Welcome to parkercrossroadstudios.blogspot.com. My name is Parker Cross, president of Crossroad Studios, LLC, and this is the first of many posts that will document the production of Wasatch: A High Definition Snowboard Film by Parker Cross. I've been working on the pre-production of Wasatch for quite some time, and the website will be up and running very soon. But before we get into that, let me tell you a little about myself.
I was born and raised in northern central Utah along the Wasatch front of the Rocky Mountains, and with that I was able to early-on develop an appreciation for the mountains. During my senior year of high school, I gained a love for digital media in Lorelie Andrus' TV Video Production class, which I originally took because I had a few friends in the class, and they had said that it was an easy A. I ended up placing second at the Utah High School Film Festival with a documentary produced by myself and my friend Kevin Jackman. Six years later, here I am producing my first big project. Following high school I worked for Joe Camp's Benji: Off the Leash in Ogden, UT as an office and editorial production assistant, then shortly thereafter spent two years performing voluntary Christian missionary work representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Iowa. I've been teaching snowboarding at Park City Mountain Resort since 2002, and my love for snowboarding is only eclipsed by my love for Jesus Christ (posts for other days and other blogs).
Wasatch is my first attempt to break into documentary filmmaking, and I hope with the project to breath new life into outdoor programming. These types of projects are typically found in VHS form, or airing from time to time on specialty cable TV networks, but it's difficult to find diverse and compelling outdoor programming streaming on the internet, or available in podcasts. This project will cover both those bases, as well as be released on DVD in late August 2009. It is a not-for-profit venture, so all money coming from the production goes back into the expenditures that have been made, and will be made over the next 8 months.
The first week of December 2008 marked the arrival of my long anticipated Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR. In addition to being a 21.1 megapixel full-frame CMOS DSLR, with a DiG!C 4 Image processor, it also is the first still camera to capture 1080p HD video. I first found out about this back in September, and I was, within several days, on the waiting list to receive one. The visuals below showcase the still photo ability, and the video ability of this amazing piece of machinery. Enjoy the shots, and check back soon for updates on the website, the podcast, and a tentative itinerary for the season which has now officially begun!
