Post by Patrick on Oct 16, 2005 11:05:08 GMT 8
Quoted from RL mailing list:
Prague Filming Day 1
So I’m in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic!! I’m travelling with the full Collective crew, Darcy Whitenburg, Jamie Houssain, Darren Mccullough, and Colin Jones, and we’re filming for their new flick called ‘Roam’.
Day one was an exploratory day. We hit a few of the downtown parks, and first thing I noticed was that they didn’t clean up their doggy doo, very important observation for me. Second thing I notived was a sweet tree branch that I incorporated in to a line, unfortunately I managed to incorporate some of that dog doo too my exit!!
...this tree was just begging to be ridden!....
It’s a delicate balance riding in a city that is full of history, most of the lines you’re riding have some sort of important historical story attached to it, so you’re far more likely to offend people than in all the young North America cities. We actually had three people tell us off today, two in Czech, and one in English. I am always sure to be respectful on the architecture, nothing but rubber always, but with so many people around, it’s a hard game to play.
So opening day, we have a few shots in the bag, but lots more still to collect!
Day 2
So the Czechs call their city Praha, meaning ‘little mother Prague’, and it’s the national capital. It’s a beautiful city with all sorts of architectural styles, from Romanesque, to full on Gothic, to Renaissance, and even some Modernist. Should make for a great array of backgrounds in the film.
...some serious walls suround the city....
Still getting over jet lag, which meant another late start to the day. Our first set up was in front of a bank, right in the heart of down town. Couldn’t believe we didn’t get kicked out actually, we lasted about 25 minutes solid until I got the line. Business owners were actually watching, and bankers were even coming out to see what was going on. Seems that the locals have that same enjoyment of alternative sports as the rest of Europe.
Next we found a pretty technical line that I tried for about 45 minutes, the sun changed so I had to give up, kinda sucked, but it was taking too long anyway. It’s tough to walk away from a line where you’ve invested so much time. But we soon found another nice tree that I managed to ride up on and do a couple different exits off off, so I got my stoke back.
Not a bad day, would have liked to have a few extra shots in the bag, but we still have 4 more full days in Prague so all should be good!
Day 3
One of the most important years for Prague, as of late, was 1989, when the city was freed from Communism by the Velvet Revolution. The locals we spoke with are so happy with life and the opportunities that are now open to every citizen and say it’s hard to imagine the change in life after just a decade and a half. They say that certain traits are still evident in the population, maybe a bit of laziness and not following rules such as picking up after your dog!!
So this was the best day yet as far as filming goes. We nailed 5 keeper lines that should make the film. The crew rented cruisers so we could get around a lot faster, I think that helped a lot.
One line in particular was challenge, well it involved a train track, and I ended up getting 5 flat tires in the process trying to get the line just right. Funny thing was I tried it initially to just see if it was doable and nailed it first try!
...the next step in train track lines....
Then at the end of the day, I pulled a big side gap, but I had to take a recovery hop at the end, couldn’t get it perfect even after trying it for half an hour. The crew said it looked great, and maybe a good looking line with an extra hop is better than none, I hope so anyway!
Day 4
Wow, my body is sore today! Trying that big gap yesterday stretched out all my muscles, paying for it for sure. So it was a bit of a gamble coming to Prague in October, it can be pretty wet this time of year, but it’s been blue bird since day one, we were fortunate.
I was pretty happy to nail a line we gave up on a few days ago, this segment is definitely shaping up. Two days left to go and one of the best lines is yet to be ridden, it’s a tough line, a little dangerous, but I think I’ve got a good shot at it.
It’s such a pleasure working with these Collective guys. Jamie, the co-producer is mellow but yet has a clear vision and the skills to back it up. Darcy, also co-producer is fast with the camera and nails the shot everytime, Darren is a king fruit booter and knows how to find the best angles, and Colin captures the best G.O.P.’s (look for the easter egg when the DVD is released-Girls of Prague) without fail, not too bad with the lens either!! I can’t wait to see how Jamie and Darcy edit this seggy together, I’m so stoked to be working with them!!
...Jamie capturing the beauty of the city at sunset....
Day 5
Earlier start today, after missing the evening sun and sunset last night because we were in a restaurant having a long dinner, I think we all felt obliged to get a full day in. So we actually went out and nailed an anchor line first thing before breakfast.
