Rusty

We got almost every Wakeboard DVD ever made/available at the shop a couple days ago and I have been catching up on my vids.

All I have to say is that Bent Felix is a HOT movie. Especially Rusty and Lymans parts, and I LOVED watching the footy from Wakefest. I highly suggest it for anyone looking for a Christmas present/stocking stuffer. The vid rocks.

That is all.

I thought it was kind of lame. Innuendo on the other hand, was pretty good.

Why is that Thane? Are you being serious?

I LOVED Sharpes part in Bent Felix!

Bent Felix rocks. aside from the riding (which is pure awsome) the editing was good. i'll be the first to say that i like the music too. they finally went with something original, even though it is kinda different

Leo - I guess I'm just over all the lighting and filters and effects. Just show me some raw riding footage. It's like Sean was trying to hard or something.

I'm with you on the filters being a bit annoying. The whole movie has this green tint to it (but it doesn't look good like the Matrix) and the whites are blown out so there is no detail. The riding is fantastic, though. Harf and Chad totally kill it.

harf's extra section was absolutely incredible though.

is the actual movie anything like the trailer? If it is, I think I will like the movie...

I agree, I like Butter Effect much better. The camera angles were jacked up where you couldn't really see/appreciate the full motion of the trick.

I think they took footage from a tube directly underneath the rider instead of slightly in front or behind of the rider. I agree those shots are odd and you can't tell what the trick is, how big they are going, etc.

I really liked it (not quite as much as Butter Effect), but the real time sound they used on the sliders really wore thin. There's only so much scratching you can take. If you like Rusty, get Bent Felix; it is, undeniably, his movie with three FULL sections (two in the bonus) and even some overflow in the credits.

for those who haven't seen it (like myself) check out the hyperlite website, they put up JD's and Rathy's sections

i think the best camera view is when they r away from the boat. that looks cool!

Thane,

"Just show me some raw riding footage."

Sean accomplishes so much more in Bent Felix than capturing a manuever that the riders perform. The sections imply a part of wakeboarding that is so much more than the move itself. It is the atmosphere and environment and the mood that strikes any one of us when we get out behind a boat. The lighting is dramatic and the colors are vibrant which in my opinion adds to the intensity of the sequences. The angles are fresh and unrepeated which says alot about his ability to bring something new to the table. The majority of moves shown are within a frame of reference that is easy to catch and make sense of, while at the same time features unique, less obvious viewpoints that enhances the different riding sections.

These are movies. They are not raw footage from a chaseboat or towboat. I think that the finest movies rely less heavily on fancy editing techniques and more on the variety of quality camera angle, beautiful lighting, and most importantly, a killer soundtrack.

When you apply new methods and innovative techniques to the oh-so-standard wakeboard movie format you're bound to get some negetive feedback. But it's the people that recognize the purpose behind these film techniques that will be able to truly appreciate the cinematic artistry that is Bent Felix.

Wow, somebody was paying attention at film school.

IMO films are judged by there viewers, getting wrapped up in arty farty B/S can remove you from your target market. But what do I know I only buy DVD's not make them.

That being said I haven't seen Bent Felix yet but I love Sean's past efforts and my current favourite DVD is "such is life" so I'm sure I'll like BF too. Just waiting for buywake to get them into stock.

So thats why they're so darn expensive!?!?? We're paying for effects most don't want (or "can't appreciate") The riding makes the movie, not colors, sunshine, wind blowing thru hair.... honestly i'll love it just cause it's a new movie, but i too am done with all the fancy smanchy editing of the top guys today. Have seen ten times better come out of underground players and friends that make it to please themselves. Riley, you seem pretty related to the movie to have a non-biased opinion, IMO

well, what else is there to show? Every move ever done is already on video somewhere. Why buy new DVD's at all if you only want to see tricks.

Wakeboarding is a very static thing. It is flat water and a wakeboard boat going is a straight line at a static speed. The ride is based on how well a rider can rotate himself in a static invironment. Some have tried to change it up with stunts, or doing some tow-in stuff in the surf, but the average wakeboarder doesnt feel any of that stuff.

So, the only thing left to do is catch the same old stuff in a different way to maintain entertainment value. The Chick Flick video will be good because it is an aspect of riding we dont usually see. Videographers need to find stuff like that that hasnt been covered. As the sports gets older, this becomes harder and harder to find. The same guys doing the same tricks over and over is boring. Even new guys doing the same tricks weve seen Byerly doing since High Wake Drifters is boring. Even if a new trick is caught on film, it isnt worth buying an entire DVD.

So, what is a wakeboarding videographer to do? Well, he either waits for the entire sport to evolve to a level that deserves a full DVD worth of documentation, or he finds an under appreciated aspect to cover, or he rehashes the same old stuff, but presents it in a way that might entertain a different viewing group (artistic stuff).

