1975 · 7 min · Directed by William Reeve
Snow What? is a short documentary depicting a ski resort’s use of artificial snow to create a picture perfect slope. Reeve shoots this film like it is a nature documentary, framing the floodlights like the sun shining through the branches of bare deciduous trees. The film is filled with wide shots of the mountain being covered up by the snow machine with humans shown as small figures in the distance. The focus of the film is undoubtedly the snow machine, which is presented as a majestic tool that covers up the imperfections of the slope, constantly fighting —and besting— the naturally-occurring snow that falls from the sky. The film’s accompanying piece, Syrinx’s 1971 song, December Angel, further reflects the incongruity between the film’s shots and humanity’s desire to re-shape nature. The song’s relaxing tempo broken with disorderly machine-like sounds is a reflection of Reeve’s attempts to show the ski resort as a natural part of the mountain.