We noticed that there aren’t any overweight people in town, actually, I’ve been hungry this trip, the portions are smaller here. I think that people eat less, and exercise less here, not too many runners or gyms to be seen.
So I went back to a line I saw the first day that had been in my dreams ever since. It’s a burly line that I wanted to nail quite badly. We had perfect light, and had walked a while to get there, so I knew the time was right. I sessioned the line for what seems like an hour, taking some pretty hard crashes, beating myself, and my bike up pretty bad. I did nail the line successfully, but there was a small set up hop at the beginning. I had to let it go as the line had abused me enough, and decided that it was okay because this movie is called Roam, not Manifesto!
...super precise railing line, it beat me up!!....
We did some unsuccessful scoping from that point in, but we did have a kick ass Mexican meal and shot the closing scenic shot for the segment during the sunset, so all in all, it was a solid day.
Day 6
We took off first thing in the morning so the boys could rent cruiser bikes again. As our last day of filming, our goal was to cover as much ground as possible. At this point, we had collected enough footage to put together a solid segment, we just needed some connecting shots to help add flow and give the viewer a chance to really sink in to the action. We found a nice line with a view, one that incorporated a chain actually, ideally I wanted balance along it, but there was no line in or out, so I came up with a way to hit it perpendicularly, good fun.
So toward the end of the day, we hooked up with a local magazine guy named Jan, and he took us around so we could get some driving shots of me cruising the cobblestone streets.. Prague is such a beautiful city, and one of our goals of the trip was to share this beauty with the viewer.
..serious celebratory Czech rounds with the boys, Pivo!....
Day 7
So our friend Petr, the local Norco distributor hooked us up with a drive to the airport. A quick hop to London and the team split ways, Darcy, Jamie, Darren, and CJ left to hook up with Thomas Vanderham Matt Hunter, and Andrew Shandro in Morocco, and I caught a connecting flight back to Vancouver.
Roam is going to be a brilliant film, and I’m stoked and proud to be a part of it, I'm can't wait to share this trip with everyone when the film is released in April of 2006!
Stay positive, and be you….over and out ya’ll!!
Ryan
Prague Filming Day 1
So I’m in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic!! I’m travelling with the full Collective crew, Darcy Whitenburg, Jamie Houssain, Darren Mccullough, and Colin Jones, and we’re filming for their new flick called ‘Roam’.
Day one was an exploratory day. We hit a few of the downtown parks, and first thing I noticed was that they didn’t clean up their doggy doo, very important observation for me. Second thing I notived was a sweet tree branch that I incorporated in to a line, unfortunately I managed to incorporate some of that dog doo too my exit!!
...this tree was just begging to be ridden!....
It’s a delicate balance riding in a city that is full of history, most of the lines you’re riding have some sort of important historical story attached to it, so you’re far more likely to offend people than in all the young North America cities. We actually had three people tell us off today, two in Czech, and one in English. I am always sure to be respectful on the architecture, nothing but rubber always, but with so many people around, it’s a hard game to play.
So opening day, we have a few shots in the bag, but lots more still to collect!
Day 2
So the Czechs call their city Praha, meaning ‘little mother Prague’, and it’s the national capital. It’s a beautiful city with all sorts of architectural styles, from Romanesque, to full on Gothic, to Renaissance, and even some Modernist. Should make for a great array of backgrounds in the film.
...some serious walls suround the city....
Still getting over jet lag, which meant another late start to the day. Our first set up was in front of a bank, right in the heart of down town. Couldn’t believe we didn’t get kicked out actually, we lasted about 25 minutes solid until I got the line. Business owners were actually watching, and bankers were even coming out to see what was going on. Seems that the locals have that same enjoyment of alternative sports as the rest of Europe.
Next we found a pretty technical line that I tried for about 45 minutes, the sun changed so I had to give up, kinda sucked, but it was taking too long anyway. It’s tough to walk away from a line where you’ve invested so much time. But we soon found another nice tree that I managed to ride up on and do a couple different exits off off, so I got my stoke back.
Not a bad day, would have liked to have a few extra shots in the bag, but we still have 4 more full days in Prague so all should be good!
