Random Bastards is a crew of highly motivated and talented urban-focused snowboarders from Sweden that just released one of the best free online full-length movies ever. The production quality is on point, the riding is amazing, and the spots they hit are tantalizing. It's so good in fact that it's hard to imagine why it's free and makes us wonder what that signifies in this ever-changing digital landscape.
It has always been hard for foreign riders to break into the North American scene, but with videos like it might be about time for the door to be swung wide open. We sat down with Hans Åhlund to talk about the making of his movie and the future of his crew of Random Bastards. (Which, by the way, if you want to watch for yourself, you can find right here.)
Random Bastards
ESPN: Where does the Random Bastards family hail from?
Hans Åhlund: We are based out of Umeå Sweden, about 700 kilometers north of Stockholm.
This video had a lot of unique features in it. Were you trying to avoid just having people hitting down bars?
Personally, I'm always trying to ride new and fun features and look at stuff in a different way. There are still a lot of kinks and down bars in there as well, but I feel like the mix is really good.
What inspired the direction of the video?
(Laughs) I don't know. Maybe magic?
I feel like this was one of the best free online videos of the year. Why make it free?
I think that the Helgasons' movie and our movie were probably the two best free movies out this year. We are all about making it free for everyone to enjoy -- it just seems like the best way to go nowadays. It's easier for everyone to see and if everyone is stoked on the video, then we are stoked.
It seems like most of the guys in your crew have filmed with Pirate Productions. Are you still filming with them, or did you split to do this?
Kalle [Ohlson] and I have filmed with Pirates in the past, but I decided to skip that this season and focus on the Random Bastards movie. I have a part in the movie but I'm also personally involved with the production side too.
Why did you feel the need to launch your own project?
The Random Bastards crew has been making movies for a long time -- this one is the 11th movie actually. I just wanted to focus on having fun and hopefully that vibe will show in the movie. I think it turned out great.
Most of the riders in your crew are at a talent level that is on par with most American riders. Are you getting love from the U.S.?
For sure. Transworld is our media partner, and they had a ton of views on their media player. We have gotten so much great feedback from all over the world.
Do you think with people having access to such high quality video equipment you still have to move to the U.S. to "make it?"
No, I don't think so. We have all we need here with camera equipment. I guess it's not the best but it's good enough for snowboarding movies. We have shots with RED cameras and Heli stuff in the streets. Even if we use the HVX for most of the shots the quality is really good.
It's the feeling of the video that matters in the end anyway. We are not trying to be "The Art of Flight." The Internet is big so we can be based out of here but the United States is for sure the best place to be.
If you could give all these young folks a piece of advice about forming a film crew with the intention of getting to this level, what would it be?
Just do what you love and keep snowboarding, and watch out for negative people and backstabbers.
