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How Has The Academy Award Changed Jimmy Chin’s Life?

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Earlier this year, climber/filmmaker Jimmy Chin won an Academy Award for his thrilling documentary, “Free Solo.” In Part 1 of this exclusive Forbes interview series, Chin discussed his new-found celebrity, the commercialization of Mt. Everest, the great mountaineer Reinhold Messner and Nims Purja’s world record climb of all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks in under seven months. Here, in Part 2, Chin talks about how the Academy Award has changed his life, his recent Moab Tombstone filming experience with longtime friend and base jumper Steph Davis using the Osmo Action camera, and what it’s like to be on the acting side of a camera.

Jim Clash: How has winning an Academy Award changed your life?

Jimmy Chin: A lot more opportunities have come my way. It’s changed things for the better in the sense that I can be very selective about which of them I choose to do. But in other ways, it hasn’t changed who I am and what I prioritize in my life. It’s been a reaffirmation of the fact that what has always been important to me still is. I feel really fortunate that I found climbing and skiing and surfing, and have been able to reap the benefits of doing those things, including the people I’ve met and am surrounded by. [The award] hasn’t changed who I am. Yes, there’s a lot more recognition, but that’s not anything I ever sought to begin with. I try to keep it pretty low key, keep it real. Overall, it’s been great on a lot of levels, a reaffirmation that the truth I found early on is still true, and that feels good.

Clash: As you say, you’re low key, don’t like the spotlight. How did it feel being on the other side of the camera in “Meru?”

Chin: When we were making “Meru,” I originally did not want to be in the movie. My wife [producer Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi] was like, “No, you have to be in the movie. You’re a critical part of the story.” I was like, “Uh, that’s kind of cheesy, self-indulgent, silly and not appropriate to have the filmmaker put himself in the film.” It has to be very meaningful, critical to moving the narrative forward. I hate seeing myself on camera, hate hearing my voice on camera, you know [laughs]? But I understand the purpose it serves when it’s necessary like in “Meru.”

Clash: What makes your recent Moab Tombstone base jump with Steph Davis so meaningful?

Chin: Moab and the desert area around it is a place I spent a lot of time, especially early on in my career. There were months at Tombstone hiking, climbing and shooting with Steph. The images of her 16 years ago were some of my first ever published. So we’ve had a long history. Plus the desert itself is special. There are very few places in the world that look and feel like that. The climbing is spectacular, too. As a base jumper living there, having the Tombstone right there to jump, is also amazing for Steph. Steph as a person, and her career and story, are just very inspiring.

Clash: You shot that Moab footage on an Osmo Action. Why did you choose that camera over other portables like, say GoPro?

Chin: There are attributes to the Osmo that make it really easy to use. If I’m not in a full production mode with a giant crew, and am out filming and want something I can carry on my own, I want a really small, easy, durable camera I can throw into my pocket. But if I’m going to pull out a camera to shoot, I also want good footage. The fact that Osmo shoots 4K means that if, by chance, I want to use the footage later, or screen it somewhere big, I can – I mean, it’s 4K. So there are plenty of opportunities to use it in a real production.

In general, though, I’m bringing it as my handy cam. A couple of things make it really nice to use, one being the front-facing screen, where you can actually see what you’re shooting [laughs]. That’s a pretty big deal, and something I really like. And then it has the rock-steady internal stabilization, which is night and day and changes everything. If you are skiing or mountain biking or where it’s really rough, it’s like you have a gyro-stabilized set-up, but it’s built into the camera. It’s incredibly stable. It’s amazing where technology has gone. The shots I can get just walking or skiing now compared to even a few years ago where the footage probably wouldn’t even be usable, is amazing - a whole professional, stabilized shot, you know?

(Editor’s Note: In the next part of our interview series with Jimmy Chin, we discuss the documentary “Free Solo,” Chin’s surfing hobby, why his films connect with the public and more. Stay tuned to the Forbes Lifestyle channel.)

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