Day 3
One of the most important years for Prague, as of late, was 1989, when the city was freed from Communism by the Velvet Revolution. The locals we spoke with are so happy with life and the opportunities that are now open to every citizen and say it’s hard to imagine the change in life after just a decade and a half. They say that certain traits are still evident in the population, maybe a bit of laziness and not following rules such as picking up after your dog!!
So this was the best day yet as far as filming goes. We nailed 5 keeper lines that should make the film. The crew rented cruisers so we could get around a lot faster, I think that helped a lot.
One line in particular was challenge, well it involved a train track, and I ended up getting 5 flat tires in the process trying to get the line just right. Funny thing was I tried it initially to just see if it was doable and nailed it first try!
...the next step in train track lines....
Then at the end of the day, I pulled a big side gap, but I had to take a recovery hop at the end, couldn’t get it perfect even after trying it for half an hour. The crew said it looked great, and maybe a good looking line with an extra hop is better than none, I hope so anyway!
Day 4
Wow, my body is sore today! Trying that big gap yesterday stretched out all my muscles, paying for it for sure. So it was a bit of a gamble coming to Prague in October, it can be pretty wet this time of year, but it’s been blue bird since day one, we were fortunate.
I was pretty happy to nail a line we gave up on a few days ago, this segment is definitely shaping up. Two days left to go and one of the best lines is yet to be ridden, it’s a tough line, a little dangerous, but I think I’ve got a good shot at it.
It’s such a pleasure working with these Collective guys. Jamie, the co-producer is mellow but yet has a clear vision and the skills to back it up. Darcy, also co-producer is fast with the camera and nails the shot everytime, Darren is a king fruit booter and knows how to find the best angles, and Colin captures the best G.O.P.’s (look for the easter egg when the DVD is released-Girls of Prague) without fail, not too bad with the lens either!! I can’t wait to see how Jamie and Darcy edit this seggy together, I’m so stoked to be working with them!!
...Jamie capturing the beauty of the city at sunset....
Day 5
Earlier start today, after missing the evening sun and sunset last night because we were in a restaurant having a long dinner, I think we all felt obliged to get a full day in. So we actually went out and nailed an anchor line first thing before breakfast.
We noticed that there aren’t any overweight people in town, actually, I’ve been hungry this trip, the portions are smaller here. I think that people eat less, and exercise less here, not too many runners or gyms to be seen.
So I went back to a line I saw the first day that had been in my dreams ever since. It’s a burly line that I wanted to nail quite badly. We had perfect light, and had walked a while to get there, so I knew the time was right. I sessioned the line for what seems like an hour, taking some pretty hard crashes, beating myself, and my bike up pretty bad. I did nail the line successfully, but there was a small set up hop at the beginning. I had to let it go as the line had abused me enough, and decided that it was okay because this movie is called Roam, not Manifesto!
...super precise railing line, it beat me up!!....
We did some unsuccessful scoping from that point in, but we did have a kick ass Mexican meal and shot the closing scenic shot for the segment during the sunset, so all in all, it was a solid day.
Day 6
We took off first thing in the morning so the boys could rent cruiser bikes again. As our last day of filming, our goal was to cover as much ground as possible. At this point, we had collected enough footage to put together a solid segment, we just needed some connecting shots to help add flow and give the viewer a chance to really sink in to the action. We found a nice line with a view, one that incorporated a chain actually, ideally I wanted balance along it, but there was no line in or out, so I came up with a way to hit it perpendicularly, good fun.
So toward the end of the day, we hooked up with a local magazine guy named Jan, and he took us around so we could get some driving shots of me cruising the cobblestone streets.. Prague is such a beautiful city, and one of our goals of the trip was to share this beauty with the viewer.
..serious celebratory Czech rounds with the boys, Pivo!....
Day 7
So our friend Petr, the local Norco distributor hooked us up with a drive to the airport. A quick hop to London and the team split ways, Darcy, Jamie, Darren, and CJ left to hook up with Thomas Vanderham Matt Hunter, and Andrew Shandro in Morocco, and I caught a connecting flight back to Vancouver.
Roam is going to be a brilliant film, and I’m stoked and proud to be a part of it, I'm can't wait to share this trip with everyone when the film is released in April of 2006!
Stay positive, and be you….over and out ya’ll!!
Ryan
