Archive for the 'Features' Category

Our goal is to create an image accessible to any viewer, not just bike nerds like ourselves. We’re taking an alternative approach at documenting the evolution of track bike culture and the direction that it’s headed, while still staying true to my roots as a ambiguous photographer. (Video artist) We’re exploring an as of yet, unseen setting for the basis of this film. As known, the rustbelt/great lakes region of the country experiences very harsh weather which is in no way conducive to riding these bikes. A large focus of this film is attempting to capture what it’s like to ride in a city of this nature, while still focusing on progressive riding in every form. We’re not trying to front a gimmick by doing this. We know there are many cities that experience this type of weather. With this in mind, we figured it was about time it was documented. – William BottriellWilliam Bottriell of Buffalo, New York produced his first feature length skate film, Vice Versa at the age of 18. He ended up breaking into the small fixed scene in Buffalo and met a few other individuals with that shared his passion for cycling. Bill then, along with the help of his partner Colin Phelan, decided to produce a full length fixed gear film, VéLOrue. Bill was kind enough to chat with me and answer a few questions about the project.

It takes a good deal of work to really pull together a full length video, huh?
Haha, definitely. It’s been a while since i released my last film, I forgot how much actually goes into it. It’s been nice to have help from Colin though it’s nice to be able to go out and just ride with the dudes once in a while and not have to worry so much about filming or actually get psyched to film a trick of my own and know the filming’s going to be on point.

What inspired you to produce a full length video in the first place?
A few months after I put out vice versa (video for sunday skate shop) I was getting really into riding everyday, it was taking over my life haha. From time to time I would mess around with filming some bike clips here and there just to get the feel and kind of experiment. I did that for about a year and got some really positive feedback from the few videos i put on vimeo, so i decided just to go for it.
I needed a new project anyway, it was about that time. Plus, I’m always a lot more motivated to get shit done when I know it’s going toward a feature length you know? Something bigger than just a web video that’s going to end up on blogs.

What are some of the challenges you’ve encountered during production?
Oh boy, haha. There have been quite a few since the end of summer. The weather is definitely a factor. Trying to stay positive and motivated about riding and progressing, not to mention filming, is always an ordeal in the winter. Especially when you add lake effect snow into the equation.

Is there anything special about your project that sets it apart from other films?
Fortunately, there are some really innovative videos coming out right now. Most of them are amazing because they’re paving new ground. I think what sets VéLOrue apart is simply my approach as a filmmaker. I think my style of filming differs from a lot of the stuff out there, mostly because of my roots in skateboarding. I also like to mix whatever project I’m working on, (whether it be skating or biking) with ambiguous art. Basically things I encounter that I find beautiful. You could call it video art or ambiguous photography. Not to mention Ben, Zach and Sam kill it, haha.

When will the video be available and how much do you plan to charge for it?
We’ll be finished filming around July. All we need is a few good months without snow to finish it up. With some full force editing and a little luck, it should be for sale at the beginning of August. I’m thinking about charging 10 or 15 bucks for the video, because if you’re broke like us you can’t afford a video that costs more than 20 bucks haha. We’re working really hard though, as soon as this horrible weather passes we’ll be in full force!So, any shout outs or anyone you’d like to thank?
Absolutely, I have to thank my parents for their being there for me. I’d be pretty lost without their motivation and support throughout the years.
Also the companies/people that have been helping us out. Dustin @ Cadence, thank you for your advice, it really sets me in a positive, productive frame of mind.
Mr. John Prolly @ Mishka for keeping us warm with big ass jackets and and gear to ride in these cold winter months. Also Leader Bike, Hold Fast, DVS, Fyxation, and Velocity.

I’m sure almost everyone that tricks on a fixed gear knows who you are, but go ahead and introduce yourself anyway.
My name is Edward LaForte. I’m from Staten Island New York, and I’m 20 years old.

I know you’ve said it before, but why fixed, not BMX?
Umm, one man moving machine, period.

Hah good answer. Do you even own a BMX bike?
Yes I do I have a FBM Howler all laced up, but I recenly passed it off to my 10 year old brother.

So, on the subject of BMX, do you think that with all of this progression our bikes are going to end up nothing like track bikes and more like big bmx bikes?
Well, that’s already happened. Take a look at the top rider’s bikes; 40c or above, BMX
cranks, half link chains, yeah we’ve gone there already.

I want know about a bit about your bike. What size tires, gearing, how wide are you bars? I heard you run really short crank arms too.
I run 160 profile cranks on my BMX bike and my fixed. I never cut my bars and I run 39/15 with 47c tires.

Those are some big tires. The Kilroy fits them pretty easily?
You can fit up to like 52/53 on the Kilroy. The back end is WIDE!

That Kilroy seems pretty solid. You’re on a production model now, right?
Numero uno.

Nice. It’s been holding up well huh?
BOMB PROOF GUSSETLESS.

They’re pretty expensive though, you think a lot of people are going to get behind them?
I know a few people have ordered one. I mean, you pay for what you’re getting. It’s all Columbus tubing specially made for what wer’e doing and the bike’s beautiful.

You were in Tokyo recently, correct? I see a lot of strange looking set ups and some really fast riding going on over there. What do you think about the Japanese style?
I think there riding style is really cool, but they need to take it off the ground more.

