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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 2018)
Wednesday, January 10, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 7 Sam Pyke — getting the shot By Eileen Chambers Correspondent “OMG moments?” Sam Pyke laughed at the question. “Plenty of them. Last year, in Azerbaijan, I was filming a hunt for Dagestan Tur sheep, incredible animals that live at about 10,000 feet. To get up that high, you have to use pack horses. Well, I was film- ing while riding my horse and seeing the 80-degree cliffs on both sides, I realized that one wrong step by the horse and I would be dead. Crazy dangerous. I was basically terrified…” “Terrified” is not a word one would readily attribute to this rugged cinematogra- pher who seems quite at home in places so remote that you have to search Google to find them. Back in Sisters for the holidays, Pyke was sitting outside Sisters Coffee Co., a place where everyone seems to know him, catching up on his latest adventures. Sam was raised in Sisters by parents who let their four sons watch movies such as “The Terminator” and “Lord of the Rings.” When Sam’s father bought the boys a VHS camera, the homegrown mov- ies began. “We made silly little vid- eos but that camera and the unwavering encouragement of our parents became the impetus for three of us to get into video production.” One of Sam’s brothers, Eli (of Zion Pictures) is a producer living in Sisters. PELLET PATIO HEATER The Lil’ Timber • No electricity needed, fl ame is powered only by gravity and the venturi created from the stove pipe • 60k BTU output • Holds 12 lbs. of pellets • Runs approx. 2 hours • 10-foot heat radius • Stop/start shutoff key JUST 399 $ U CAN OR YO T IT! REN Another, Casey, is a lead ani- mator who worked on “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” And, Sam? He travels throughout the world, often with Pacific Northwest out- doorsman Gary Lewis, shoot- ing their show, “Frontier Unlimited” (which airs locally and on the Pursuit Channel). “When I was a junior in college, I interned for Eli, who was producing the show at the time,” Sam recalled. “That year, I spent 2,000 hours editing and 600 hours in the field. Very rigorous. Typical of a small produc- tion. And our work ethic. After that season, he offered me the show itself. So, I took out a loan for equipment and, as a senior, produced my first season of television and never looked back.” That was seven years ago. Unlike some sportsmen shows, Frontier Unlimited engages a viewership not necessarily into hunting. “With Gary as our writer and historian, together we bring the story behind the story into each episode. Sure. We showcase technical informa- tion, for example, why we are shooting with such and such bullet, but we are on the same page regarding the depth of the story we want to tell and the quality of the production. Ours is not a show for those who just want to see some- thing get shot.” Growing up in Sisters allowed Sam to learn moun- taineering and how to deal with the harsh snow, rain, Select Simms Boots $129.95 Simms G3 Waders - $375 Sage Motive & Salt Rods - 40% OFF Rod Cases 40% Off Float Tubes & Accessories 30% OFF Zealand. Northern Territories. South America. Pyke’s work shows no sign of slowing down this year, but there is something else (or rather, someone else) he is looking for on the horizon. “I love this adventure and what I do every day. To be this far at my age is very hum- bling. However, my own story is that I want to meet my wife and have a couple of kids. So, as I continue as a cinematog- rapher, building this business that will support a family, I know the time is coming when the camera will not be number one anymore.” To see more of Sam Pyke’s work, visit www.hillshadow pictures.com. For winter plumbing emergencies call Sweeney y Plumbing. g Local. Dependable. Professional. 541-549-4349 260 N. Pine St., Sisters Licensed • Bonded • Insured • CCB#87587 January 10 – February 23 Reception to meet the artists Friday, January 26, 6 to 7:30 p.m. People’s Choice Awards The community may vote at the library for the awards Wednesday, January 10 through Friday, January 26. All are invited! 541-549-9631 www.sistersrental.com PHOTO PROVIDED Sam Pyke, left, has built a career as a filmmaker. New Year’s Winter Sale! 506 N. Pine St. Sales • Service Rentals • Accessories wind, and extremes of tem- perature inherent in shooting in the wild. “My philosophy about cin- ematography is to get every shot in the field without light- ing or setting something up,” Pyke said. “My view is that God made this world in a cer- tain, amazing way and, if I can’t capture a frame without having to use artificial light or some modification, then I am simply not being observant enough. Although I enjoy put- ting up a 2K light and mak- ing a great image, for me, the quest creatively is to catch a frame that is completely natural.” Which comes in handy when you are in Yellowstone, and the nearest electric outlet miles away. That’s where Sam was this winter. Deep snow. Minus 30 degrees. “This hunt was historic because, since the Treaty of 1859, the Yakima Nation has not been allowed to hunt bison,” he said. “However, the buffalo completely outsmarted us! No one got anything, but we will be going back.” What has Sam learned in these last seven years? “When you have been to some of the countries that I have been, you realized that, although we have a lot of problems in the U.S., com- pared to places where poverty and chaos are the norm, we in America are obnoxiously blessed. I no longer whine about traffic or the speed of my Internet connection.” And for 2018? New 151 W. Main Ave., Sisters 541-549-FISH | Open 7 days a week For information, contact Zeta Seiple at 541-549-6157 or Paul Alan Bennett at 541-588-0156.
