Video

Sep 01 2014

Intermodel Star 2014 Zacatecas

As I’m writing this, I’m on my way home. The past few days have been non-stop traveling, press conferences, interviews and of course, attending Intermodel Star 2014 in Jerez, Zacatecas. The trip started in Guadalajara, a city I’ve been eager to visit for some time now. Although I only spent a day there, it left a good impression. The climate is amazing. It’s sunny and warm, but not to the exhausting extent of summer in Cancún. I wouldn’t mind relocating should I find a suitable agency to work with. I’ll definitely return for a closer look in the near future.

After spending a single night in Guadalajara and meeting up with Javier Vidal, the president of Intermodel, we took a bus to Colima. When we went for dinner, I had incorrectly interpreted “sope de pata” as “sope de pato”. I was quite surprised when instead of duck, I received a pig’s foot for dinner.

After a press conference in Colima we headed back to Guadalajara and then immediately transfered to another bus headed for Aguascalientes. We had an interview with a local TV station and then proceeded to Zacatecas to spend the night. The next day was the first time we had some free time to explore the city. In the afternoon we drove to Jerez where the event was to take place. Intermodel was held at a very beautiful theater which unfortunately didn’t fill up all the way, but that couldn’t stop the show. Rather than further describing events, I’ve uploaded this video of the talent section. I couldn’t film the models because my battery had run out by then:

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Jun 17 2014

Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2014

This highlight video shows the best from the second stop of the 2014 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, at gorgeous Possum Kingdom Lake in Texas on June 6-7. The divers plunged from 27 meters into Hell’s Gate Cove. 14 of the best cliff diving athletes in the world competed in the event, and this video highlights the top four dives along with awesome shots of Texas, the lake, and the many fans on hand for the event. Fans line the competition area in boats, rafts and jet skis, taking advantage of the fantastic summer weather and the amazing, top-level diving.

+ Who

Red Bull, an energy drink company known for their many sponsorships in extreme and action sports, takes divers through seven world-wide stops for its 2014 Cliff Diving World Series, including Cuba, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Spain Brazil, and this stop in Texas. The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series was founded in 2009 and features the top talent and most promising newcomers in the sport. The four dives in the final round are featured in this video, Michal Navratil of the Czech Republic, Steven LoBue of the United States, Artem Silchenko of Russia and, the winner, Gary Hunt of the UK.

+ Where

The United States stop on the world tour takes place at Possum Kingdom Lake in Palo Pinto County, Texas. Possum Kingdom Lake is a reservoir of the Brazos River and features two towering cliffs that m ark the entrance to a small cove, called Hell’s Gate, where the event took place.

+ What

The video beings with some scenic and appropriate shots of Texas, to set the scene. At the ten second mark, the narrator sets up the event over shots of the beautiful lake and cove where the event will take place. At (0:15) we begin to see shots of the divers and the massive amount of fans who have arrived by boat to see the event. (0:30) brings us the first shots of actual dives, and we get a sense of the immensity of the 30 meter platform. (0:39) we see fourth place finisher Michal Navratil’s final round dive, which scores him a host of 9.5s and a 10. (0:46) is an interview with Navratil, where he says he is happy to score the 10. (0:51) is the American diver’s Steven LoBue’s dive, which earned him third place. His interview, and a slow-mo replay, follow. (1:24) is Artem Silchenko’s second place dive, and (1:33) is the final round dive of our event winner, Gary Hunt. At (1:40) we see shots of the other divers celebration, and then Hunt’s interview. The podium shot and more shots of the fans follow.

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Jun 07 2014

Philippines Parkour with a Storyline: Rush Hour

There are plenty of Parkour videos on YouTube and other video sites, but rarely do you find one with an actual storyline! This video features some pretty cool parkour moves and an amusing story about a kid who uses his free-running skills to get to class on time and beat rush hour traffic. The video is well shot, with scenes in traffic and more suburban and rural locations. Also, it features a sound track that really compliments the moves of the featured free-runner, Jhonny Ramos. The video was shot in San Pablo, Philippines and uploaded to YouTube in high definition by the Philippine Parkour FreeRunning Association.

+ Who

The video was made by the Philippine Parkour FreeRunning Association, and features Jhonny Ramos. The PPFA is a non-profit organization that promotes Parkour and FreeRunning Philippines. The group was started by the Philippine free-runners, and in March of 2009, the PPFA was established. It was made up of the Philippine FreeRunners, Parkour Pampagna (now the Pampanga FreeRunners) and the Tacloban FreeRunners. They established a website (parkour.ph) to spread their love of parkour and free-running and have uploaded more than 50 videos to their YouTube channel. They also have an active presence on other social media sites. There are now 13 teams affiliated with the organization, and 20 featured runners.