About style…A lot of fixed riders just copy what everyone else is doing. Are you working on anything that hasn’t been seen yet? Any new lines?
Just watch Death Pedal 2. I’ll keep my lines to myself.

Ha, fair enough.

It seems like some people are only into one type of riding. I feel like it’s important to have a diverse style that’s a mix of BMX inspired riding and riding that uses the fixed drivertrain. What do you think?
I think all of the riding is fixed drive train. Everything is inspired from something. F*ck a diverse style I’m gonna do whatever I feel feels good.

I see a lot of kids getting props for hitting tricks that are way sketchy. You think they deserve it? Even if the trick is new/fresh?
No trick is fresh until you land it fresh. Don’t put it out if you land all wobbly.

It seems like a lot a of the big names in the ’sport’ have been getting away from the fakie side of riding. What about you? What do you think about it?
I never rode fakie and I’ve been saying fuck riding backwards, shit is weak!

Is there anyone that you look up to for their riding? Who are your favorite fixed freestyle dudes?
Um, I started a while ago so I guess my friends. Tom Lamarche, Sam Miller and my best friend Torey. I dont really look up to anyone. Oh hell yeah, and Tyler Johnson

The Banks are closing soon right? You ride there a lot?
I ride everywhere in NY a lot

That’s good. Riding just one spot would get boring. What’s your favorite type of stuff to ride?
Handrails

Yeah? You’ve hit some?
Just two, but recently I’ve figured some things out so you’ll see a lot more, pegless.

That’s awesome. Do you grind driveside?
Yessir, righty

Me too. It’s weird for me to think of a pegless driveside grind on a rail.
You’ll see.

Will I see it in DP2?
Nope. Maybe in a Wrahw exclusive.

What do you think the 2010 holds for fixed freestyle? What do you want to see in 2010?
Road trips, make new friends and have a great time.

Any shout outs or thanks you want to give?
CHARI AND CO, THE ILLEST ONLINE SHOP/SHOP ON THE PLANET.

Why don’t you give a little insight into who Kareem Shehab is and what Death Pedal 2 is about.
Hey Travvy, well in a nutshell I’m a 23 year old Engineering Graduate Student at the Georgia Institute of Technology who grew up rollerblading and making skate videos. I broke my leg and tore my acl blading a few years ago and that’s why I picked up fixed gear. In my free time I like to smoke dust and kill animals.

So, what sets this video apart from Death Pedal and the other videos on the market?
Death Pedal 2 is a continuation of the Death Pedal Saga. What I’m trying to do is bring some diversity to fixed gear movies by using my background in skate videos to make a bike movie. DP is all about getting tricks and having fun.

Who’s going to be featured in the video? Any fresh faces?
Welllll…. yes. Eric Puckett, AJ Austin, Congo, and Matt Spencer are getting their first video parts in this video. We are also revisiting some old riders from the first video as well parts on Torey Thornton, Wonka, and Corey Vulture. I feel like the lineup pretty much speaks for itself.

Where can viewers expect to see riding going down?
Los Angeles, Houston, Austin, Macon Georgia, New York, Seattle, San Diego, Europe, Japan…

Why is it that you don’t shoot in HD? Are there any other defining characteristics of your shooting style?
It’s not that I don’t like HD. I just don’t think I can get the feel I want in my videos with an HD camera, although the new nike video “debacle” has kinda swayed my opinion recently. Basically, all my favorite skate videos growing up (all the Rejects Videos, The apple series, Baker, especially deathwish) are Raw and in your face shot on VX1000’s, GL’s, or the like. They’re all about the tricks and the people in the video. To me these videos are timeless because they have PERSONALITY and really give the viewer a sense of what the people who are featured are like. They have a lot of replay value and they don’t need an expensive HD camera to achieve this. Time lapse clouds/cities and slow mo shots of people riding/skating are cool and all but seeing that doesn’t get me pumped to ride or whatever. I think shots like that are quite beautiful but I think its very important to be able to give the viewer an insight to all the crazy personalities of your riders
cuz they’re all a bunch of kooks!

As for my filming style, I’d say I’m very into handheld shots, good fisheye work and long tracking shots. Straight cuts are a must. I try not to take myself too seriously which is why you’ll see a lot of humorous interludes.

For the most part you travel to the locations, film, edit and produce everything yourself, correct? How is that working out for you?
Its dope. Getting a chance to travel all these places in person gives me the opportunity to show people firsthand what its like hanging out with the riders in their cities. What I really aim to do when I put a section together is give the viewers a window to the hearts and souls of these avant garde individuals who walk the razors edge every day! Just kidding… but not really…

Do you have a projected release date for the video? What about a price?
If all goes as planned, I’ll be wrapping up with Puckett and AJ next week and then going to new york to finish up torey and wonkas parts. dvd’s will be somewhere around 60 or 70 bucks.

Anyone you’d like to holler at or thank?
I’d like to thank My girlfriend Katie, My family, my new pet cat Shanaynay, Everyone who is in the video puttin in work, Leader Bikes, Velocity Wheels, Fixkin hubs, VagX, Gost, FRSH, Loose Nuts, Fyxation Tires, Sean McCormick, Lingo, Mash and Maca crews for putting out some dope videos, Velo Cult, Adams Ave, Ye Olde Bike Shop, No Brakes, ODB and the WU, all my frooty booty friends, and anyone who enjoyed one of my videos. GG lives… Shazam!