Steven Siig & Jared Drake
October Filmmakers of the Month
FILMMAKER BIO
Siig and Drake are co-directors for the film “Buried,” which Breck Film screened as its Friday Night Adventure Reel at the 2021 Festival.
Steven Siig first picked up a camera at the age of 19 to document his friends skiing steep lines. That grew into an action sports documentary career that took Siig to Alaska and South America to film snow sports and adventure travel for numerous productions such as Warren Miller Entertainment, TGR, Standard, and Matchstick Productions. He lives full-time in Lake Tahoe with his wife and three children.
Jared Drake spent most of his 20s in the film industry as a writer, director, and editor on a wide range of projects: narrative, branded, long form, short form, some funny, some sad. The Hollywood Reporter called his directorial debut film Visioneers (Zach Galifianakis) "an assured first feature." Jared parlayed his passion for helping writers tell their stories into Wildbound Literary PR and Management, a boutique firm he started with his wife that promotes and helps publish and promote reputable authors. He lives full-time in Lake Tahoe with his wife and two sons.
More about Buried
FILMMAKER INTERVIEW (SIIG)
Tell us your backstory. How and why did you get into filmmaking?
Really it was an excuse to ski all over the world. I was obsessed with skiing at an early age and soon I was inspired by the likes of Scott Schmidt and Tom Day in Warren Miller films. Tom and I met in the late 80’s when we worked together tuning skis at the Squaw Valley Sport Shop at the base which is now Palisades Tahoe. Tom was an inspiration to me as a skier, first and foremost. Then I witnessed his progression from ski talent to finding his true north as a cinematographer. That inspiration drove me to learn how to shoot and edit my own footage of my ski crew. And over time I found myself filming in Alaska and South America.
What are the specific qualities that, in your opinion, make a film great?
Story. It all comes down to storytelling. I studied Humanities in college and it was a driving force in diving deeper into our experiences in the mountains.
What films have been the most inspiring or influential to you and why?
Wow! Big question. Mountain of storms, 180 degrees South, Blizzard of Ahhhs are by far the most influential.
What’s harder? Getting started or being able to keep going? And what drives you to continue making films?
Keep going is harder. I lost my best friend to a tragic accident on Mt St Elias in Alaska. After that incident I literally put down the cameras. I’ve lost too many friends to the mountains and it’s always a looming question in my mind. But my Mentor Tom Day brought me back to help film a Warren Miller segment some years ago. Once I picked the camera back up I’ve never stopped again.
How do you know when your story’s finished, when to walk away?
Once you have initiated a conversation.
How many films have you completed? What is your favorite project you
have worked on and why?
I’ve been apart of several films over the years. I can say that I have 6 films are mine. But Buried: The 1984 Alpine Meadows Avalanche is the film I’m most proud of.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
The people I work with and the subjects in my films.
What is your favorite aspect of film production?
Producing. I love bringing a team together.
Sharing in the creative process and watching people’s passion resonate with an audience.
FILMMAKER INTERVIEW (DRAKE)
Tell us your backstory. How and why did you get into filmmaking?
I went to UCLA for school to get out of the rain of the northwest and was on the track team there with no declared major. One of my pole vault training partners mentioned that UCLA had a film school and I was, like, “Yes!” Although I had no clue why it excited me. So I audited one of their classes where we had to make a 15min documentary short, and I ended up making a film about that same pole vaulter buddy. It was a tear jerker, and when the lights came up the professor stood up with tears in her eyes, singled me out in the theater, and said, “Whatever you do in your life, make sure you keep making movies.” So that’s been the plan.
What are the specific qualities that, in your opinion, make a film great?
Films that entertain and feel like movie movies that you can watch on a Friday night with popcorn, but also pull and challenge you and give you something to think about. Accomplishing this requires a total mastery of the material and tools. Too many films, especially these days with genres being such a dividing line, just do one or the other.
What films have been the most inspiring or influential to you and why?
JARED: I’m always in love with anything Gavin O’Connor does – from Warrior to Mystery Alaska to The Accountant. I cried the first time watching Warrior years ago, I don’t know why (I’m still trying to discover that about myself). And now that I have two young boys, I watched it again recently and cried for totally different reasons. I love that film, and I am not a UFC fan at all! Just wonderfully nuanced and delicate storytelling in a setting that drives the stakes through the roof.
Most of Rian Johnson’s films always get me, from Looper to Knives Out. What I love about his work is he is structurally always one step ahead of the audience, and so deliberate with his choices without being pompous.
What’s harder? Getting started or being able to keep going? And what drives you to continue making films?
Keeping them going, for sure. I’ve realized over the years the only projects that survive are the ones that your heart and soul absolutely have to tell.
How do you know when your story’s finished, when to walk away?
think it’s important to look at all the angles and what you want the audience to be feeling when they leave the theater. If you’re honest with yourself, you should be able to sniff those holes out and when they aren’t being filled. Having a few good, objective ears to lean on for feedback is incredibly helpful with this process.
How many films have you completed? What is your favorite project you have worked on and why?
On the producing side, I’ve had a hand in maybe five or so features, though as a director I’ve only made two. One is a dark comedy called Visioneers starring Zach Galifianakis and the second is a thriller doc called Buried: The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche. Both of them have a special place in my heart, though I can’t imagine ever working on anything more meaningful than Buried. Making this film was about searching for some answers and healing the community I live in. It was a project that I had to make, for my own understanding and growth, and also for my children so they could learn and have clarity on the landscape in which they’re living in. Two things happened on this film that I’ve never experienced before: 1. It was the first project that I felt sadness on when I ended production because I gained so much from the filmmaking process – personally and emotionally, and 2. It is the only film I’ve worked on where after having seen it a thousand times, I can sit down and watch every moment and absolutely love it.
Our theatrical release for Buried begins on Sept 23, 2022 with Greenwich Entertainment and our VOD release is Nov 8, 2022. I really don’t think I’ll ever make a better film. Please watch it and share your thoughts with me! My direct email is jared@rfilms.com.
What is your favorite aspect of film production?
I’ve learned to love the collaborative aspect of film. It might not be my favorite aspect, but in a way it is the most important and always pushes me to become a better person. In film school, there’s too much of an “auteur” syndrome that you graduate with, and over the years have embraced that a movie is really a sum of all the parts – writer, DP, editing, music, everything in between. Everyone has a hand and a voice in the film. It doesn’t belong to any single person and will ultimately be this beautiful mashup of everyone’s influence.
Why did you choose to submit to the Breckenridge Film Festival? What do you look for in a festival where you hope to show your film?
I’m a huge fan of festivals that put their filmmakers and films first. There are a lot of fests that are simply courting stars or sponsors, and while you’re there (even as one of their filmmakers) you feel like you weren’t invited. BreckFF was the exact opposite and everything you want in a fest.