+ Where

This video was made in San Pablo, a city in the Laguna province in the Philippines. It is on of the oldest cities in the country and has a population just shy of 250,000 people. The city is known as the City of the Seven Lakes and is nestled in the foothills of three mountains. The Philippines (officially known as the Republic of the Philippines) is an island nation in Southeast Asia. It is made up of 7,107 islands.

+ What

The video begins with shots of gridlocked traffic, and Jhonny sitting in the back of a taxi. He hope out (0:17) and begins his run down the crowded sidewalks, as the the traffic continues to flow. He cuts through a forested park (0:25) and the runs along a street, hurdling an obstacle (a person) at (0:32). He takes on some decorative steppes in the park at (0:35) and hurdles a small stream at (0:40). Shortly after, he leaps the stump of a giant tree. He runs along the street again and leaps off the roof of a one story building at (0:50). He hops through an opening in a mural at (0:52) and cuts across a field towards some benches, which he leaps and then crosses a road. He climbs a brick retaining wall at (1:02) and then does an impressive flip. Then it’s back to a more forested area, leaping over huge tree roots (1:07) until he gets to campus. He flips over the parking lot barrier (1:10) and is then running down the hall to class. He hops down the stairs and flips over his teacher (1:25), who has helpfully dropped his papers. He high-fives a classmate at (1:35) and then credits roll along with behind the scenes and practice footage.

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Jun 04 2014

Watch Dogs inspired Parkour

Enthusiasts of the highly popular new video game Watch Dogs will be exceptional excited about a real life portray of the tech savvy main character with a parkour twist. Those unfamiliar with the game should only note that Watch Dogs is a game about a guy who has access to the entire computational grid in his city. This means he can hack into anything with just his self phone. Anything from city lights to computers can be hacked into and in this video you get to see a movie like rendition of Watch Dogs. Anyone who has ever wished they could hack into a red traffic light will enjoy this video.

Chris Romrell and Robert Bennett take to the streets and preform parkour to the theme of the video game Watch Dogs. Watch as they scale buildings and run through alley ways demonstrating amazing flips and stunts you would see in a parkour video, but more unique than most other videos in the hobby. The two put on a showcase of fantastic dives, flips, and somersaults known in the sport of parkour but themed after the video game Watch Dogs created and distributed by Ubisoft in Montreal. The two put on the costumes and put on a spectacle like you have never seen before.

+ Who

The video is posted and produced by Youtube user devinsupertramp. This guy is known for all kinds of extreme sports and artistic videos. This makes a perfect match for Ubisoft who has sponsored the efforts for this Watch Dog parkour video. They use highly trained professional parkour athletes to create a scene depicting a chase between a criminal and the main character who appears to be a vigilante similar to Batman with a different attire. By the time the video is done you want a movie version of Watch Dogs. With athletes Chris Romrell and Robert Bennett and comedian Wheezy Waiter as the cop, this video will get plenty of repeat views.

Chris Romrell and Robert Bennett, two friends who have joined together in the sport of parkour, put on costumes and take to the streets dressed like characters from the new hit video game Watch Dogs. They have had their youtube channel up for some time that shows they are no stranger to the sport of parkour. They are produced by Jacob Shwarz and David Thorpe, two people who have spent many years making short films. The costumes are done by cos-play costume designer Allison Dredge and the music is preformed by Stephen Anderson.

+ Where

Shot in parts of Chicago, this video feels like they shot in the middle of New York and had traffic stopped so they could do production. Some of their scenes take place in the same locations as the movie The Dark Knight where the truck flips over itself. The rooftop scenes were scouted out by the director to try to find the coolest places. They did not want to have a dull chasing scene so they made sure everything was exceptional.

+ What

At the beginning is the introduction to the main character. You can see him watching the news intently while not trying to be noticed. At 0:21 he leaves the bar in pursuit of the criminal. For most of the video after this is the chase. At 0:24 you get to see him stop the traffic light and the suspect has to get out of the car. At 0:30 he is confronted by the police but makes a run for it. The hero takes on after him at a leisurely pace. At 1:00 you see the suspect has lost his breath but he notices someone following him. Then the pace picks up as you see both men doing parkour throughout the video. At 2:10 you see the here hacks into something that resembles a roof air-condition vent to create an explosion which hurts the suspect. More parkour ensues until at 2:26 the hero kicks the suspect down a ladder and the cop catches up with them. Then the hero hacks the cop car just so he can dim the lighting long enough to get away while the mob suspect is in custody.

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Jun 01 2014

These fashion models try to make diarrhea sexy

This video tricks models into giving a public service announcement. They try to say very serious things in a sexy voice but it shakes them up because they know they are talking about terrible tragedy. People need to see this because it has sexiness but also talks about a cause which should be heard around the world. While many of us in the United States feel comfortable living our lives, there are wars and diseases around the world. There are many preventable deaths around the world and we need to wake up to the facts. We should care because it could be our children one day dying from war or disease.

