Reviewing nugs

Expectations are a tricky thing. The Coastal Crew have had the weight of outsized expectations ever since the release of their Kranked 8 segment back in 2009. That video part has gone on to become arguably the most iconic section in mtb history (2.1 million views on Youtube and counting), right up there with Darren Berrecloth’s New World Disorder 10 opener. When Kranked Revolve dropped it wasn’t three dudes (and Kyle Jameson) knocking politely on the door, they kicked the whole wall down. It was one of those moments where everything clicked, they had a concept, phenomenal riding, a great song, and literally the best built features ever. In 2010 they decided to take things in a new direction and started self-producing web videos. The internet is the great democratizer and The Coastal Crew became a household name seemingly overnight. Thanks to them, dolly shots of loading and unloading bikes from the back of trucks, electro, cross dissolves, and film burns are now used ad nauseum by Pinkbike groms the world over (Side Note – I feel like Inside Out will lead to a dramatic rise in horizontal wipes… thanks for that one boys).

Hunter in Wonderland

2011 was when the boys truly became men. With backing from Anthill Films and their riding sponsors they pulled a Eugene Struthers and took things to ‘’a whole nother level.’’ I think the entire mtb community should send a big thank-you to Anthill. They trusted the Coastal Crew to pull off wonders with a small budget and an even smaller window to shoot the thing… and boy did they deliver. From the Inside Out is their 37-minute paean to freeride mountain biking. From their home base of Roberts Creek (aka Jurassic Park), to Fernie BC, to the high alpine of Squamish and everywhere in between; BC was thoroughly explored and systematically slain.

Fernie has the goods

I love the energy of the movie. Unlike certain other films I wasn’t left waiting for it to end but instead wished it were longer. The vibe is just so fun, you can tell the riders are enjoying themselves for the most part and that always makes footage more entertaining to watch. The houseboat section in particular really translates how awesome riding bikes for a living is. They’re working at something they love and it’s trips like that, which make slogging through grim winter days building in freezing wind, rain, and snow, all worthwhile.

Gnarly conditions make for epic shots

The rider lineup is top notch. From World Cup racer (and Island boy) Stevie Smith’s balls out speed on Mt. Prevost, to slopestyle wunderkind Brandon Semenuk’s next level videogame combos, and Kenny Smith’s nausea inducing rock lines, there was something for everyone in the movie. This is probably THE definitive ‘freeride’ movie. No hardtails to be seen here… it’s all about downhill bikes in the mountains.

That used to be a berm...

If you’ve ever seen a Coastal Crew video then you know the format: amazing trails, phenomenal riding, electro music, and well thought out and executed filming/editing. From the Inside Out takes their successful formula and builds on it, incorporating slightly more storyline as well as additional filming tricks (cable cam and crane) to improve production value. If you need something to get you fired up to crush brown pow or build a fresh new line of your own then this is the movie for you. It’ll have you stoked to shred in 30 minutes or less and I can’t wait for the sequel.

Words: Scott Secco

Photos: Nicholas Teichrob/Dylan Dunkerton

Here’s the trailer (if you haven’t seen it).

Click this and order the movie.

Living my dream.

OK so maybe based off of my near-constant Twitter hype and miscellaneous Facebook postings that’s pretty obvious… however, being the ultimate fan boy that I am I thought it would be sweet to know what the riders themselves thought of Life Cycles… One of the best things about MTB in my mind is the accessibility of everyone involved, mountain biking is still in its infancy and those in the industry do it for the love; there’s no illusion of cash, cars or super models. These guys are down-to-earth, blue collar dudes who just happen to shred harder than you ever will. They’ve sacrificed their bodies  all to ”live the dream”. It sounds cliche but they followed their passion, trading safety for happiness. You don’t always get to hear how the riders saw it.

Frankowski is the man. Best shot of the decade?

Stoked for this season.

