Coldfocus Revealed

Matteo Maggi is the man behind the alias Coldfocus. He produces quality snowboard videos since 2004, but in the last seasons he added a surplus value to his products by exploring a new territory, rarely covered up today … especially by snowboard video productions.

He started deepening the rider’s minds, exalting flavors coming from places and melting to obtain  a composing that sounds as beautiful as an immortal song. I knew him some years ago and always dreamt of talkin’ with him about his many projects…

So Matteo, with Ruggine 2.5TD how many videos do you count under your belt?
Ruggine 2,5TD is the sixth Coldfocus video, the third collaboration with Luca Merli from Block10.

Talkin’ about block10, how did the collaboration with Luca begin?
I think we mutually noticed each other’s involving peculiarities, and the idea of pooling  our efforts could mean a better video.
Besides, our styles and points of view are quite similar..
I just finished MYSELF while he ended his first production, LOCALS.

How do you split your work? I mean who does what? Or you’re totally interchangeable?
Let’s say I mainly follow the business technically, I decide the video parts and film during the most part of winter; he’s more the editing wizardry man, with his magical touch the makes  the video exalting the artsy feeling. In the end  we always decide together but we’re not interchangeable…

And now, the question you’re surely waitin’ for: why Ruggine 2.5 TD?
I think about RUGGINE like an unexpected evolution, the lucid awareness that no one of us will ever live out of snowboarding, neither me nor any rider. We do it only ‘cause we love it, in our own way, in order to put out a good video only for our personal and professional pleasure. We’re no more into competition, the sickest filmed tricks landed by the riders were just our personal commitments. When you film at 3 AM with -20 degrees in Helsinki, you can only say you’re doin’ it for personal satisfaction.
Ruggine 2.5 TD is all that; once we forgot sponsors and money, everything became easier and heartfelt.

I noticed some crew changes, I mean the riders that usually film with Coldfocus brigade.. New names and a new Italian member like Stefano “Benki” Benchimol … pure case or defined will?
The new “Vikings” were added to the crew ‘cause me and Juha Blid moved to Helsinki from Lathi, getting in touch with new motivated riders with our same point of view about snowboarding. Then they naturally got on board.
About Stefano Benchimol, I know him from a while and as we talked several times about doing something together, finally we did it! He’d been to me for a month and I saved so many nice moments of snowboarding, hammers and awesome dinners…he’s a damn good chef!

Ok, now let’s discuss the last topic … How do you plan a video? You gather material and then edit it  in the best way or you get a project before you start filmin’?
It depends to the video you’re talkin’ about. RUGGINE 2.5 TD was planned since the beginning. Before the season started, we had everything already defined: the techinques, styles, the riders…the truck me and Juha bought is the key of the video.
The past videos, like Tastywater, was different ‘cause was way more a documentary, almost entirely filmed during a 3 weeks Canada trip.

I noticed that in the history of Coldfocus, after involving Block10, the video slowly began loosing the tusually featured  tech, evolving  to a lifestyle documentary shape … am I wrong?
To me, the lifestyle documentary is intended as an editing style … the idea is not only to show a tricks sequence, but to let people discover the history behind every single trick, maybe with only 4 different images. The technique I use is the same of skate videos, I love editing every single part, focusing the attention on style and skills of the rider. We want people to understand the usually underrated matters, from the place we’re riding to the rider’s minds.

Which is the message hidden between the wires of RUGGINE 2.5 TD?
I think it’s quite simple…if you like powder lines, RUGGINE is not for you (laughs)

Why does an Italian filmer travel so far from home to film Finnish snowboarders?
‘Cause I love street riding and Finland! Finnish dudes are less pro-minded and more pro-skilled. I can’t understand why this choice has to be a problem. I’d like to know how many filmers and photographers do it for Italian pride; I’m doin’ it for myself and I don’t want neither to push Italian snowboarding at all, nor the Finnish …

I prefer improving my filming level, and Italy is not the best place for achieving. Anyway, coming from Rome I’d got to move north to make a good Italian video.
I think a good filmer not only has to be a skilled dude with good eye, he also must be in the right place in the right time, as I’m tryin’ to…

If we track a line beginning from COLDFOCUS (the first video by Matteo, later giving the name to the whole project) and ending at RUGGINE 2.5 TD, what mainlychanged, either in your work or in your life point of view …?
Technically speaking, I think we upgraded a bit year after year … but  the most  improved aspect of all is  the script side of the project. In the first projects I filmed the whole season long,  then edited at best and tried to make a good composition, while now the video is focused  in my mind before starting filming, and I’m pretty sure the same is for Juha … who already knows the place where to shoot and the trick to try, before winter comes …

What should we expect from Coldfocus in short distance?
It’s not that easy to tell you…we’re gonna give the final touches to RUGGINE 2.5 TD… while it will be on the shelves,  we’ll be already traveling and filming again, for sure …
Many thanx to our supporters SKULLCANDY, ROME SDS, DC, Ashbury, Elm and O-Matic, who helped us so much with the video…Bye!