Meet: bHappy Films

For these crew profiles, we’ve mainly been talking to the main filmer/editor guy, since they’re the ones who hypothetically make the movie part happen. But this week, we interviewed bHappy, a crew all about love and togetherness, and it just didn’t seem right to only interview Paul Heran about the crew. So to help you get to know bHappy Films, Colton Morgan, Sammy Spiteri and Durell Williams chimed in too.

Location: Tahoe, SLC.
Riders: Colton Morgan, Sammy Spiteri, Durell Williams, Cole Atencio, Ben Strause, Shane Wright, Dylan Thompson, Ian Bigley, Casey Detweiler, Zander Blackmon, Sean Anderson
Filmers: Paul Heran, Bryce Hymans, Sammy Spiteri, Ben Strause, Durell
Williams, Tim Bradley, Rob Balding, Matt Roberge + more.
Editors: Paul Heran, Bryce Hymans, Sammy Spiteri, Ben Strause, Durell
Williams.

Why do we need to keep snowboarding from getting too serious?

PAUL: To me, snowboarding has always been fun times with friends no matter what the situation is. When I go riding or shooting or shooting with my buds, we have more fun than anyone else on the hill. Bryce, Joel, and I started bHappy with the intention to share with others the fun we have together, and to spread the love we have for snowboarding to others. Making snowboard videos had never been a competition for us and we would love to see people take it a little more lightly. After all, it’s snowboarding…
COLTON: Because when snowboarding gets too serious it wont be fun any more. It’s all about fun and smiles.

Sammy Spiteri. Blunt.

Aside from being called bHappy, how do you keep things mellow and fun?

PAUL: When we go filming, we like to sing a lot.
COLTON: Yellow
SAMMY: haha what? yeah, singing at spots is crucial to keep the vibe mellow. Ben Strause could really nail the Aretha voice…. In between filming for our real movie we try to get the whole crew together as much as we can to film park edits. Park edits are the best because we can fool around at a resort all day with all of our friends and not worry about anything.

How was your season? Any highlights that stand out?
PAUL: Personally, my season has been filled with school, work, and not as much filming as I would like. Boreal’s JPI was what really stood out this year for me. It was a super fun contest that all of bHappy came together and had a great time on the hill, and editing together, and our video took “Most Viewed” category. Also, I was lucky enough to be selected as a video intern at Windell’s this summer, so I feel very blessed to be up here right now in at Camp living with some awesome people, and learning so much each day.
SAMMY: When I wasn’t hurt my season was amazingly fun. Highlights were whenever I got the chance to film with Nick and the Dangerzone dudes, and any sunny day at Boreal or Northstar with all my friends.
DURELL: The Highlight of my season was going to Bear Mtn for the Ashbury demo. It was amazing to ride with the crew and meet all the VG dudes.

How are you going to top the Happy Meals intro from last year?

PAUL: Ha! Let’s just say we had some help from a security guard at a spot in Reno that helped us out with our intro this year. Oh, and there will be NO FAST FOOD!

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Durell Williams gets it done

Where was Happy Thoughts filmed? Did you take any trips, or is it all pretty much Tahoe?

PAUL: A lot of the video is shot in Tahoe and Reno, but there are some sweet clips from SLC as well.

Casey Detweiler, rockin out!

Were there any standouts in your crew, riding-wise this season?

PAUL: Colton Morgan really stepped it up this year and stacked some really cool shots. His creativity and vision when he’s on his board blows my mind. He is an awesome kid and a slick shredder. Cole, Durell, and Brent also pushed their riding this season.

Colt is mad!

Do you have any rival film crews, being in such a heavy shred epicenter?

PAUL:North Lake Tahoe is a wonderful place to call our home and we are fortunate to have many friends, and not so many rivals. Our buddy’s at Get In The Van, Dump Em’, and Tahoe Dangerzone are always influencing us and pushing us to make better vids. They have always been a huge help to us and we love them mucho.

Sammy Spiteri. Photo: Dylan Thompson

What’s the best and worst part about making a full length video?

PAUL: The time we share together will always be the best part. I can’t think of any worst part, but watching friends get injured and sitting out for months is never fun.

What do you think makes a snowboard movie good?

PAUL: A video that covers all aspects of snowboarding makes for an enjoyable experience. I want to see pow, park, rails, creativity, and of course the behind the scenes lifestyle of the riders. Good editing is always a plus, but the overall feel that a video portrays to the audience is something that you can’t just edit, it’s a collaboration of all of the crews work put into the final product.

Who are your influences?

PAUL: Robot Food was a huge influence for me. Their films really had everything that you could want in a snowboard movie. Color TV, Neoproto, EPI films, Tim Bradley.
SAMMY: Nick Visconti, Durell Williams, Colt Morgan , Paul Heran, all the bHappy dudes. Of course all the pros that I watch over and over again. (Jonas, Scott Stevens, Grendy’s)
COLTON: God, bHappy, family, friends.
DURELL: Skateboarding, bHappy, Johnny Brady, Louif Paradis of course! Family, girls, Scott Stevens

Nerd shit — camera/editing set up?

PAUL: Shooting on a Canon 7D with a Sigma 10mm 2.8 fisheye, and a Canon 17-128 lens. Editing on a MacBook Pro in Final Cut Pro.

When will the video be done and how can people see it?

PAUL: The video should be done mid-summer and hopefully we will be able to premiere it at the camps up here in Hood. It will also be available online at bhappyfilms.com. Hopefully some places in Truckee will show our video this fall and we would love to have everyone come out and watch our vid and drink some beer with us.