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The
Collective
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| More than just a working title for the most promising film since the aforementioned Kranked series, The Collective refers to the shared vision of rider and artist in a 16mm quest to harness the flow of the ride. The title stems from a truly open-minded collaboration between a core group of riders, and behind the lens partners Darcy Wittenburg and Jamie Houssian. Throw in some innovative ideas brewing in the head of still-shot maestro Sterling Lorence, and The Collective threatens to rewrite the rules of sports action films. Thanks to the grass roots approach of this effort, filmmakers are no longer merely documenting the continued evolution of freeriding, they are active participants in the quest to shatter perceptions and redefine limitations. |
 It isn't all awards and caviar - doing the grunt work. |
I received a call in late September to join Darcy and Jamie on location while they shot some footage to take to Interbike. Joining the crew was Whistler’s ‘Joyride master-mind’ Paddy Kaye, his trusty mountain dog, and BC based dirt jumper, racer, and all round ripper, Jordie Lunn. Shooting was scheduled to take place in various locations in and around Whistler, but on this sunny day we found ourselves well above the Whistler Mountain Bike Park in an area that offered spectacular scenery, and even more spectacular riding, in the form of a newly created trail and a set of truly unique, “mountain-style” dirt jumps.
Jordie Lunn reaches skyward.
The hucking began in earnest with Jordie effortlessly throwing mind-blowing combinations of nothings, superman seat grabs, cross-ups, and other tricks from his seemingly endless arsenal. Jamie and Darcy battled an ever-present haze of mosquitoes to capture the sequence from angles that ranged from the ridiculous to the sublime. Witnessing this shoot up close had me salivating for a taste of the finished product.
A better prespective than a heli: the cable cam takes you there.
Just when I thought the day was a wrap – the real work began. Like a hydro lineman, Darcy spent the next several hours scaling trees to rig the centerpiece of the day’s production, a 300-plus foot cable cam purpose built to capture some high speed footage through a wide-open alpine meadow, dissected by the second of two brand new trails scheduled to open in June 2004 (as part of the announced expansion of Whistler’s Mountain Bike Park). Take after take, the crew of The Collective shot reels of footage until they were satisfied that they had captured the perfect harmony of trail, bike, and rider.
As of this writing, the core group of riders includes Dave Watson, Andrew Shandro, Darren Berrecloth, Thomas Vanderham, Tyler “Super T” Klassen, Randy Spangler, Jordie Lunn, and the immortal Wade Simmons. It is expected that more names will be added as the project continues to develop. Jamie stressed that they want to dig down and expose the grass roots of the burgeoning freeride movement and include some groms - young up-and-comers probing the new frontiers of riding. The canvas for this artistic endeavour will feature diverse locations like Whistler, the South Chilcotins, Hawaii, and a recently wrapped shoot in central Utah with Thomas Vanderham, Tyler Klassen and Darren Berrecloth.| Support for this effort is strong, and that is reflected in a growing “A-list” of sponsors: Adidas Eyewear, bike magazine, Fox, Dakine, Whistler Blackcomb, and B.C. coffee gurus Bean Around The World. Don’t be surprised to see additional sponsors clamoring to get on board with this tight-knit production. With the Kranked series on hiatus, there was anticipation that someone would step up and fill the void. At first glance, this film appears to the one. The anticipated release date is Spring 2004, however I predict that the mountain bike world will be well aware of (and eagerly anticipating) “The Collective” long before then. |
 Sometimes low tech is the best tech. This will be a 16mm production. |
Ian Ward
