Miles Ahead, The New Documentary By Don Cheadle About Jazz Legend Miles Davis

Without An Interesting Story, There Is No Film

New video from Skrillex produced by Ivan Herrera

The magic of film making is absurdly simple. Without an interesting story, there is nothing to shoot. Context, texture, atmosphere, characters and quite a few more elements coming together with a great story, help us to define a moment in time. Having a favorite movie, actor or director is a way for us an individuals to connect to a larger storyline in which we can live out any idea we can place ourselves into. One aspect that brings great viewing satisfaction especially for music videos occurs when a filmmaker takes liberties and builds a narrative out of the context of a story. Shooting a short film scene for scene around lyrics makes a video feel shallow and rehearsed compared to breathing fresh air into an already present storyline.

Reno Divorce Featured In Never Summer Movie - Dang Bud!

Reno Divorce Featured In Never Summer Movie - Dang Bud!

Always stoked to see the great bands we work with get huge features. Check out this cool video from the snowboard company Never Summer, featuring the one and only Reno Divorce.

Buy Reno Divorce's latest album, Lover's Leap

Preservare // Keating Wheel Company - From Vimeo

Preservare // Italian for Preserve
pre·serve verb \pri-ˈzərv\
1: to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition
2: to keep safe from injury, harm, or destruction
3: to keep or save from decomposition

For more information visit: lucentproductions.com/2014/02/12/preservare-keating-wheel-company-mini-documentary/

Preservare // Keating Wheel Company from Lucent Productions on Vimeo.

Short Film - The Glint - Featuring Comete Motocycle

"There is a light that never goes out. It dwells deep inside us, giving us motivation and shaping our path.
That light is the flicker of creation.
The spark of an idea.
The outline of a design.
It is the desire that stokes our passions and makes us strive to go further.
This internal fire feeds our dreams and puts a glint in our eye.
It is the energy that ignites our creativity.
It tills the land.
It shapes and gives life to the medium being crafted.
Every creation is imbued with the being that created it, as if the medium is breathing in the spirit of the craftsman.
Isn't that the most beautiful way of leaving a trace of our existence, of our time on this earth?
To create is the only way to traverse time, to wander through the ages.
It is the only way to become immortal, to be infinite.
If this light goes out, we die."


The Glint from Mathieumaury on Vimeo. 

This is my first short film for Guillaume Drapier, Founder of Comete Motocycles.
Shot in one day, achieved without any budget.

Shot in raw with Magic Lantern on a Canon 5D Mark III
Director / Editor : Mathieu Maury
Cinematographers : Romain Decomble, Eudes Quittelier
Color Grading : Eudes Quittelier
Text : Lise Beuve
Narrator : Paul Bandey
Music : A.Taylor – Nostalgia
Mixing: Jesse James Rosquin – Studio Apollon XIII
Actor : Guillaume Drapier
Big thanks to :
Ores-group, Nicolas Guittard, Julien Boulard, Stanislas Giroux, Nancy El Bahrawi, Julien Scussel, Anaïs Deféver, Jonathan Cj Tassin, Ewald Wilson, and all my friends and my family.

The Blues According To Lightnin' Hopkins

Texas Blues legend, Lightnin' Hopkins

"The great Texas bluesman Lightnin’ Hopkins is captured brilliantly in this deeply moving film. Blank reveals Lightnin’s inspiration, and features a generous helping of classic blues. Includes performances at an outdoor barbeque and a black rodeo; and a visit to his boyhood town of Centerville, Texas. This powerful portrait is among Blank’s special masterworks. 31 minutes.Video also contains: The Sun’s Gonna Shine (1969)"

Turn Your Lawn Mower Into A Pirate Ship

Mustache and Blackbeard sail onto the scene

Hard work and dedication have paid off on one of our projects as of late. Damn proud to know that since we uploaded our "Turn Your Lawn Mower Into A Pirate Ship" on Instructables.com, it has since received over 3,000 views in less than two days. To say we are honored and proud is an understatement. We are stoked beyond belief and it makes us elated to see the great response to all the hours put into creating the boat mower and video around it. Thanks to everyone involved and to those who enjoyed the post.

