A TALK WITH JEROME TANON

About This Project

Every once in a while, a movie comes out that challenges the status quo in a way that makes us rethink what we thought we knew about an industry or a sport as a whole. In The Eternal Beauty of Snowboarding, French snowboarding photographer Jérôme Tanon, ditches the usually curated and politically correct footage brought to us by the industry’s establishment and gives us a raw and pure depiction of what really goes on when the pros get out there in search of their ideal video part.

Often times, these unsung heroes of the industry take risks – financial or otherwise – in order to stay true to themselves and to us: their audience. The Eternal Beauty of Snowboarding is the result of Jérôme Tanon’s endeavour to take us behind the scenes of the professional snowboarding world. A truly powerful movie that you don’t want to miss.

Just after the interview, the movie won the Standout Performance Of The Year  from TransWorld Snowboarding.

Hi Jerome, thanks for giving us some of your time. We’re pretty excited to chat with you. How are you living your notoriety now? How did people react to the movie after it was released?
One thing’s for sure: The movie did not make me more famous (laughs). Towards the end of the project, I felt like everything was coming together, so I had a feeling that it was probably going to work out well but at no point did I think that it was going to cause this much enthusiasm. I have even received very moving messages. It was truly a unique feeling. The only doubt I had was whether people would laugh at the stupid jokes but I think that worked out as well (laughs).

We watched it like three times and lost our shit every single time. What about the sponsors? Did anybody complain about the way you portrayed the riders?
Surprisingly, no. I would say that the opposite happened. I thought the movie could cause tensions – Who knows? They may actually be talking shit about me behind my back (laughs) – but honestly, I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from everyone at the previews. Even people from the biggest brands like Salomon or Adidas. I’ve also received very encouraging emails. All the riders have given me positive feedback. They are all very happy with the end result and with the fact that someone finally took the initiative to bring a world that has started losing its original values back to its roots. You know, even the people working for those brands don’t necessarily agree with what they do but don’t have a say. I just said the truth and that’s probably the reason why nobody really complained. There isn’t a single company that doesn’t make its products in countries like Bangladesh or India. Everybody knows that, it’s not new. They themselves know it’s bad. Same thing goes for energy drinks. Not a single snowboarder will tell you: “Woah! You should have an energy drink: it’s good for you!” Even the kids that I filmed and were sponsored by these companies gave me the go-ahead because it wasn’t them saying it. At the end of the day, I’m the one who’s talking and since I don’t have a contract with anyone, I don’t care. I can say whatever I want.

So, you had no financial support or any other kind of help for the film. Is that right?
That’s right. I wrote and recited the text for the voice-over. I set up a camcorder on top of my camera so that I could record as many sequences as possible. I filmed and edited the whole movie other than the sequences filmed by professional cameramen which you can clearly recognize in the movie. After three years, everyone got used to the camera so their behaviours became more and more natural. I also categorically refused any kind of sponsorship. I did not want to see a logo from beginning to end. I really wanted the movie to be pure and natural, without any kind of constraints. As a consequence, I paid for everything out of my own pocket and that’s probably why I’m completely broke now (laughs). But that’s okay, it’s what had to be done and I’m happy I did it.

If you could add to or delete something from the movie, what would that be?
Well, two things are missing but, to be honest, that’s actually a good thing. It happens quite often that those guys get seriously hurt but in four years nothing really bad happened. I may have brought them luck (laughs). When it does happen and nothing goes according to plan, it’s a huge reality check for all of us. It all happens because of someone trying to land some trick in the middle of nowhere. The other thing would be images of avalanches. We never want those things to happen but it’s a big part of our environment.

How is the current business climate in snowboarding? Have you been getting more offers since the movie was released?
Not really. I don’t think I will get more offers after this movie regardless of the positive feedback. The season hasn’t started yet so I still don’t know what my next project will be. From time to time, I work on really cool projects with Rip Curl – all expenses paid – where I have to take pictures with their team for their brochures. Otherwise, you could get a gig with Burton’s team for the season, for example, and they pay you a salary. I personally work as a freelancer 90% of the time. I pay for my plane ticket, my ski pass, everything else, then I go home and develop my pictures, send them out and some may get published the following year. So it’s not easy to live as a freelancer. If you aren’t affiliated with a brand or a production company you will have a hard time making a living. I made no money off the movie but I already knew that was going to happen. I see the movie more like a piece of art, a way of expressing what I feel.

How well do you know the surfing world? Do you have any thoughts?
I’m not really familiar with surfing. I have surfed before, some of my friends surf, but I don’t think I can do surf photography. It’s impossible for me to take pictures in the water. When it gets big out there…(laughs). I hear the surfing world is even worse than snowboarding. People are way snobbier. Everyone talks shit about one another. There is a well-established star system. The best snowboarders have a good head on their shoulders. They’re very modest. I believe the main difference is that in surfing you have to fight for the waves. In snowboarding, three friends go down the same face and have three times more fun. While in surfing, your chances of getting a wave are divided by three so, the mood is different. Although, I have to say: There’s way more money to be made in surfing than snowboarding.

*This conversation transcript was translated and edited for length and clarity.