RIDERS: Tom Fooshee, Sam Collins, Andy Kolb, Steffen Vollert, Keith Lidberg, Lior Sofer, Peter-Pascal Schmidt, John Ruark, Benni Suss, Patrick Viererbe, Jan Sauer, Nick Davies
REVIEW:
I probably have seen every single wakeboard DVD/tape ever produced. I simply love watching wake videos. So when I heard Ed was looking for someone to review "Impact," I jumped at the chance. I then watched the trailer online and to be honest with you, I was a bit hesitant! I just haven't seen many cable riding videos. That feeling changed almost immediately as soon as I saw the trailer all the way through though. Upon receiving the DVD and watching it, I was hooked. Cable riders are legit! From spins to inverts to mobes, wakeboarding to wakeskating, cable riders can do anything that wake riders can do.
The first thing I noticed upon receiving the DVD is the packaging. It's a 2-disc set which is rare in the action sports industry! The DVD box isn't saturated with pictures or different colored logos. It's plain white w/ black titles, super clean and professionally done. Along with the two DVDs is a booklet of some of the best photography this sport has seen.
Though most of the riders are "unknown" to me, they are some of the world's best cable riders. They rip behind the boat as well, so don't think for a minute they're one dimensional. With riders such as Tom Fooshee, Keith Lidberg, Andy Kolb and Nick Davies, these guys will definitely keep you entertained and make some jaws drop with the tricks they pull off.
The introduction of riders is what made me scratch my head. The riders "acted" in scenes and in the scenes, they were given a plain white envelope and plain white paper with nothing but the riders' names (and their nicknames) on them. The introduction scenes were pretty random though. Fooshee's scene has him as a poker shark getting the nut full house and cuts to him being handed his invitation by 2 strippers. Another intro scene is a girl being courted by a couple of guys, and then Lidberg comes in and swoops her from them. Maybe Fooshee is a poker shark and Lidberg's a pimp like that in real life. Either way, random!
The cinematography and editing are what stood out to me. Filmed in High Definition, the cinematography was SICK, filming from all angles. There aren't many filmers out there willing to do chase boat shots at a cable park, but Pikestaff Studios pulled it off, thus capturing footage from angles rarely seen in today's wake videos. There were many shots that had "depth of field" in mind. If you don’t know what that is, it's having the subject tack-sharp while the background and/or foreground is completely blurred out. The producers also incorporated shots taken with a jib, also known as a crane. Not many videographers in the wake industry use a crane, aside from DPC Films (The Chick Flick) and Justin Stephens (Push Process). The producers mixed it up, from wide shots to tight shots on the riders' feet as they slide across the rail.
High speed cameras were used in this film to create the "super slow-mo" look. With shots like a big spin in "super slow-mo," the shots were sick! Though they weren't abused and over-done, Pikestaff did an excellent job of editing and will keep you watching with each rider's sections along with the accompanying music track flowing smoothly.
CONCLUSION:
I'm really critical of action sports videos. They need to keep me watching anxiously to see the next section thinking that the last can't be topped. "Impact" definitely did that for me. It kept my attention the whole way through and each section just kept getting better and better. The tricks were impressive - from toeside and heelside 7s and 9s, to mobe 5s, to some of the sickest rail riding you'll ever see. The cinematography and editing were top notch. If it weren't for the randomness of the rider introductions, I would have given the DVD a 10. Instead, I'll give it a 9! If you're trying to decide which wake video to buy next, make it Impact. You won't regret it!
PS.
Make sure you check out the Bonus DVD. It has some great footage and interviews, as well as a photo gallery. And when I said "bonus," I meant it as the DVD has a Chapter 69 which has the Rated R version of Fooshee's intro scene. I won't go into details, but make sure the kids are in bed before you watch this section!