Tips:

1.) Shoot A TON. Film everything, doesn’t matter if the riding is good BUT don’t necessarily post everything you shoot online. Depending on where you want to take your filming (for fun, for a job etc.) you may not want people to see your earliest edits and go ”man this kids sucks, I’m never going to watch his stuff again.”

2.) Copy the best. Watch Life Cycles, Follow Me, New World Disorder, Aaron Larocque videos, the Coastal Crew… figure out what kind of stuff makes you stoked and rip off the best ideas. Don’t literally copy edits shot for shot but find shots/segments you like and mimic their style.

3.) Make sure you know your camera/editing setup. Vimeo compression settings are probably the gold standard for web use so I definitely recommend them. Again, practise, practise, practise. If you have Windows download Adobe Premier or Sony Vegas and if you have a Mac get Final Cut Pro or Express. These programs have a semi-tricky learning curve but there are many good tutorials online. Many ”pros” are stoked to give tips and advice to up-and-comers too, BUT you need to have legit questions and not just bombard them with ”OMG ure edits r 2 kool d00d!”

4.) Use a tripod! Nothing ruins good riding like shaky footage. Invest in a cheap tripod for starters and an expensive one if you really really love it (good ones are $250 or more) beginner ones will be $50ish but worth every penny. It’s also worth it to make a dolly like the Coastal Crew, they’re super easy to make and add production value.

5.) Have fun! Don’t quit riding just for shooting. I definitely wish I rode more and it’s much harder to learn the older I get.

6.) Dig new stunts for shooting. I’m always stoked watching videos with features I’ve never seen before.

7.) Don’t go crazy with colour correcting/editing. I really hate videos that use HDR, weird effects and/or vignettes. Make clean, simple edits and focus on your shot composition and lighting. Try and take some shots like you would a still photo. Find sweet angles! Less is often more, cut out every shot that’s not useful: do you really need 8 angles of the same trick? Another slow mo digging shot? Helmet cam of the ENTIRE run? Spend multiple days on edits, the more shooting you do the stronger it will be. No need to post video as soon as it’s filmed.

8.) Pick the right song. Music can make or break your videos, it sets the tone for the entire viewing experience. Thomas Vanderham’s ‘Seasons’ seggie has some of the best riding ever but I hate the song so I rarely watch it. Music should match the light and style of riding while creating/capturing the energy you want for your work. Not every video needs dubstep and electro, I love those two styles to death but sometimes branching out will differentiate you in a good way. Find sweet tunes nobody has used yet.

To sum it up: make something you’re proud of. If you don’t like it why would anyone else?

I hope that helps out a few people.

‘’Alright man I got it!’’ I reply, scrambling up the incline to reach his gear. Who knew working with ‘Larock’ would be so labour intensive?

It’s 3:18pm and myself, Luke Fulton, Aaron Larocque, and the subject of his video, Brendan Howey are deep in the coastal forests of Vancouver Island slaying a near vertical chute. The line in question, we’d built the previous week after I’d found this particular zone, and adjacent waterfall, on a random scouting mission. I’m getting ahead of myself though, here’s how the day went.

I arrived at ‘Chez Larocque’ at precisely 9:30am, pumped to see how the man worked and help him out if I could. Grabbing gear we hit the road, a 10-foot aluminum ladder (used as rails for his dolly) perched precariously on the roof of my ’98 Dodge Caravan. 20 minutes and a gas station pit stop later we arrived at Victoria’s Hartland Dump. The trails here are fun but not that exciting visually… with one exception: Torpedo Run. Torpedo Run is Hartland’s answer to A-Line, it’s filled with rollers, berms and tables and an ideal showcase for steez machine Brendan Howey.

Rolling into the Hartland parking lot (equipped with bike wash station and washroom thanks to the South Island Mountain Bike Society) we spotted Luke and Howey waiting for us with a truck full of bikes and a window-rattling speaker system bumping Kid Cudi mixtapes. High-fives and man-hugs were exchanged and we hit the trail, fingers crossed for the rain to hold off long enough for Aaron and Howey to git er done.