Dang Riley... Remind me not to get onto you for not being articulate. Maybe if I had you I wouldn't of had to take cinema appreciation twice. Wait! I had to take it twice cause I wouldn't go! Dang wakeboarding ruining my life.

does anyone have boombox? there's a section in the extras that's just a commentary, and some raw footage. it switches between a digital film camera in the boat, and the 16mm film camera from a helicopter, and I watch it over and over and over. I'm the kind of person who will watch a DVD hundreds of times. I don't know if anyon has the Current Video Magazine but there was one issue, dvd, whatever you want to call it that was all pretty much just raw footage, shot with a digital camera, with good lighting. It's over 2 years old and it's still one of my favorite DVD's. Not saying that anyone has to like what I like, or that anyone even asked what I like, but I felt like telling someone.

(Message edited by thane_dogg on October 19, 2006)

I agree, stuff has been done already. But thats a part of wakeboarding. So I'll answer your question with a question. Who is the viewing group? Who would you target? Why change whats worked? Wakeboarders are a niche group and will buy a video b/c of who is riding in it, who made it, or just cause its wakeboarding. So yeah, I will buy a video with the same old stuff, if it has the riders i want to see. One thing i do know, good friends that know Premier and other editing programs (which I don't) laugh at most of the big name vid makers. Its more about who you film, not how you film.

"So thats why they're so darn expensive!?!?? We're paying for effects most don't want (or "can't appreciate") The riding makes the movie, not colors, sunshine, wind blowing thru hair...."

Let's think about that, a good independent pro videographer makes between $250 and $500 an hour and that's time on the job not time the camera is turned on. Editors make top pay as well. My estimation is one needs at least 20 hours of decent footage to make a decent 1 hour wakeboard vid which probably meant over 100 hours of actual time spent shooting. That would equate to $25K to $50K just for acquistion in the real world.

How many units do you think a popular wakeboard video sells?

Most of these are done with little or no budget by kids who sooner or later will have to face the real world and move to work they can make a decent living off of.

"good friends that know Premier and other editing programs (which I don't) laugh at most of the big name vid makers."

I have a friend whose company used to do all the corporate video for Intel, believe me in those circles extreme videos are considered a complete joke and waste of time (unless you're Bruce Brown or Warren Miller.)

Good points Rich, kinda like I was saying, why waste time and money on bells and whistles not many people want. I mean, I paid $20+ to see wakeboarding, not sides of barns and changing colors that looks like my computer screen when I'm playing music

A-Dub and Rich, I agree. The raw footage of Danny Harf in the extras section is killer, no need for any artistic re-interpretation of his moves. Just get a nice steady camera shot and crank up a really good soundtrack and let him work.

One thing I really do like about Bent Felix (and the Butter Effect), is the use of film instead of video. Unless they are using an HD camera, film has way more resolution and detail. Just stay away from wierd filters and the image quality is fantastic.

the Butter Effect was a kick ass movie. I really liked my side as well. My side is one of the movies that I just watched the crap out of.

Interesting discussion. Here is my 2cents...

First of all I am a fan of Kilgus and have all his movies. They are all different in their own way and the overall quality has become better with each one. I can understand that he would want to progress as a film maker and to do that, you certainly need to take some risks. With that, the viewing public may or may not like the direction you are heading, but you have to respect him for pushing himself to create something different instead of regurtitaing the same style over and over.

Certainly there are basic rules to cinematography, editing, and trick selection for that matter, but in the end what looks good on screen is totally subjective.

As for costs to make these movies as an independant film maker, or better yet the real profit.....well lets just say we are not getting rich. Even "succsessful" movies have a tough time just breaking even. Regardless of how many people in the industry that you "bro-down" with, it is a tough road without backing from a company with some juice who believes in what you are doing.

There is actually no special editing techniques in sean's video during post production. All he did was fades and dissolves for transitions. Those "filters" were the color correction that took place when bumping the 16mm over to digital media.

But aside from that, I see that people enjoy either more raw uncut versions of videos where they want to watch the rider in as natural of a viewing environment as possible-- digital video is not a concern for these viewers, and the more technical, artistic approach to film making which is best left to high def or film. You don't want to overproduce simple footage.

Hopefully a producer can please everyone when portraying his/ her vision of a quality sports film-- and not have it sway too hard to one end of the pendulum.

Personally, I like seeing what they can do as a director and editor, pushing the envelope, seeing what works and what doesn't from an editing and videography standpoint.

I've seen videos where I felt that cuts and edits where unnecessary, that it was a cheap attempt at enhancing the sequence. But in the end this is art. And as wakeboarders we are very critical of how the riding is displayed. From a cinematic-compostion standpoint I think Bent Felix just plain kicks ass.

As for the high contrast and poppy colors it is the only theme that remains constant throughout Bent Felix. And I suppose that's the only loose cannon here... it either works for you or it doesn't. Regardless of that I'm sure everyone can appreciate the proffesionalism of the movie and the incredible riding that takes place.

(Rizzle said)
...Those "filters" were the color correction that took place when bumping the 16mm over to digital media...As for the high contrast and poppy colors it is the only theme that remains constant throughout Bent Felix.

Ahh, that might explain it. He probably had a film to video transfer or compression job in post production that botched the color conversion and blew out the whites and details. That would explain it and is a very common problem.

"Why change whats worked". Keep it up, this thread is getting better than the open toe closed toe debate...

what board does danny harf use in the video

premier