I have never really been into extreme sport videos ever in my life. The second I see someone decked out in Red Bull apparel, I am immediately turned off. But this video in particular has caught my attention. Everything from the directing, editing, camera operating, and sound design has been formulated perfectly into a four minute YouTube masterpiece.
It is rare for me to watch any YouTube video over two minutes and not get distracted by some stupid meme or GIF that pertains nothing to my life. I was intrigued by the Discovery Channel-esque opening scene, with misty landscape shots, macro video, and other beautiful nature shots. Then it immediately cuts to the good stuff of Robbie Maddison cruising through the luscious forest of Tahiti on his motorcycle. Throughout the rest of the video, you witness incredible shots of Maddison skimming across water and surfing treacherous waves with his motorbike. Some of the shots in particular, I have no idea how they captured. The entire scene inside the woods boggles my mind. I can't tell if they are filming on a crane or if they are filming on motorbikes. They obviously used GoPros in some scenes, but I'm curious of the support they used in the water to get steady shots. I am crossing my fingers that DC Shoes has a behind-the-scenes video in store for us.
Earned the bragging rights to to something unique and exclusive....ahmazing
yeah this totally blew my mind....insane....
Hopefully this this the first and only. Its bad enough with jet Skis. We dont need motorbikes as well. Just because you can ,doesnt mean you should.
stupid question, but will his bike just sink if he falls off? That would make it even more spectacular!
yes. It would sink like a rock.
it was red bull so it has wings.
I think Wired published an article on this, or ArsTechnica. It has "air bags" as flotation devices in the event of a rollover. The air filter also has foam stuffed in there to slow water getting into the engine. Also, they tried 4-cycle and 2-cycle engines; 4-cycle didn't have the power and were more expensive to maintain.
Looks like Sony action camera's, not the GoPro.... spotted on the side of his helmet.
I would have loved to have been shooting stills next to the film crew on this, incredible work!
Beautifully shot... but the first thing I do when I'm supreme leader is ban all non essential motored vehicles from the ocean.
Buzzkill!!
You should ban everything except for dirt bikes.
This is the worst. Don't mix your Xtremes! It makes you look like an asshole.
Awesome cinematography. But as a surfer of over 25 years and a water photographer with a deep seeded love for the ocean, I tried my hardest to love this but couldn't due to the overwhelming feeling that the beautiful reef and Tahitian island were being molested by this motorcycle and that probably some unpreventable damage was done to the serene environment. Like they had no place being there with this vehicle, in this way. I'm actually really surprised the Tahitian gov't approved the filming. I guess money is speaking louder these days. I'd love to see how the logistics of the motorcycle were carried out. Like did he ride right onto the back of a boat after some of the shots or just ride directly back to the beach over the shallow reef or through a channel?
how did he ruin the reef if he was on top of the water ? no diff than the surfers or the guys in the boats. it's the scuba divers that destroy the reefs by touching them. it doesn't show him sinking or jumping off anything in the ocean. why assume he was tearing it up ?
Nowhere did I state I thought they ruined the reef. What I meant by unpreventable damage was that there is no way that they could tear through the jungle/shallow streams/rivers and shallow reef areas without disrupting some part of the environment (albeit maybe a very small, targeted portion of the environment). Even stopping over shallow reef, I'm assuming they let the bike sink onto the reef. Reefs are fragile ecosystems. Damage is very likely if not guaranteed. But no need to sensationalize my initial comment. Your comparison to a diver or surfer is far fetched and in no way are these similar activities (although I'm not saying either of them wouldn't cause reef damage, obviously).
I saw a brief behind the scenes of the development and filming. The rear wheel does operate under the water and the bike completely sinks when stopped. Shallow reef assumes a depth of 1ft to 3ft of water above the reef. The amount of turbulence and raw power through the water had to cause some disruption in shallow areas to a limited and focused area of reef and river/stream ecosystem. Granted the pulled back rolling shots at the main break, the motorcycle could in no way do more damage than the waves do on large swells. My comment was directed at the more calmer waters being introduced to something raw/powerful and foreign.
I'm in no way an environmentalist, but did major studies in coastal ecology during my studies to obtain my BS in Public Health. So, I just get a sad feeling when I see things like this in fragile ecosystems. So, I felt the need to comment on it. Either way, life goes on.
"due to the overwhelming feeling that the beautiful reef and Tahitian island were being molested by this motorcycle and that probably some unpreventable damage was done to the serene environment. Like they had no place being there with this vehicle,". those are your words. i agree with you 100% that that bike could tear it up. the bike wheels are only a few inches below the water, i'm not looking to pick a fight but there are many more things out there that are hurting the reefs than this. they take so many years to grow and we can destroy them in a day. yes maybe him ripping thru the wood but he is not making a track out of it and most of it was on the water. the clear cutting of the rain forrest is a much bigger issue.
i though it was a cool video even if it may have ruffled some feathers. that boy can ride a bike and is just a bit crazy.
true, life goes on, lets talk about that train wreck bruce jenner.
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5330664de4b0c8441aea50d8/t/540f0aa...
Unreal. It may be a small part, but I like the motion graphics in the opening.
spectacular work !
This video is RAD. Wow... Just so awesome...
Wicked as hell, I love it!!
A little teaser for the behind the movie!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M15gkjsbovI