I really don't wanna' do
this........Honest.......
Lets get this out of the way right off the bat. My
Grandmother always told me "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say
anything at all". Unfortunately she never had to do video reviews for
Off-Road.com. Sorry Grandma, but "Twisted" from BFE Films leaves me
with very little good to say. I make no apologies for that statement. It's a hard
truth, but a truth none the less - and now I'll back it up.
"Twisted" attempts to be "Crusty Demons of Dirt" on 4 wheels, and
unfortunately it misses the mark. Mixing in a hard rock /
alternative / country soundtrack with desert racing, rock crawling,
sand sports, and hellaciously wasted partying, they certainly aimed
to show the "extreme" nature of off-roading. Instead, they created
a "lifestyle" video that will likely represent the Sierra Club's
best talking points as to why off-roaders should be exterminated
with extreme prejudice. After review by several staff & friends We all
came to the same conclusion. Had we paid money for the video, we'd
be just a little bit tweaked. It's not all bad; to BFE's credit, there actually are
some good shots in the rockcrawling, and Glamis sections of the
film. Unfortunately the abundance of grainy action shots, poor
camera angles, and the sheer time wasted on drunk buddies barfing
in the toilet, taking a whizz on the dumpster, and couch surfing
through the streets of some unnamed city, thoroughly overshadow the
high points. I do have a few suggestions for BFE and anyone else
who wants to do the "extreme" a'la "Crusty" videos. Rent a Beta, SVHS, High 8 or Digital
camera. "Twisted" appears to be a culmination of
home videos. Unfortunately the majority of home videos appeal only
to the people in them. While there are exceptions, that's the
rule. Crusty et' all is a scripted production with
shots set up, and re-shot several times till they get it
right. Don't have your friends review the final
copy. They were likely involved in the production and aren't an
unbiased form of criticism. Bear in mind that the film you make reflects
on the sport as a whole. Acting like an a$$hole in front of your
friends might be cool to you, but you tend to look like a twit in
front of a national audience. Drunk idiots tend to be funny once. Crusty
already did that trick - it's time to break new
ground. Do we really need to see dogs having sex?
Really???? First person perspective shots of whizzin'
on a dumpster / wall / whatever "don't impress da'
chicks". Spend the money on content and production,
not pretty packaging and press releases.
Overall, I really wanted to like the video, after
all, I've long thought that 4 wheeled off-roaders needed a "Crusty"
of their own. Hell, I've even pursued the idea with a well known
production company. The problem is that this isn't it, and it's for
the reasons listed above. BFE is a relatively young company with fresh ideas.
The fact that they undertook an ambitious project like this should
be applauded, and truth be told, I WANT to see them succeed in this
field - though I'll likely be burned in effegy. Contrary to the way
this looks, I don't enjoy panning someone's hard work.
Unfortunately, "Twisted" and films like it won't do anything but
send potential customers to other video companies, and further
blacken the already discolored eye this sport carries.
BFE Performance Films
602-315-9282
|
