The Creators Project

A Chat with Curt Morgan

Are you solely interested in scenic and epic action shots? I imagine your gear can also capture more intimate situations in ways that resonate differently than the standard 8mm or digital film.
That’s the thing, I want to show a shot of a guy smoking a cigarette in LA and make it look like something you’ve never seen before. I have all these ideas, and I’m just starting to build on them. We’ve had some good success doing action sports, and these tools are amazing for shooting them. But I’m trying to figure out a way to move on.

One of the many cameras you use is called the Cineflex. It’s an extremely high-resolution aerial camera that mounts to a helicopter or a truck and is controlled by an operator inside the vehicle. The images it takes are breathtaking, but how does one discover and decide to purchase such a specialized piece of equipment?
I saw the Cineflex on a helicopter, and I saw the images it captured in New Zealand while filming That’s It, That’s All [a groundbreaking HD snowboarding film Curt made in conjunction with Quicksilver and Red Bull], and it changed the way I thought. I like movement in images. I hate lock-off shots. But I don’t like shots with movement that are super shaky, so this camera answered all of those problems. I can put this camera anywhere, all over the world, and get a stable moving shot at the longest end of the lens.

You’re based out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which is a place of sprawling natural beauty. Do you live there because it’s the perfect place to test out your equipment?
It’s the absolute greatest testing ground—we are surrounded by some of the most beautiful mountains in the world. I travel all over the world, and I can’t tell you of a more beautiful place than where I live. To be able to go out and test these cameras in my backyard is a pretty amazing thing. It’s also a nice relief. I grew up in New York, and it’s so calm here. It’s nice to be able to retreat back to a place like Jackson after spending months in LA or months in different cities.

So what’s the plan moving forward? Do you hope to incorporate some solid storylines into your work and let the imagery play more of a supporting role?
That’s the thing; I’m the worst storyteller in the world—the absolute worst. I need to find people to work with who are good storytellers. I’m not a good writer, so I just focus on what I am good at, which is more imagery based. I’m a visual storyteller. I end up doing stories with b-roll and interviews; I’m not a feature guy. Creating wild, crazy imagery is what my company is all about, but I’d like to extend past that.