Seasons - First Impressions
I went to the US premiere of Seasons last night, in the company of the filmmakers, most of the riders and half of the bike industry. The film was shown on a big screen, with 500 applauding viewers and a great sound system - the best way really to see a films with monster soundtracks. The film is split into four sections, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, with a smallish group of riders pictured in each one.
It starts off with Peaty in Sheffield in Winter - and does a great job of making riding bikes in the rain look exciting and something that you want to do… Other sections show riders like Cam McCaul jumping into his swimming pool off a huge ramp at his house in California - the film goes on to feature the different seasons, some big jumps, a feature on Mont St Anne and other Canadian hotspots, like the Shore and Kamloops. It’s different to Roam in that it’s mainly shot in Canada and there’s a lot more rider interviews interspersed between the wonderfully shot scenes. Fans of Ryan Leech will be sorry to hear that there’s no trials section, just full-on freeriding.
The film is shot very well, with a great deal of wire-work and the camera ‘floating’ above the trail. There are no stunning advances in cinematography - and we now take for granted that any new film will have wire tracking shots, 60ft jumps and a killer soundtrack. My one concern is that the extensive rider interviews between the riding won’t last up to repeated viewings - if the bit in Roam where Jordie Lunn’s dad is talking gets on your nerves, then you’re in for more of the same kind of stuff. However, look between the interviews and the voiceovers and there is some top notch riding and a very entertaining soundtrack. The DVD should be out in late May… And the UK will see a series of film premieres as seen in our story here.