Our pirate ship build featured on Instructables.com

Downloaded, The Feature Film About Napster To Premiere At SXSW 2013

"In 1998 Shawn Fanning, a teenage hacker and programmer, created the code that would become the basis for all peer-to-peer file sharing. In 1999, Fanning and his business partner, fellow teenager Sean Parker, launched the file-sharing service Napster. And what had begun as a largely unknown underground distribution medium erupted into a full-blown global revolution.

Downloaded explores this revolution from its genesis to its peak, and explains Napster's downfall. 'It's about the music and the bands, the fans and the moguls, and the brilliant young minds that ignited the biggest youth revolt since Alan Freed hit the radio,' says director Alex Winter."


Downloaded - SXSW 2013 Accepted Film from SXSW on Vimeo.

Rory Kelly Will Have Feature Song Within Indie Movie - Diesel Heart

For a long time now, we knew the music Rory Kelly delivers, is custom tailored for a large feature film. Opportunity is where hard work and great timing collide and damn is it cool to know that (Don't Shake My) Family Tree will be a feature song in an upcoming independent film along with music by Stevie Tombstone. Below is a featured trailer for the movie Diesel Heart and a synopsis on the film.

Hang out and talk shop with Rory Kelly on Facebook

Dive into more details on the movie Diesel Heart

SYNOPSIS

“He wanted adventure. He got it.”
"A drama/thriller taking place across the U.S., “Diesel Heart” begins with a terminally ill young man, Ollie, and his desire to travel. Distraught from his diagnosis, Ollie spontaneously takes a job driving big rigs and soon finds himself cruising the open road, enjoying the freedom he’s always wanted.

Everything changes when he rescues a mysterious woman and her son from the highway. He falls in love with the woman, unaware that her murderous husband, an outlaw trucker, is after her and a suitcase of money she’s stolen. He’s also unaware this psychotic man is his boss who gave him the trucking job in the first place. Secrets continue to unfold as Ollie finds himself taking a major detour in his journey.

HISTORY OF THE IDEA

The concept of Diesel Heart originated in 2009, inspired by Writer-Director Steve Nahaj’s personal dream to travel the country in an 18-wheeler. Dissuaded by the seemingly difficult challenge, he decided to instead write a screenplay about an afflicted but determined young man, Ollie, who hits the road with nothing to lose.

While writing the script, however, Steve grew restless, unable to focus on his work having not attempted the adventure himself. So in 2010 he took a hiatus from the film industry and got behind the wheel of a big rig. What followed was a year spent on the road, hauling freight and learning more about the country in the process. Fascinated by enchanting land and the intriguing stories of people he met, Steve found renewed energy for his work and returned to Los Angeles to complete the screenplay

Eventually word got around and more people joined in the effort of bringing Diesel Heart to life as a full feature film. Altered Contrast Productions has since taken on the project, along with the help of producers, investors, crew, and other entertainment professionals. Currently in pre-production, Diesel Heart is slated to begin principal photography Oct/Nov 2012 with a projected theatrical release of mid 2013."

Stoked For Nitro Circus In 3D

The new film by Nitro Circus will definitely be our motorized mayhem highlight of the summer and looking forward to seeing what new stunts they have. Check it out...

Check out all things Nitro Circus

Jolene Van Vugt has to be one of the hottest women on motorcycles

Air bag blast out to base jump, dig it

Jolene ready to rip it up

Ever gap between buildings, while also 400 feet above the ground

bouncy balls have a great effect on gravity

Doing the full 360 loop while on a tricycle

Jack White, Johnny Depp and The Lone Ranger

Is Jack White the best musician of our generation? His work ethic and the amount of music produced including the variety of projects just add further weight to his elite repertoire. The song he worked on with Alicia Keys for the James Bond franchise was more proof about how he can add a great track to a film. Really looking forward to what he can do for the whole soundtrack to the Lone Ranger. 

