Seasons at Sheffield Showroom Write Up & Review
The screening started at 8:30pm and finished at 10:30pm, first screening Roam, The Collective’s previous film, then Seasons, followed Q&A with one of the riders from Seasons – Steve Peat. The extra treat was that he’d brought most of his team mates from the Syndicate, including Nathan Rennie and Greg Minear fresh from his win at Fort William.
So I suppose the biggest question about Seasons as a film is ‘Is it as good as Roam?’ – the quick answer is ‘no’, in my opinion. Does that mean it’s a bad film? – Certainly not!
For starters it’s going in a different direction to Roam, giving the story and background of riders and what they do through four SEASONS of the year. Starting out with Steve Peat training for the racing seasons ahead in the cold, wet, Sheffield winter, it continues to introduce seven riders from different riding backgrounds. We then follow their progress, with some taking part in competitions and others just riding, until they all come together at the end of the season to ride in Whistler. Although there are seven main riders others feature in the film, including Sam Hill, they focus on his battle with Steve Peat and we also see him racing against Stevie Smith with Tyler Moreland who was in Roam.
The Collective have done good job in filming racing and competitions, something that differs from Roam which was built around riding locations rather than events. There’s quite a bit of zip line camera action and plenty of good camera work too, with some exceptional slow-mo’s. There were some very funny moments in the cinema showing, which aren’t quite so funny when you just watch the DVD on your own. The music is ok and compliments the feel of the riding but it doesn’t stand out or really make any of the sections come alive like some of the Roam tracks. It was also disappointing they chose to have more footage of Matt Hunter riding a motorbike (just cruising as well, not even interesting) than Steve Peat riding Wharncliffe and Bala, a very bad editing choice. There’s some good sections with a mixture of DH, Freeride and Slopestyle, highlights for me being Steve Peat racing at Mont Saint Anne and the final group section in Whistler.
I started by asking if it was as good as Roam, which probably wasn’t a fair question as they set the bar so high with that film. In general Seasons is a good film, with great riding, the Collective’s high standard of filming and the added interest of knowing the riders as people rather than just seeing them ride. When Jonny asked me after we’d been and seen it at the Showroom how good it was out of 10, I said 9/10 (I didn’t dare say 10/10 as that would be complete perfection). But I think I probably swayed as the event as a whole and as a DVD on it’s own I’d say only 8/10, which is still pretty good and worth buying. It’s available from Chain Reaction (amongst other places) for £20.
One interesting bit was to see Bamford Edge and Win Hill in Seasons! 😆 A pan shot from above Bradwell on the way to Windmill I think, it’s at the end of Steve’s opening section.
Frames taken from the DVD ‘Seasons’ by The Collective.
After the film was the Q&A with Peaty, I asked whether he had to do many takes when filming with the Collective. He said ‘They know exactly the shot they want, they spend quite a while setting up all their gear, then do one take and tell you straight away whether it worked or not.’
Other questions and answers I can remember included:
Q) His favourite track in the Peaks?
A) He doesn’t ride there much, mainly Wharncliffe.
Q) Whistler or Wharncliffe?
A) In this weather, Wharncliffe, with the sun out.
Q) How much of his winter he spent in Sheffield?
A) 6 months
Q) How much of his winter he spent away? 😆
A) A couple of weeks
Q) Who could drink more him or Rennie?
A) The consesus, at least from his team manager, was Rennie.
Q) Whether he would have a look at someone’s boiler.
A) He could look at it but wouldn’t be much help.
Someone else shouted “What boiler is it?” 😆
With much laughter that brought an end to the Q&A session.
I took the opportunity to get a picture of Peaty at the end, on the way down to the front I pasted Rennie, he really is massive! I had to run for the train, but it was worth it, very good of him too.
If you were there tell us about it, what did you think?
King_Jeff said,
Wrote on June 22, 2008 @ 3:35 pm
The Seasons write and review are FINALLY up sorry I took so long, I could say it’s the DVD took a while to arrive, but that only half the reason.
Anyway we’d like to know what anyone who was there thought of it?
JrK
tarquin said,
Wrote on June 24, 2008 @ 11:03 pm
dude! the soundtrack for this movie is the best i have ever heard! it’s just amazing….including the 2 songs fron the sessions(unsigned band from vancouver)…every song complements the ride! take another listen.
King_Jeff said,
Wrote on June 25, 2008 @ 5:33 pm
The music was reasonable, but for me nothing stood out like the Whistler and final sections in Roam.
JrK
nickoli said,
Wrote on June 26, 2008 @ 5:03 pm
I really rate seasons as a file. Where it doesn’t have the same impact as Roam did it does have much more of a narrative that actually allows you to get to know the riders rather than just seeing them as demi-gods that can do anything on a bike.
In my opinion, Roam broke the mould of biking movies and has been emulated by many since. The style and cinematography in Roam really elevated the quality of the ridign to new heights that we have all loved since (just think of that BearClaw 360 in the opening sequence… my spine still tingles like the first time I saw it). This will make it always stand out at a great movie.
