Patrick Wieland was able to answer some questions for us which are very worth your 2 minute internet attention span. Read on and into the mind of P Wieland and learn more about Slingshot’s highly anticipated LIPSMACK the Northwestern company’s first full length wakeboard film.

How long have you been shooting/editing?

Ive been shooting wake for almost 5 years now. This will be my 3rd summer shooting wake full time or living 100% off filming. My friends and I would make skateboard movies in high school. I have always loved filming and editing. Its just so fun to document life and moments in life. I’m only 23 by the way… Everyone thinks I’m way older.

I Still have a lot to learn and do. I also shoot other things then wakeboarding, recently I shot some bowling videos haha! I shot for James Stewart TV Show Bubba’s World on Fuel as well, that was awesome. I do all kinds of different stuff when the opportunities arise so that I can continually keep evolving and learning.

Its funny though because I got started in wake because I filmed wakeskating. I grew up wakeskating and ended up filming some of my friends wakeskating. The first official pro wakeskater I filmed was Ryan Lemons. We started wakeskating together and I ended up filming him. I started submitting videos to AllianceWakeskate and before I knew it I was making a new wakeskate video every week. Shooting wakeboarding just kinda happened because I started hanging out at The Projects and Pat Panakos started introducing me to wakeboarders.

How did you get the Lipsmack/Slingshot gig?

I guess to really tell the story I would have to go back a couple years. Slingshot needed to get some product videos done. The guy they had lined up to do them had to go out of town during the shoot. So Jeff Mckee ended up calling me seeing if I would be interested in shooting their 2010 product videos. (They were terrible by the way ha!)

I ended up kicking it off with Jeff Mckee and the slingshot guys. I was really stoked on what Slingshot was doing at the time with their flex boards and their whole rail movement. Watching guys like Nate Perry, Chris Salteski, Rob Jaques hitting the 100ft flat bar at the projects really got me pumped on riding a wakeboard. It just looked so fun and at that time I started riding a slingshot.

Fast forward to Feet on Fire. Jeff Mckee and I were drunk talking about how we should make a slingshot movie. We talked about how sick it would be. My dream was always to make a full length movie but I didn’t just want to make a movie for no reason. I wanted a purpose for it. I wanted a brand to be behind it. So in January of 2011 Jeff Mckee thought it would be a good idea to go the Philippines. That was our first official trip for Lipsmack. We ended up editing the footage from CWC into a web video called the Prologue.

What different cameras did you shoot the film on? 

I shoot entirely with a Canon 60d and Canon L Lenses. People are always surprised when I tell them that but really its just all about personal preference. Cameras now a days are getting so good that really every camera is awesome. Sure people are going to boast about using RED Cams and these big budget cameras but they are so much more work. They are not easy to shoot with in a boat and their heavy as hell.

Ive shot with RED cameras and their sweet but we weren’t going for a big budget vibe with lipsmack. We traveled light and kept it simple.  My next movie might be different who knows. Everyone wishes they could shoot with the best cameras in the world but when it comes down it the most important thing is capturing the action. No matter what camera you use if there isn’t something awesome going on in front of it then it doesn’t matter.

Wakeboard films have been ruled by slow motion, what do you prefer as a film maker? Slow motion, no slow motion, or speed ramping (like in skate movies). 

Slow motion is so in right now! Cameras are shooting insane quality slow motion and its hard not to want to do it. Why would you not want to show an amazing trick in high quality slow motion? But the problem is when is there just too much slow motion? Thats when editing plays a huge role. Figuring out the pivotal moments to use slow mo. Also when shooting you have to think about the shot, the trick and the vibe. Is slow motion going to compliment all of that?

I don’t wanna talk up Lipsmack too much because we really have claimed anything or really said anything. But to answer your question Lipsmack will have very limited slow motion. There is slow motion yes, but your not going to fall asleep as Oli Derome spins in the air for a minute of slow motion goodness. There also is some ramping and different techniques that I used to be different.

The Shredtown teaser had a lot of natural sound and the sounds or the rails, which in many wake movies these days arn’t present, will there be a lot of “riding sounds” in the movie? 

Shredtown’s riding demands natural sounds! They build all these different rails with all sorts of materials and every rail sounds different. I think you have to show that and include it. Sound Design is what really creates an amazing hollywood movie. I’ve become so aware of sounds when watching a movie. Its hard in wakeboarding because of Wind, Winches, Jetskis but there are some pretty sweet sounds in Lipsmack.

Your teases for the movie have been great, and you’re really setting a style and tone for the movie with your editing and shooting – how did you originate that style for the movie? And who are your biggest inspirations in film making?

Thanks! Everyone has been really stoked on the teasers and what we have showed so far. I can’t wait for you guys to see everything we have kept secret.

When we started lipsmack we really had no idea what it would become. We knew we wanted to keep it fun and sweet. We weren’t trying to make Art of Flight. Slingshot basically trusted in me and let me create lipsmack how I wanted to see wakeboarding and how I thought Slingshot wanted to show their team. The Slingshot team is a bunch of guys who love to wakeboard and they are all really funny. That was the biggest focus with Lipsmack, to capture the guys having fun. Your going to laugh and your going to yell the first time you see it.

My biggest inspiration in filming has to be AVE. When Alliance first started making web videos and all their full length videos I was glued to my computer screen for hours and TV. AVE revolutionized wakeboarding movies and filming forever. I’m just not saying that because I work for Alliance. Josh McWilliams and Keith Kipp changed the idea of Wakeboarding movies forever with REWRITTEN. For the first time it wasn’t just about the tricks. Every shot was planned and directed. It was always my dream to work with those guys and work for Alliance. Alliance is by far the only the media company that constantly keeps pushing wakeboarding media.

Your Favorite part of the movie?

My favorite part of the movie is everything between the first shot and the last. I was there for every single trip, every single trick. Its insane to think about how much we did in so little time. Theres going to be a ton of rails. But really my favorite part is remembering all the obstacles we had to overcome. The moments no one else will ever know about but us. Lipsmack only lasts for 30 minutes but it was an entire year of our lives. Its still hard sitting here thinking about it being done. There still so much we wanted to do.

Are you able to disclose who has the ender?

Hmmmmm the ender. Everyone wants to know who has the ender. I don’t want to ruin the surprise but I can tell you that there are no single rider sections. We made a movie to show the Slingshot team and the team is so diverse. We wanted to show how all the riders together compliment each other. Everyone’s style is different and its awesome to see that.

The ender is pretty rad though. When your done watching Lipsmack your going to rewind it multiple times to really be able to see everything. It goes by so fast because theres just so much stuff. What your going to see is the best hits from every rail and the best wake hits. All I can say is get ready!

Any last words? Shout outs?

Ya. Thanks to Jake for reaching out to me to do this interview. I hope everyone watches Lipsmack and it puts a smile on their face. I always had movies growing up that I would put on TV before going out to ride. I hope that theres a kid out there that watches lipsmack to get pumped up to go ride.

A huge thanks to Slingshot and all the riders for putting up with me for the past year. Alliance Wakeboard as well for supporting me since the beginning. WIth out Alliance I wouldn’t be where I am today.

You can find out more at http://slingshotsports.com/lipsmack/

There you have it. Officially teased with an insight into Patrick’s mind and all the teasers out. Get ready for MAY 12, if you live in Portland make it up to the AWS screening on MAY 19 and to finish it off in Austin, TX at Boardstop on MAY 30th.

AWAKE