Documentary Analysis - Thats It - Thats All

The documentary that I have chosen for analysis is called “That’s It, That’s All” and is a documentary on professional snowboarding. More specifically, the scene I have chosen to discuss is the one which talks about the rider Travis Rice, a well known figure in the world of pro snowboarding. In both this scene, and entire movie alike, the filmmakers have managed to carefully weave the documentary aspects of the film with stunning visual action shots of the professional snowboarders. This documentary showcases breathtaking cinematography rarely seen in other films, as the entire film appears to have been filmed in extremely high definition. As a result, the the viewer is provided with stunning nature shots, often highly resembling those of the Planet Earth series- bald eagles flying, big horn sheep butting heads, mountain goats sprinting along the steep mountains with ease – simply beautiful taking landscape shots. Having a helicopter at their disposal, the filmmakers were able to capture some very creative and unique shots taken from incredible angles, which really helped showcase the beauty involved with this often under-appreciated sport. Essentially, I feel as though one of the main goals of this film was to shed some light on the world of snowboarding as it is seen through the eyes of the riders, their friends, and family members. This documentary made its points by switching back and forth between documentary style and snowboard action shots, embedding informative snapshots of interviews into the rider’s part. This particular scene discussed in great detail Travis Rice’s life of snowboarding, and provided a deeper look into his world as a professional rider. Utilizing interviews from Travis’ parents, we are told the story of a young boy who was born to ride. Voice-overs from his parents often narrated old footage of Travis riding as a child; and continued to do so right up until present day. Furthermore, interviews with Travis’ co-riders and friends were used to describe to the viewer the extent of Travis’ love for snowboarding, and his significant contribution to the sport. Also, there were sections where it was Travis self-narrating his own footage, talking about what it is that he loves best about snowboarding. The documentary examines the mental, physical, and emotional aspects of being a professional rider, while tending to place somewhat of an emphasis on the friendships and relationships that emerge through snowboarding. The film attempts to explain how snowboarders are very much athletes, striving for personal perfection and improvement (something not always associated with the term “snowboarder”).
The filmmakers only appeared to utilize interviews and extensive video footage as means of communicating their points. Through a number of slow motion video captures put to music – the beauty of the sport is truly captured and exhibited, which was presumably one of the main focuses of the project. In my opinion, this scene involving Travis Rice is perhaps the most revealing scene in the film. This scene really helps give a deeper look into the passion that is involved with snowboarding; something that I think is often overlooked in other videos which only showcase talent and skill. This gave a first hand account of what snowboarding means - not only to that individual partaking, but also to others who are involved in various ways (friends, family, sponsors etc…). I felt as though this scene was extremely effective in advancing the film’s ultimate goal – showcasing the beauty of the sport while shining a great deal of light onto the various other processes involved in the mastery of snowboarding.