Josh Lowell: What I’ve Learned
39, Filmmaker, Pound Ridge, New York.
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This article appeared in Rock and Ice issue 205 (October 2012).
Finding a niche is a valuable gift. I stumbled into making climbing films 15 years ago. At the time the niche seemed small and random and it was hard to imagine making a career of it. But the passionate little tribe of climbers noticed my work. As the tribe has grown, my work has improved, and doors have opened.
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Collaboration is key. My first film projects were epic solo missions, finished only when I collapsed from exhaustion. But that’s a dead-end road. Working with my brother, Brett, and other creators like Mike Call and Corey Rich helped keep the energy high. Pete Mortimer of Sender Films and I could’ve become fierce competitors, but instead we pooled our resources and launched the Reel Rock Film Tour in 2006.
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Film production, and really all media, has changed drastically. As technology has gotten better and cheaper, now just about anyone can make a semi-decent video and distribute it on the internet.
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When we put out Dosage Volume 1, in 2001, I ordered the same number of VHS tapes as I had with our previous release, Rampage. But that year everyone switched to DVD, and I ended up with thousands of worthless VHS tapes. Since then I’ve tried to stay more forward-looking. If you can’t keep up with the rapidly shifting worlds of technology and media, you will not survive.
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Family gives it all meaning. When I was younger, I would sometimes get into a swirling, destructive head space, wondering what was the point of
all this stress. Shouldn’t I be doing something huge and important, or maybe partying and having fun? Now I have an amazing, successful and supportive wife, and two young kids, and it all makes sense. My ego is kept in check by their love. I know why I’m working hard now, and I’m proud of it.
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Climbing is essential. It’s not easy to get out often anymore, but I MUST keep climbing. I don’t need as much of it these days; just one session a week and I’m good. When I get that shot of pure physical joy and mental exhilaration I’m a happier person, a better dad, and a more inspired, productive filmmaker. If I’ve recently gotten pumped and felt scared, I’ll do a better job of conveying those core climbing sensations on film.
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I can still improve. It’s inspiring seeing the old dudes cranking lately. Wills Young throws laps on The Mandala! I’m turning 40 this year; it would be badass to do my first V12.
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There’s no “right” way. Having worked with the best climbers, followed their routines during shoots, pored over footage of their greatest accomplishments and biggest failures, I find it amazing how varied their approaches are. The tweaky obsessiveness of Dave Graham, the laid-back spontaneity of Chris Sharma, the methodical dedication of Tommy Caldwell—all get the job done.
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Vision has more impact than performance. The most memorable things we’ve filmed are climbs that bring something new to the table, rather than purely the hardest ones. Sharma’s deep-water solo Es Pontas, for instance, was something nobody had imagined before and it blew minds. This applies to the actual filmmaking as well: Nobody is too concerned about the technical details of our work. People want to see a new vision rather than perfect execution.
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