However, having watched it too much, sitting through it on the big screen in worse quality than in my front room (I couldn’t believe it when the DVD menu came up!) when I was itching to see the new stuff wasn’t really welcome. What was welcome was being able to watch it in a cinema with a beer in my hand… now that living!
The stories told in Seasons make the film. The scene with Stevie Smith being driven to the top of the trail by his mum in here tiny 4×4 is heart melting… “maybe some day he’ll be the first to leave this place”… then he pins it down and we see a true pro in the making, Magic. Cam Macaul setting up a kicker in to his swimming pool to progress his tricks (and his bird calls) then Bear Claw emulating him but having to wear a wet suit and fly off in to a lake… Genius.
But for me… the opening sequence with a bearded Peatie sat on his exercise bike in the middle of winter waxing lyrical about how tough we brits are as a result of our winters then dropping in to the top of Wharnie… BEST EVER… I couldn’t stifle my cheer in the cinema and why should I. There we were in a cinema in Sheffield, watching our local hero in an international movie on the big screen, ripping up our local trails like only he can… with him in the cinema!! We should have all been on our feet deafening the rock music!! What an event…. inspirational… I rode so hard the next day, despite hangover.
As for the Q&A… good… but a missed opportunity really. Virtually the whole syndicate was there and they left peatie up there to fend for himself. I go to a lot of climbing lectures and the MC is often as important as the guest, especially with someone like Peat. It might have been a bit strange to start with but it would have stopped everyone defaulting to humour to get through the awkwardness. Its not everyday you get to quiz a legend. Its not everyday your in a room with several legends, all at the top of their game and ready to answer your questions. Where was the panel and the microphones? Thanks for King_jeff for the best serious question of the night, it was fascinating to find out something about the process. But top marks has got to go to my mate Adam for his boiler retort:
Adam: “Steve, my mate Andy had an off in the star wars section of Rheoloa at the weekend…”
Peat “Only fools do that…”
Adam:”and he’s come away with a lovely plaster cast on his wrist. We would be deeply honoured if you could… come round and have a look at my boiler”
Class…
Now got seasons on DVD… watching that too much too!
Nick
King_Jeff said,
Wrote on June 26, 2008 @ 6:51 pm
Yeah, it’s a shame there wasn’t more of Peaty at Wharncliffe, there wasn’t any more in the extras either.
With the Q&A it might have been bit unfair to expect the others to answer questions, as Steve was the billed guest and Q&A guy. They probably get asked loads of questions and get tired of it. Would have been nice tho. The session could easily have been called ‘Steve Peat does Stand-up’ (with the obvious ironic humour of him being sat down) 😆 .
There were a few other serious questions about where he rides and if he spend much of the winter here. Your mate’s question was ingenious, only matched by the guy further back on the right, who after Steve declined asked “What boiler is it?”
Did your mate get his cast signed?
JrK
joe said,
Wrote on June 28, 2008 @ 11:47 pm
I really find Roam boring compared to the original collective and seasons. Roam overdoes it on the cliched epic music and the non diagetic voiceover really gets on my tits.
As for Seasons they got it spot on with the editing, interviews, social lives and each section was one to remember and more importantly could be watched over and over again.
But hey that’s just my opinion.
Joe
James Irwin said,
Wrote on July 1, 2008 @ 5:06 pm
Seasons for me has got to be one of my favorite biking movies of all time. Obviously Roam is the obvious standard to which this film will be judged against but i think that the two films are not really comparable. Yes they have a number of riders that are in both. But when you look at it, in terms of what they are riding and the way the two movies were filmed it leads to a completely different feel. I can see what Joe is saying about Roam maybe appearing boring to some, in some ways i agree. And i totally agree with Tarquin about the sound track it rocks.
I think that some of the filming in Seasons is of a even higher standard than that of Roam (some of the close up slow motion shots are breathtaking). Especially when you consider that sections such as the Mt Saint Ann were filmed on a race track whilst it was being used by other riders. Unlike Roam that was filmed in some of the most riderless locations on earth. The collective were also brave to film during the winter unlike many other similar movies, for this i think they deserve allot of respect.
With the last Whistler section for me is almost the high point, the riding isn’t the most breath taking dont get me wrong it isn’t bad. But it pulls the whole film together and leaves you with a feeling of wanting to get out and ride your bike and for me that is what counts.
tarquin said,
Wrote on July 4, 2008 @ 8:24 pm
in regards to the sound track…2 songs came from a band called the sessions..they were featured in matt hunters part with the insane kicker to eqally insane ladings..its called 18 candles..and the other song is called my love and was on peatys part at the start….guys..please support this band they are seriously good…unsigned and unheard of in the uk…go to http://www.myspace.com/thesessionsmusic... listen and buy there EP which is out on the 15th on july AND….tell me what you think of them
🙂 cheers 🙂
TaRqUiN!