Company: Hyperlite Executive Producer: Jack Blodgett Release Date: 2005 Running Time: 44 minutes Riders: Scott Byerly, George Daniels, Brian Grubb, Brandon Thomas, Danny Harf, Parks Bonifay, Shaun Murray, Chad Sharpe, Erik Ruck, JD Webb, and Aaron Rathy
I'm not really sure why Hyperlite decided to call the movie "Counterfeit This". Maybe they wanted somebody to copy them for a change. Anyway, for the most part I actually enjoyed the film. Counterfeit This is a relatively long video clocking in at over 44 minutes. And that, of course, is a good thing. I can definitely say that I enjoyed this video more than either of Hyperlite's last two team videos, All or Nothing and Welcome.
Cinematography
This movie took almost two years to make and it shows. The editing is crisp and clean and synchs well with each section's song. There was sparing use made of slow motion which I enjoyed. One thing I could have done without is most of the filler in some sections (especially Byerly’s). Overall, I liked the editing and felt that it was complimentary to the riding.
Music
As usual, music always comes down to personal preference. Many of the songs are quite recognizable and the music spans the genres from hip hop to classic rock. Artists include the Black Eyed Peas, The Who, Queen, Marilyn Manson, and others. Simply put, some songs I liked and some songs I didn’t.
The Riding
Counterfeit This maintains a healthy balance between wakeboarding and wakeskating. So, if you're into both, you'll probably enjoy this video. But if you prefer one over the other you may find yourself skipping chapters to get to your desired sport. Nonetheless, all of the riding is solid and I don't think anyone's section could be deemed sub-par.
From rails, to spins, to inverts, all of the wakeboarders put up a respectable showing. Harf starts off the video with lots of technical moves, Ruck gets stoked on heelside 9, Parks and Sharpe go huge, and JD and Rathy show their developing skills. One section that caught my eye was Murray's. It was interesting to watch and I was surprised to see him throwing some pretty tech switch tricks; something out of the ordinary for Shaun. Oh, and I also liked seeing all the pros cordially testing out the rails on the Roam.
All of the wakeskaters are well rounded and show mastery of skills on rails, off the lip/in the flats, and wake to wake. George Daniels starts off the wakeskating and he doesn't dissapoint. Most notable are his multiple kickflip variations, both on the water and off of rails. My favorite part is, not surprisingly, Byerly's. He's long been my favorite rider and I can never get enough Byerly footage. BT's part was pretty good too - no wheelies! One thing I realized while watching this video is that I actually like Grubb's wake to wake style of riding. He may not be the cleanest rider, but he goes big and that's refreshing to see. Aside from that, he can still get technical with varial kickflips and a multitude of shuvit variations.
Conclusion
Counterfeit This is entertaining to watch no matter if your preference is wakeboarding or wakeskating. Overall it’s a solid video to add to your collection. For more information check out CounterfeitThis.com or buy it from Boardflix.com.
