[Closed] Danny MacAskill's Imaginate

Madfly - Member

I thought the ball to line trick was the one that really stood out, allthough he did just mention on PB it took almost 300 takes...

Amazing skill and determination!

quite,

he's an amazing rider, with almost unbelievable skill, but perhaps his greatest asset is the ability to crash hundreds (thousands?) of times in 6months, and not die.

c'mon, the bit where he falls off the tank barrel, that would have killed me, dead.

You've got to hand it to Red Bull. None of this stuff (Danny, balloon man etc) can make sense financially can it?

Only if you see Red Bull as primarily a seller of fizzy drinks. Their long term aim is for Red Bull Media House to make a profit as a content provider. Like the Red Bull Stratos skydive thing, apart from all the free advertising on everyone's Facebook and on every news channel, it all promoted the accompanying documentary which they'd sold to BBC, National Geographic etc. Which I guess means producing things like this that are interesting to a mainstream audience.

The level of tricks that he is doing already appears impossible to pretty much anyone except bike nuts, anything more technical would be wasted on non nerds, whereas putting together an interesting and witty story and producing it immaculately means that it is fun to watch even if you're not a bike trick nerd looking out for the latest 720 double backflip nosepick whatever.

The sets were amazing and really original.

The music was abysmal.

Loved that - fantastic vision and polish, cute narrative - really nice piece of work. I think joemarshall above has the truth of it - this is about content that is accessible and persuasive to the public at large.

And the swiss ball to rail!

It was interesting to see something so different and inventive, but like a few others I think you get a better impression of the scale of the tricks in a 'real world' environment. I guess messing with perspective was part of the idea, but I felt in a way it diminished the riding - which of course is mindblowingly amazing.

Thanks joemarshall, that makes sense.

Only if you see Red Bull as primarily a seller of fizzy drinks. Their long term aim is for Red Bull Media House to make a profit as a content provider. Like the Red Bull Stratos skydive thing, apart from all the free advertising on everyone's Facebook and on every news channel, it all promoted the accompanying documentary which they'd sold to BBC, National Geographic etc. Which I guess means producing things like this that are interesting to a mainstream audience.

I'd also add that as other brands see how much exposure Red Bull media, athletes and events get - and which demographics that exposure is with - they massively drive up the value of co-sponsorship, another revenue stream for them.

Are there any cool bike chase films. The rad jumping and set piece films are cool but would like a bit more story.

At 4:50 I actually shouted out "What the xxxx just happened?"!!!
Awesome!
You'd have to lead a pretty rubbish life not to be impressed by that.

Even the wife enjoyed it.

Just incredible, some of it's just so hard to believe is possible, and with the bold colours and odd scale, it does leave you thinking they have used cgi, until they show the outtakes at the end.

But the music, for christ sake, it was awful. His earlier vids were quite inspired in their musical choices, they matched the mood perfectly and helped punch up the visuals. This one the music flattens the atmosphere.

I love all his videos, this one's a bit different even if some of the tricks weren't. I loved the ones with the ball. From what I've seen of him on tv, he seems like a really nice guy too, quite modest and not big and brash!

Yup, excellent bid that.

What's he like on a 29erSS??

Just managed to watch it what a great little film. Fantastic camera work and directing there by Stu Thomson much better than his previous stuff and Danny's talents are incredible.

This one the music flattens the atmosphere.

I thought the music set it right in the 80s obviously there was a few hitches with with a red bull car, but red bull wasn't about then so I guess there had to be a compromise somewhere. Music is personal and not everyone will like the same thing. Can't please everyone I guess.

Answer: mute the volume and put your own music on. 🙂 after all its all about the bikes. .. Right?

He was performing some of the tricks at the BBC last night at the end of the One Show - utterly amazing.

I thought the music set it right in the 80s

Bland dad rock doesn't place it in my 80's or in the head of young lad in the 80's 😉

How about this then?

Awesome I thought....my non biking wifey concurs.

Brilliant.

I like the way he's explained his whole schtick in terms of a childlike consideration of what's possible. "Wouldn't it be cool if..."

Aye. Make it happen!

Only trouble was the Toy Story-ish theme made it hard to suspend the disbelief that there wasnt some CGI jiggery pokery involved.

Also liked that his maw threatened to "shoot the boots off him" if he didn't come down for his tea - my gran was the only person i've ever heard use that expression - haven't heard it for decades.

Simply awesome- he has more skill in his smallest fart than i have ever had on a bike!!!

I so want to be able to do the pilates ball thing, i'd die trying 😆

Anyone know what time he was on the One Show? I've got it on iPlayer at the moment but can't be arsed to watch the whole thing.

Right at the end.

Just watched The One Show - the fact that he can now do those tricks on-cue is pretty impressive.

Cool "making of" type video - http://www.nsmb.com/macaskills-imaginate-lifting-the-lid/

Weird when the plastic soldiers move!

Missed this topic thefirst time but what?

You've got to hand it to Red Bull. None of this stuff (Danny, balloon man etc) can make sense financially can it?

Only if you see Red Bull as primarily a seller of fizzy drinks

Even as "just a fizzy drinks seller" this makes so much financial sense its not true. These videos are watched by 10s of millions of people for 6 mins each time. And then we come on places like this and talk about it endlessly. A traditional advertising campaign that gets the same kind of exposure would cost millions. This film probably only cost a couple of 100,000. Very cheap in comparison.

The space walk was probably a lot more expensive but was watched by 100s of millions of people, was on every news boardcast for days etc. That is advertising that money can't buy but if you could it would be worth 10s of millions of pounds.

Cheers for the link DezB

I thought it was brilliant... Love the sheer nerve of it, and some of the wee clever setups- the balls, the house of cards, and the bit with the tipping block... Even my dad loved it, and it's hard to impress him with riding because as far as he knows it's all dead easy.

STATO - Member

But it was billed as something huge, something never seen before.

Was it not, though? I've never seen anything like it before. You might say the riding content's mostly nothing new but the film isn't just the riding.

MSP - Member

His earlier vids were quite inspired in their musical choices, they matched the mood perfectly and helped punch up the visuals. This one the music flattens the atmosphere.

I don't know if it flattens it, but it definitely doesn't contribute like the Funeral, or the ridiculously breathless Jezebels track in Way Back Home... I literally punched the air at the tree flair in Inspired, wouldn't have done that without the music I think, what a moment...

[i]some of the wee clever setups- the balls..[/i]

Flipping over a bouncy ball onto a railway track... yeah that's possible! Bonkers.

re; the music - I hate that kind of 80s soft rock stuff, but I thought it fitted well. Certainly didn't detract from it for me.

Agree with the comments above. What Danny (and Chris Akrigg for that matter) are good at is making great films. Not all of the tricks are new and some were done years ago, but they're all part of an engrossing short film.