Jack White will be composing the soundtrack to the Lone Ranger film starring Johnny Depp

Link to article on Billboard.com

"Walt Disney Pictures has wrangled Jack White to compose the score for "The Lone Ranger."


The studio announced Tuesday that the Grammy-winning rocker will write, produce and perform the score for director Gore Verbinski's upcoming adaptation of "The Lone Ranger."


"The Lone Ranger" will mark the White Stripes frontman's first time scoring a feature film. The film stars Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as John Reid. It is set to debut May 31, 2013.


White's first solo album, "Blunderbuss," was released Tuesday. He previously wrote and performed the theme song to the 2008 James Bond film "Quantum of Solace" with Alicia Keys.


In other Jack White news, it was announced last night (April 24) that Jack White's Third Man Records Rolling Record Store (i.e. a hopped up step-van) will be distributing concert tickets on the streets of NYC for White's upcoming AmEx Unstaged show at Webster Hall this Friday.

Johnny Depp playing Tonto in the new remake of the Lone Ranger

According to a statement released last night, "White will be giving back to the city that's so warmly embraced his debut album, as his Third Man Records Rolling Record Store hits the Big Apple on Thursday the 26th to bestow upon the citizenry free tickets to Jack White's American Express Unstaged concert at Webster Hall on Friday April 27 … An educational vinyl adventure center on wheels, Third Man Records' Rolling Record Store will be wheeling into locations all over the New York City area, then tweeting (@ThirdManRRS) each location along with instructions on how to claim a pair of free tickets to the show. There are only five pairs of tickets, one pair to be given away at each of five locations."


As previously reported, Jack's American Express Unstaged event will be directed by actor Gary Oldman. The show will be live-streamed and previewed by one new video each day leading up to Friday's performance, which can be seen here."

Yakima Canutt - Best Stuntman Ever

Stuntmen get very little credit for their craft and then ya heard about some famous actor that did his own stunts and we are supposed to feel amazed. Well, lets feel amazed by what the real action hero's do. Without guys such as Yakima Canutt who single handedly invented the stuntman as a profession, the world should forever remember him.

Yakima Canutt being pulled by the horses on the ground called the "Transfer" his most famous stunt

Yakima Canutt doubling as John Wayne in the movie "Stagecoach"

Learn more about Yakima Canutt on wikipedia or watch the films he was in for some true action

Born Enos Edward Canutt in the Snake River Hills, near Colfax, Washington; he was one of five children of John Lemuel Canutt, a rancher, and Nettie Ellen Stevens. He grew up in eastern Washington on a ranch near Penawawa Creek, founded by his grandfather and operated by his father, who also served a term in the state legislature. His formal education was limited to elementary school in Green Lake, Washington, then a suburb of Seattle. He gained the education for his life's work on the family ranch, where he learned to hunt, trap, shoot, and ride.

He broke a wild bronco when 11. As a 6-foot-tall (1.8 m) sixteen-year-old he started bronc riding at the Whitman County Fair in Colfax in 1912 and at 17 he won the title of World's Best Bronco Buster. Canutt started rodeo riding professionally and gained a reputation as a bronc rider, bulldogger and all-around cowboy. It was at the 1914 Pendleton Round-Up, Pendleton, Oregon he got his nickname "Yakima" when a newspaper caption misidentified him. "Yakima Canutt may be the most famous person NOT from Yakima Washington" says Elizabeth Gibson, author of Yakima, Washington. Winning second place at the 1915 Pendleton Round-Up brought attention from show promoters, who invited him to compete around the country.

"I started in major rodeos in 1914, and went through to 1923. There was quite a crop of us traveling together, and we would have special railroad cars and cars for the horses. We'd play anywhere from three, six, eight ten-day shows. Bronc riding and bulldogging were my specialties, but I did some roping." said Canutt.