After hiking for 15 minutes we reached our destination. Aaron set up his dolly on one of the last corners of the trail, and we waited… and waited… and waited… 20 minutes later we figured it was time to call them… and we got no answer. So far the day was not going well, we were without riders and apparently their phones were both out of commission.  For once my track skills came in handy though and I ran to the summit to let the boys know what was happening. Crisis averted, the day began in earnest and we shot the trail top to bottom.

We’d been hoping for another foggy day a la ‘’Island Winter’’ and we were not disappointed. Just as we bagged the final shot on Torpedo, a smothering blanket of mist rolled in and we gunned it back to the cars. We figured it was about time for some lunch so it was over to Red Barn. When in Victoria it’s a necessity to visit the Red Barn Market for sandwiches and this shoot was no exception. They are legendary for a reason — they’re absolutely gargantuan! Entering the parking lot I spotted a familiar black Honda Element, Strahan Loken had just finished a solo trail ride and had also felt the call of Red Barn sando’s.  This was clearly a sign of good luck and we said hi, ate, and then headed back out into the cold for part two of the shoot.

Stoked from a successful morning, we finally reached the line I was most excited to see ridden. The chute my story began with had been built the preceding weekend and was a fresh, loamy ribbon through the ferns and salal. It was untouched virgin single track and Howey was stoked to deflower it. The fog stuck around and Aaron bagged nugs, ticking shots off the list while Howey did lap after lap at white-knuckle speed. I did what I could, clearing shrubs for Aaron’s dolly and acting as Howey’s Sherpa, pushing his Commencal Furious up the incline for ‘’just one more.’’ After more runs than an NFL game I hear ‘‘should we call it? I think we’re done boys. Stoked!’’

Howey headed back to Luke’s house and then home to Vancouver. The footage sat on Aaron’s hard drive for weeks; they needed a banger before they could call it finished. Another shoot was arranged and Aaron took the ferry over to Howey’s neck of the woods. This trip ended disastrously though, as Howey took a digger, injuring his hand while filming. The crash wasn’t serious but he couldn’t hit the step down he’d built. The shoot was re-scheduled for the next weekend but was cancelled at the last second because of the lingering hand injury. Finally they got it together, Howey was back at 100% and Aaron was fired up to capture the ender they needed. They got the shot and you can see the finished product for yourself.

It is awesome seeing masters at the top of their game. Like Ali in his prime, watching Howey and Larocque at work was a lesson that practice and dedication pay off. These two absolutely killed it! The video really speaks for itself but all too often viewers take these edits for granted. The time and love that go into making an entertaining two-minutes is mind-boggling. Hopefully the video inspires you to your own creative endeavors, be they on the shovel, camera or bike. Summer is coming, get stoked!

If you haven’t seen the edit get on it… Brendan Howey Shredding

Howey is the man

*Having ridden Torpedo Run myself it makes it much easier to appreciate how good Howey is, the transfer at 1:05 is ridiculous and it’s pretty unreal he shot all of it after only one complete top to bottom run.

Currently no one reads this but I’m hoping to change that soon. I’m getting ready to put out fresh content and I think I’ll have some pretty cool stuff coming out in 2010. Over the Christmas holidays I spent 12 out of 14 days digging or filming. It’s been pretty productive. I also achieved one of my main goals which was to get my first VOD on pinkbike. I was stoked to get not one but two in a week. Big thanks to Jarrett and Wink and Kyle for killing it so hard. I’m also looking forward to finally having a computer which can handle real editing duties. Stoked on getting a proper comp to run Final Cut on in the next couple weeks.

I wish I had more free time but I have to make the best of what I have. I made a checklist with 25 things to build or film for my movie or other projects so I’m going to be busy… but at least I’ll be organized.

Checklists make life better.

Give your trails some love.

Whats Next? More like Whats Now.

Keep your standards high.

Can’t wait.