Nico Vink teamed up with forestry professionals, the Boy Scouts of America, and a kickass crew to bring this one-of-a-kind film to life.
“From the Ash” is a visual metaphor for pushing forward as the world seemingly crumbles around you. With everything we’ve all battled thus far this year, this film is a great reminder to take a breath, support those around you, and keep on going.
You’ll probably notice the massive wildfire and burning landscape. Don’t worry, no forests were damaged in the making of the film. In May of 2018, the Ute Park wildfire burned 36,740 acres — this crew was granted special permission to film on location in the burn scar (i.e., dead zone) in a controlled setting.
“Thank you to the men and women who put their lives at risk fighting real wildfires around the world. Please be responsible this wildfire season,” wrote cinematographer Liam Mullany.
This film took hundreds of hours of behind-the-scenes legwork: setting up jumps and features, using smoke machines, working in a very limited window of light, generating the effects of fire, and more.
“Riding through the fire wasn’t too bad,” said Vink. “The smoke got kinda sketchy because I wasn’t able to see the features … I rode some of them blind. Most shoots I do are based on the features we’ve built. It becomes a completely different thing if you add the elements of fire and smoke.”
A note from the director: For the best experience, please use headphones or a great sound system. For more background on the film, check out this article.