During the 1916 season, he became interested in divorcee Kitty Wilks, who had won the Lady's Bronc-Riding Championship a couple of times. They married on July 20, 1917 while at a show in Kalispell, Montana; he was 21 and she 23. The couple divorced about 1922. While bulldogging in Idaho, Canutt's mouth and upper lip were torn by a bull's horn; but after stitches, Canutt returned to the competition. It wasn't until a year later that a plastic surgeon could correct the injury. World's champion

Canutt won his first world championship at the Olympics of the West in 1917 and won more championships in the next few years. In between rodeos he broke horses for the French government in World War I. In 1918, he went to Spokane to enlist in the Navy and was stationed in Bremerton. In the fall he was given a 30-day furlough to defend his rodeo title. Having enlisted for the war, he was discharged in spring 1919. At the 1919 Calgary Stampede he competed in the bucking event and met Pete Knight.

He traveled to Los Angeles for a rodeo, and decided to winter in Hollywood, where he met screen personalities. It was here that Tom Mix, who had also started in rodeos, invited him to be in two of his pictures. Mix added to his flashy wardrobe by borrowing two of Canutt's two-tone shirts and having his tailor make 40 copies. Canutt got his first taste of stunting with a fight scene on a serial called Lightning Brice; he didn't stay, and left Hollywood to play the 1920 rodeo circuit.

The Fort Worth rodeo was nicknamed "Yak's show" after he won the saddle-bronc competition three years in 1921, 1922 and 1923. He had won the saddle-bronc competition in Pendleton in 1917, 1919, and 1923 and came second in 1915, and 1929. Canutt won the steer bulldogging in 1920, and 1921 and won the All-Around Police Gazette belt in 1917, 1919, 1920 and 1923.[2] While in Hollywood in 1923 for an awards ceremony, he was offered eight western action pictures for producer Ben Wilson at Burwillow Studios; the first was to be Riding Mad. Actor

Canutt had been perfecting tricks such as the Crupper Mount, a leap-frog over the horse's rump into the saddle. Douglas Fairbanks used some in his film The Gaucho. Fairbanks and Canutt became friends and competed regularly at Fairbanks' gym. Canutt took small parts in pictures of others to get experience. It was in Branded a Bandit (1924) that his nose was broken in a 12-foot fall from a cliff. The picture was delayed several weeks, and when it resumed Canutt's close shots were from the side. A plastic surgeon reset the nose, which healed, inspiring Canutt to remark that he thought it looked better. Stuntman Yakima in John Ford's Stagecoach after doing the "transfer" part of his most famous stunt

When his contract with Wilson expired in 1927, Canutt was making appearances at rodeos across the country. By 1928 the talkies were coming out and though he had been in 48 silent pictures, Canutt knew his career was in trouble. His voice had been damaged from flu in the Navy. He started taking on bit parts and stunts, and realized more could be done with action in pictures.

In 1930 between pictures and rodeoing, Canutt met Minnie Audrea Yeager Rice at a party at her parents' home. She was 12 years his junior. They kept company during the next year while he picked up work on the serials for Mascot Pictures Corporation. They married on November 12, 1931.

When rodeo riders invaded Hollywood, they brought a battery of rodeo techniques that Canutt would expand and improve, including horse falls and wagon wrecks, along with the harnesses and cable rigs to make the stunts foolproof and safe. Among the new safety devices was the 'L' stirrup, which allowed a man to fall off a horse without getting hung in the stirrup. Canutt also developed cabling and equipment to cause spectacular wagon crashes, while releasing the team, all on the same spot every time. Safety methods such as these saved film-makers time and money and prevented accidents and injury to performers. One of Yakima's inventions was the 'Running W' stunt, bringing down a horse at the gallop by attaching a wire, anchored to the ground, to its fetlocks and launching the rider forwards spectacularly. This either killed the horse, or rendered it badly shaken and unusable for the rest of the day. The 'Running W' is now banned and has been replaced with the falling-horse technique. It is believed that the last time it was used was on the 1983 Iraqi film al-Mas' Ala Al-Kubra when the British actor and friend of Yak Marc Sinden and stuntman Ken Buckle (who had been trained by Yak) performed the stunt three times during a cavalry charge sequence.

