Re: [pope] Reviews of Triax videos needed! Help!
Video Review:
Bridge Day 2004 (The Year of the Rain)
Bridge Day 2004 Part II (Rainy Daze)
Triax Productions
By Nick Di Giovanni
BASE 194
The first time I saw myself on a Bridge Day video is after handing my camera to the closest spectator in 1985. The footage later revealed a flash of my rig going by and nothing else. In those days consumer video cameras aren't as prevalent or advanced as they are now. The history of commercial Bridge Day videos goes back to at least 1987. Before this several individual jumpers would video parts of Bridge Day and then bundle that with jumps from different sites. These were less about Bridge Day and more about, "What I did in BASE this year."
In 1987 J.T. Williams advertised the first real Bridge Day video in the December issue of BASELINE magazine. The VHS tape was 97 minutes long and showed 375 jumpers making the leap. The cost was $15.00 and he promised delivery by Christmas. This is the first Bridge Day video that was not only entertaining, it's also the first time we realized there was so much to be learned from watching so many BASE jumps in back to back fashion. I remember saying at the time, "Man, Bridge Day is an F-111 laboratory." Basically, almost every mistake that's possible to make in BASE jumping is right there in front of you.
In 1988 J.T. did another Bridge Day Video and this time the price rose to $18.00 for a two hour tape that now included some landings as well as launches. In 1992 the best Bridge Day video to date is advertised by Tom Sanders. Tom (and his wife Jan Davis) filmed from a boom basket hanging over the rail, and that was the first time we ever saw that perspective. The price was $35.00. In 1991 a Canadian jumper was selling a short Bridge Day video that included some building jumps for $20, but the advertisement warned of "some glitches."
The late Will Forshay, under the "Lemmings" video name covered most of the 1990s at Bridge Day. He was probably the first to deploy multiple camera-persons and he delivered a good product including the first two volume set (launches & landings) for $50.00. By this time the number of jumpers registering for Bridge Day is rising and Will became a victim of his own success. A real video production house would have had a job making this video happen, but this was just Will and a couple of friends. Many jumpers are complaining about long delivery times and I think in the end Will became tired of all the problems involved.
Fast forward to Bridge Day 2004 . . .
I received my two volume set that included Bridge Day 2004, The Year of the Rain, and Bridge Day 2004, Part II, Rainy Daze, four days after I ordered them from Triax Productions. These are DVDs and not VHS video. First off thanks, Triax, for exposing me to music I otherwise might have never heard. For a week after I first screened the DVD I couldn't get the song, "Let's get Retarded (In Here)" out of my head. I even took the time to learn the tune on my bass guitar!
I must say I really enjoyed the Bridge Day 2004 DVD. This is as good, and maybe even better than any previous effort I've seen. The logistics of putting together each launch followed by its corresponding landing must have been a nightmare. If you jumped at Bridge Day 2004 (or in some cases just attended) you'll probably find yourself on one of these DVDs.
The price for the two volume set (and keep in mind this isn't the 1980s anymore) is $79.00 plus $6.00 for shipping and that's fair enough. However this wouldn't be a review if I didn't spoon up some poison so here goes; At first I thought it was my DVD player, but after playing the disc on several machines, I can see something that, after I noticed it, bothered me to no end. It appears some kind of compression software was used (I'm guessing here) and I notice a slight jerkiness in certain parts. It seems like you get jumpers walking to the edge in normal time, but once they launched I can see the compression taking place. My girlfriend didn't notice it, even after I pointed it out, and neither has anyone else I showed the video to, so maybe it's just me. Also, and a lesser offense, is the title "Year of the Rain," as it's hardly the first time it has rained on a Bridge Day. A better title might have been, "Year of the Squall."
My biggest gripe overall is the second DVD. This is the "boogie" DVD and it failed to deliver. First off it's too short and I kept going back to the main menu looking for sections I missed. There is no real coverage of the Video-Fest or the after jump meeting where several awards were handed out. There were plenty of BASE old-timers at Bridge Day 2004 and it would have been fun to hear their comments, but mostly it's the newer jumpers that are featured yelling, "Wow, I jumped from the Bridge." A big yawn . . .
The second DVD isn't a total loss. It's a good party video to play in the background, and wuffos like it, and I suppose it suffers only when compared to the first DVD. However, there's no getting around it was over-hyped. However, I must say I feel the first DVD is worth the price of both.
And once again I learned if you want to get more coverage of your antics at Bridge Day, wear a goofy costume. It's hard to seriously convey the thrill and expertise involved in BASE jumping to your wuffo and skydiving friends, and then all of a sudden here comes the Pig-Men. But, that's Bridge Day.
Other than that I will purchase next year's DVDs from Triax Productions without hesitation. Like all Bridge Day videos prior, these will continue to evolve and improve over time and they are an important part of the evolution of BASE jumping.
NickD
BASE 194
