Yesterday, I watched Cult's new video "Talk is Cheap," a new DVD that runs just under an hour, from start to finish two times in a row. The last time I did that, I can't even remember. But the video was epic enough for me to go right back to the start and take it all in again. Yes, it's that good.
There is of course the riding, which includes full sections from Alex Kennedy, Dave Krone, Russ Barone, Bobby Simmons, Trey Jones, Bas Keep, Chase Dehart, Chase Hawk and Dakota Roche. All are amazing riders with diverse styles, and this video contains, from start to finish, their best riding to date. I feel like it would be a disservice to talk about various things done throughout the video though. I would rather everyone reading this just trust me when I say that this is one of the best BMX videos ever made.
Filming for Cult's "Talk is Cheap" DVD began almost immediately after Cult released their first full-length video "Let 'Em Talk." Ryan Navazio, who filmed and edited "Let 'Em Talk," signed up to film and edit "Talk is Cheap," and he'll be the first to admit that he's obsessed with working. That obsession carried over into "Talk is Cheap."
But there's more than a video maker's obsession that makes this video so good. Navaz has a history with each of the riders in the video. Looking back, he's been filming with a good portion of the Cult team for a long time now (back to the days of Standpoint video magazine in some cases.) Because of these relationships, there's a trust between the Cult team and him, and that comes across in shining detail throughout the video. This is not just a case of Navaz being a hired gun that jumps in the van and films riders -- to me he's an integral part of the Cult team, and it's to the point where I can't imagine anyone else ever filming or editing future Cult videos.
There is one point of riding I did want to bring up though. During Dakota Roche's section, on one of his many burly gaps to wallride, the sound of Dak's tires compressing against the wall comes across crystal clear. I noticed it immediately, and asked Navaz about it. As it turns out, he spent over two weeks alone on sound editing for "Talk is Cheap." And that doesn't even take into account the countless hours he spent searching for original music that blended effortlessly with each rider.
I guess I could say that Ryan Navazio took his obsessive tendencies and turned them into a masterpiece. "Talk is Cheap" is
available now from Cult.