It was while working on Mascot serials that Canutt practiced and perfected his most famous stunts, including the drop from a stagecoach that he would employ in John Ford's 1939 Stagecoach. He first did it in Riders of the Dawn in 1937 while doubling for Jack Randall. In his 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, Steven Speilberg paid homage to Canutt, recreating the stunt when a stuntman, Terry Leonard, (doubling for Harrison Ford) 'dropped' from the front of a German Army transport truck, was dragged underneath (along a prepared trench) and then climbed up the back and round to the front again.

No Room For Rockstars - The Movie

Most likely there ain't no way in hell that you haven't heard about Vans Warped Tour. But have you attended? We have been to quite a few of them and the energy is intoxicating and has enabled it to become a launching pad for many bands to go on to become bigger and better.

So Kevin Lyman, we have an amazing roster of bands ready to crash the party. The hot lines are open, feel free to call anytime. We will put up the bands of Rusty Knuckles Music any day on any of the Warped Tour Stages and smoke the crowds.

Learn more about the film, No Room For Rockstars

More about the flim

"For 17 years, the Vans Warped Tour has been a punk rock juggernaut, a misfit circus criss-crossing North America every summer as a wondering minstrel show for youth culture. Embracing a powerful, unifying ethic created by its founder Kevin Lyman, the Vans Warped Tour has grown and prospered as the music industry itself imploded and continues to sift through the rubble in search of a new way forward. Along the way, Warped has provided a launching pad for a dizzying array of talent, from Green Day and Blink 182 to Ice-T, Eminem and No Doubt, along with perennial punk legends such as Pennywise, All, Bouncing Souls and Bad Religion.

With more than 300 hours of film shot during the 2010 tour, No Room For Rock Stars documents the true stories of modern era rock and roll from every possible angle. From the kids in the van playing parking lots to gain notice, to the veteran stage manager whose life was saved by the tour, to the musician who crosses over to mainstream success while on the road, No Room For Rock Stars is Cinema Vèritè story-telling at its finest. A historical retrospective or concert film this is not. No Room For Rock Stars is meaningful insight into current state of rock and roll and the zeitgeist of youth culture.

Accompanying the film will be a blazing soundtrack of songs from the movie as well as Vans Warped Tour all-time greatest hits. The project will also have a significant library of bonus content, some of which will be featured on the No Room For Rock Stars mini-site at vans.com/warped and vanswarpedtour.com. From the team that brought you the highly acclaimed Dogtown and Z-Boys, No Room For Rock Stars will resonate beyond tour and punk rock fans to anyone seeking out the true stories of rock and roll." 

No Room For Rockstars, independent film about Vans Warped Tour

Fast Women, Fast Cars and A Bank Heist, Need More?

Vimeo never ceases to be a great source of entertainment, especially when it comes to high end film making and more specifically music videos. In one of our many random searches we found this video by Puretone and the hottie singer, Amiel. Keystone cops chasing gorgeous females is easy on the eyes, so dive in, as Mad Max lives on in the chase seen...

Is Mad Max just a character played by Mel Gibson or his true self?

Puretone | Addicted To Bass | Music Video from Fastback Films on Vimeo.

Link to more on Amiel Daemion

Amiel Daemion, Australian actress and singer

Depth Of Speed - A Pinch Of Salt

We were fortunate enough to meet the film maker Josh Clason last Friday night down at Tim Bradham's Chassis Works for the last shop night of the year. With the Speed Kings playing their rowdy blend of punk rock and the beer flowing surely good times were had by all. Then after we were making our rounds about to leave we happened to roll over to the front desk computer and started to watch some videos with Jefe and were introduced to the film maker Josh. He was filming at the shop earlier in the day and we hadn't a clue who he was but were stoked to say hello and then learn of the great work he does on film. Dig into his short films as we are just starting to as well, so look for a plethora of more posts on his work. Below is a bit more depth on the film series "Depth of Speed" and more on Josh Clason the film maker. 

