It was really too bad that we couldn't have had the weather and the budget cooperate.
In the one scene we were supposed to get stuck in a bowl and decide our only option was to go down. Unfortunately the area that we had to work in had such a wicked base with a trace amount of fresh that a trail sled could have easily walked out (in fact they were! We had trail sleds pulling toboggans full of gear and crew up steeper ski slopes than we had designated for our riding shots.) A person has to ride pretty pathetic to get stuck on a packed slope...The permits did not allow the production company to make fake snow and I don't think that the temperatures were cooperating for the ski hill to make snow.
Everything was shot in one take...once the snow was tracked up we had to move on to the next shot...whether it worked out like we intended or not. Without radio contact with the director or the stunt coordinator we had to just wing it. Pretty funny actually.
The 'hero' sleds were mine and Randy's sleds. Notice that there were no manufacturers' decals on the lost sleds. We had to put generic decals on...of course sledders can easily pick out the make/model but the general public won't make the connection.
The exterior of the Pilot's Peak rescue station was supposed to be a completely different building and location however the snow had all melted in their first choice and we ended up using a ski lodge building.
Jamie Gertz (the actor that played Suzanne) has fantastic hair. One of the Hollywood things that made me laugh was the choice to leave her hair out the back of the helmet. After 4 days of being in the bush they deteriorated the condition of her face...however her hair was still beautiful and flowing. I would come back to the hair/make up trailer after one sequence and my hair extensions looked like dreadlocks. Yep...more like reality... Sometimes you just have to shrug your shoulders and smile.
With a bigger budget and some additional locations and shooting days with a second unit crew we could have created a more representative film. Who knows...maybe we'll get another snowmobile movie again sometime.
 

zacs

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Answer to a private message
"just wondering why the REAL rescuers Julio & Scott NOT mentioned or portrayed in this movie and the Bro & boyfriend were. They were not mentioned in the credits either, unreal....very unreal...."


We were only part of the crew. We had no part in the script, research or quality control. I was a rider double and Randy was the picture vehicle coordinator.
Lots of movies are 'based on a true story' and an outsider never really knows what is real and what is not. It is unfortunate that there wasn't credit given to the true rescuers. It sounds like there were true heroic efforts by the actual searchers, rescuers as well as the lost couple.
A person just always hopes that the writers/directors and producers try their best to portray the story in a good light.
 
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Adrenaline Revolution

Well-known member
Nov 17, 2002
2,333
661
113
In the foothills of the Cascades
If anyone could tape this movie we would really appreciate it. Let me know the cost to tape and ship. We didn't even get to see any dailies...so I haven't a clue what shots were kept or cut.
Thanks!
lori@zacstracs.com

Good job on the movie, Both my wife and I enjoyed it.
If I can figure out how to get a disc burned off of the recording I made on my DVR I will gladly send you a copy.
 

PJ-Hunter

Paid Premium Member
Lifetime Membership
Jan 31, 2006
29,663
4,671
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Kremmling, Colorado
If anyone recorded this movie and would not mind sending me a copy, please PM me. I would really appreciate it! I do not get the channel.

Thanks

Dude, It's a LIFETIME movie! It'll be on again and again and again! Just check their website for programming. Thanks to my son, we watched Boondockers 3 and 4 instead:)
 
V
Nov 27, 2007
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denver area
I've got it set to record as well and could burn a dvd, not saying I will, with laws like they are and all. :rolleyes: On direct its 252 and it comes on on the 17th and 23rd and possibly more.

As far as accuracy, any movie that portrays the sledding community in a halfway decent light is fine by me. At least they weren't running over baby bunnies and starting forest fires.
 

Lt Rascal

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Feb 4, 2004
639
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Nibley, Utah
I watched it and thought it was a very good show. Not knowing how accurate it is but still a good show.
 
C

CoyoteGirl

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
2,696
1,577
113
Washington
www.brandyfloyd.com
Well, I watched it. Thought it was pretty ............., I'll stop there.

Zacs, you could tell you guys were trying to tone down the riding! ;)

And yup, that chick had some amazing hair after 5 days.

Since I was kind of close to the real story...... it seemed they used very few facts in the movie. I had to keep reminding myself they said "based on a true story", that means, sledders were lost and found. I also had to keep reminding myself this is on a WOMAN's network. You GOTTA have drama to keep the interest. To me, having them lost was drama enough........ lol

One thing was pretty true... they showed sledders in their god awful bright yellow/orange/green outfits! :p ;) hehehe

Atleast they didn't portray them as stupid sledders who were in the "wilderness". :D

Someone posted earlier that they saw Scott and Julio (portrayed) in the movie... I didn't.......... musta missed them.

And one last thing, did Polaris pay for part :face-icon-small-ton of the movie???
 
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