Sap Bucket Studios

Movie Scene Critique:

I choose a scene from Not2Bad, where all of the Trek Factory racers teamed up to create a short but drawing scene during the film. The film is made up of small segments that go in depth with individual Trek Factory riders, this scene however — which is smack dab in the middle of the film — brings all of those riders together. In a way that subtle but intriguing at the same time. The transitions between riders is nothing short of awesome, very well thought and planned out. You can tell that every little detail was thought out. The location was crucial, the directors had to find a location where the there were two tears side by side so they could simply pan from riders to riders without any real cutting. There are three of these cuts throughout the film, and only one cut where the camera pans at the ground speeding past and then pans right back up to a slightly different scene with two different riders. The trail the director's choose is perfect for the segment as while. It’s a little detail, but the trail is technical enough to give the watch a feeling of the skill that the riders have, while being “smooth” enough for the riders to absolutely fly past the camera, providing the action that viewers want.

The lighting in this film is completely natural, from what I can tell there is no use of artificial lighting. I also don’t really see how artificial lighting could have been used, the riders were ripping there way down a trail, a stationary light in my opinion would not have done much to help decrease or increase shadows. After watching probably hundreds of hours of mountain bike films, I have realized that the key to a great, heart pumping, thrill seeking film, is that you need to have a kick ass rider. But, from a cinematography standpoint you need quick fast shots and lots of jump cuts. You also want multiple cameras to get several angles of the same scene of of two bikers smashing their way through a corner, just like at 1:20 to 1:28 of the segment. Using slow mo proportionately is pivotal as well, because no know wants to watch three minutes of consistent slow mo, but sprinkled in throughout the film gives it a great feel and a rush of excitement.

The atmosphere of the location and the sunny bright day give the film a feeling of exhilaration. The riders (actors) are happy and having a great time, obviously enjoying their time together. The sound of this segment makes it. The song in the background is a fine touch, not too much, but not too little. While the sound of the clanking bikes and the tires on the dirt make it feel real and like you are there watching them fly by you. The sound effects were definitely added in post processing and my guess would be that they had some sort of mics on the bikes to gather sound to use later. A scene where the sound really jumps out at me is when the rider hits his helmet on the tree branch at 2:24.

The overall feel for this film is fun, you want to get out and ride your bike after watching it. The segment I choose, is a key part of the film, tying the riders together and showing that it is damn fun to grab a buddy and ride. Making a great mountain bike film takes a great rider, an awesome trail, but also the knowledge of professional cinema to put something as good as this segment together.