Depth Of Speed

Depth of Speed on Facebook

"Depth of Speed was born from a desire of story, travel and a love of anything automotive related. Next year my wife and I will be taking to the streets to uncover and document the greatest stories from the automotive world. From coast-to-coast and from top to bottom, finding the best stories will take the highest priority. Every time I meet someone new or attend an event I’m amazed at the depth, passion and love that the automotive world brings. Depth of Speed is just that – an in-depth look at these stories. There is something about motors and machines, that to an outsider looking in, would make us seem plain crazy. 

We have begun the process of outfitting our trusty Scamp trailer to traverse the entire country. Known affectionately as a fiberglass egg, our Scamp will be our home for one year of our lives. At only 13 feet long it will make for a cozy year." 

HBTV: Depth of Speed - A Pinch of Salt from HBTV on Vimeo.

It's Better In The Wind - Short Film

This film has been a long time in the making and damn if this isn't some sit back and have a drink kind of viewing. Dig in and watch some poetry in motion as this has plenty of soul to go around. Huge congrats to all involved, the filming is fantastic and Chuck Ragan's music fits the mood perfectly. 

Link to film on Vimeo

"For the last two years I have been taking still photographs for a personal project entitled 'It's Better In The Wind,' all the while collecting video footage from each ride as we traveled around the Western United States together. I have been slowly editing the footage into a visual scrapbook of sorts for those who partook, and those who followed us via the web. No preaching the triumphs and failures of the motorcycle industry, no divisive commentary between manufacturers and styles...just a collection of imagery that will hopefully inspire more people to take to the road and discover what there is outside of our respective communities. Chuck Ragan was kind enough to collaborate with me to write an original soundtrack for the film, to give me some anthemic tunes to edit with, and I can't thank him enough for the kind gesture towards a fellow traveler. Please, enjoy the film, everybody who took part in it is family, we are all grateful for your support these past two years while we tried to build a concept around the positive nature of motorcycling." - Scott Toepfer 

Cameras Used: Canon 5dMkII, Minolta Super 8mm 

Edited With: Final Cut Express Film 

Processed by: Pro 8mm in Burbank, CA 

Music Written, Recorded, and Produced by: Chuck Ragan (chuckraganmusic.com)

It's Better In The Wind - Short Film from Scott Toepfer on Vimeo.

Women With Weapons

Women with weapons are hard not to like. Thanks to Leather-Beauties Blogspot for the imagery.

A Sweet Sickness - The Flathead Movie

Join Hot Rod Builder and Award Winning Filmmaker Brian Darwas, as he sits down and talks the world’s top engine builders and fabricators about the engine that pioneered a movement, The Ford Flathead. Learn speed secrets from Vern Tardel. Get an in depth look at the build of of two high powered Flathead motors by Mike Herman (H&H) and Ronnie SanGiovani. Hear the stories that inspired Ryan Cochran to begin one of the most popular Hot Rodding networks in the world today, and ride along with Vern Hammond and Jack Carroll of The Burbank Choppers in their Flathead powered, traditional Hot Rods! Featuring: Vern Tardel, Mike Herman (H&H), Ronnie SanGiovani, Dave Simard, Ryan Cochran, Vern Hammond, Jack Carroll, Paul Howard, and many more! Running time: 60 minutes 

Buy The DVD

 

Thumbin' Sleazoid Cinema - Podcasts

Let's just come out and say it, Mike Ashcraft of Thumbin' Sleazoid Cinema is an amazing director and pop culture provocateur. His video podcasts are true mashups and make it hard for you to stop watching due to how seamless the flow and content are. We are stoked to be able to showcase his work and to know that we will be doing quite a bit of work with him in the future. More details on that partnership to come. For mature audiences or those who don't mind seeing some tata's in their cubicles.

Thumbin' Sleazoid Cinema