Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Michael Martin prefers to be the man behind the camera.

Used by such filmmakers as Warren Miller, Martin specializes in shooting action-sport footage when he's not busy being a ski business professor at Colorado Mountain College.

Martin's longstanding interest in filmmaking prompted him to get involved in the Alpine Enrichment Program through CMC.

Beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Bogue Hall, Room 300, on the CMC campus, Martin will give a presentation on the stories and struggles of young filmmakers in their pursuit of making action-sport films. Martin will document some of his films as well as the films from the upcoming Radical Reels Banff Tour.

"In talking to other people, everyone wants to have a background of how they can make films on their own," Martin said. "I was thinking of walking through what I would do as an independent filmmaker."

Martin, who founded the Steamboat Mountain Film Festival, also shot footage for The Weather Channel's "Epic Conditions" miniseries running on Sunday nights. "Epic Conditions" debuted with a feature on powder snow in Steamboat Springs.

"A lot of people have cameras and want to know how to do it even for their own personal use - maybe make it more professional looking," Martin said. "I was going to talk about what I've done with contract work and show the slight differences that make a professional look."

Wednesday's presentation and discussion is a lead-in for the April 11 showing of action-sport movies on the Radical Reels Banff Tour.

Select movies from the Banff Mountain Film Festival tour the United States as part of the Radical Reels Banff Tour, giving independent filmmakers a chance to show off their projects to an audience likely to be interested.

Movie topics this year include skiing, kayaking, mountain biking and rock climbing.

"This is the first time it will be here," said Martin, who arranged the tour to stop at the Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel. "We just couldn't find the time last year, and a spot opened up this year. It will be a welcome to next season's activities."

The cost to see the eight movies is $15. There is no cost to attend Martin's seminar on filmmaking Wednesday.