+ Who

Save the Children USA are the ones who paid for and produced this video. In the video they claim to have run an ad for Sexy Models in the NYC area. These models seem to know what they are doing as they start to read sexy lines which they think are going to be used for a sexy brand. You start to think the lines are for something like a cologne commercial. However, this video is solely for the purpose of sending a message about children dying in countries where there is war.

+ Where

This video was made in New York City. They appear to have a standard photo shoot set up. It looks like a shoot for any other modelling agency in New York. The viewer can assume the shoot takes place near the headquarters for Save the Children USA. New York City is full of people competing to be a model. This is why New York City is an interesting place to host this type of Public Service Announcement.

+ What

At 0:06 you can see the models coming into the building. You can assume they are clueless about the job they are auditioning for. At 0:09 the director tells the models this shoot is going to be for a very sexy brand. He also tells them they are going to read sexy lines from a board. At 0:24 they have the models say the line, “What are your deepest desires”. At this point the viewer can laugh a little at the ridiculousness. at 0:56 they have one of the male models talk about how many children die each year. They have him say it in a very seductive tone. At 1:02 the director tells the models they are not being sexy enough. He makes it seem like it is their fault. The models feel very unsure of themselves. At 1:41 one of the models says “Diarrhoea” in a sexy tone. This is where the models start to really question why they are saying these things.

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May 30 2014

When Spider-Man runs out of web, he free runs

With the recent release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, you might have found yourself wondering how exactly Spider-Man would get around the city if he were to ever run out of webs. That webbing can’t simply be infinite can it? Now that would just be unrealistic! Well I bet you didn’t know that Spider-Man is also an expert free runner. The Amazing Spider-Man shows off his amazing parkour skills from sprinting full speed across ledges high in the sky to jumping from building to building in this short three minute video, made all the more impressive when you consider he’s doing this while wearing a mask which MUST cut down on his visibility.

+ Who

The video stars parkour athlete Ronnie Shalvis as Spider-Man. Ronnie is known as a professional free runner, stunt coordinator, and parkour trainer. According to his website, he has been practicing this art for the last seven years and has been involved in several extremely popular parkour videos including “Assassins Creed Meets Parkour in Real Life” which has received 36 million views on YouTube to date. Ronnie also has his own YouTube channel called Ronnie Street Stunts where he has uploaded over 100 videos and accumulated over 19 million views. Another stunt man, Chris Romrell helped coordinate the video. Both Ronnie and Chris are part of the CBR Stunt Team.

+ Where

The video was shot in the city of Provo, Utah. Provo isn’t a very big city and only has a population of around 115,000 (according to the U.S. Census Bureau). That’s a far cry from the 8.3 million of New York City, where Spider-Man actually lives. But hey, for the purposes of this video, Provo’s architecture looks really nice. Most of the scenes are on rooftops of various buildings and high rises. One of the coolest parts of this video is the crew actually used a flying drone with a camera attached to it to get a lot of the overhead shots.

+ What

At the beginning of the video everything is just fine and dandy as Spider-Man slings his way around the city then at (0:14) he goes to shoot a web and finds that nothing comes out! Spider-Man falls to the ground. This doesn’t deter him for long as he flips up and begins free running at (0:21). At (0:36) he jumps off a high ledge and spins around in mid-air then at (0:52) he crawls up to the roof of a building. (1:00) Spidey literally jumps from building to building and at (1:10) he does a handstand on the corner of a skyscraper. One wrong move and he could fall… (1:26) Spider-Man crawls up what looks to be a fire escape then back flips out of a window at (1:32). At (1:37) he does some handsprings through a back alley before climbing up another fire escape at (1:40). (2:05) Spider-Man begins to climb one of the tallest buildings in the city and at (2:18) there’s a panoramic view of him hanging from part of the ladder. (2:22) some police officers respond to a call as Spider-Man watches over them from above.

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May 29 2014

BASE jumping off the tallest building in the world

Base jumping is an intense and adrenalin filled sport and the World Champion Soul Flyers Vince Reffet and Fred Fugen take this craft to a new level leaping from the world’s tallest building in Dubai. The pair gear up and are sponsored by Skydive Dubai to accomplish the goal of free falling from the pinnacle of Burj Khalifa setting a new world record. There are several excellent and up close shots from both a third base jumper and a helicopter that helps give you the full experience of leaping off the building and having the ground rushing up to meet you. With bright yellow jump suits and a red smoke, the video provides a very thrilling and eye-catching sight of the record setting moment. The Dubai Film Production brought the video to life and the music is licensed by The Rights Workshop.

This video, uploaded just one month ago by Skydive Dubai, already has almost 6.8 million views and over 22,000 likes. It is available to view in youtube’s new 2160p 4k high definition. In the video you see Soul Flyers World Champions Vince effete and Fred Fugen break the world record for BASE jumping by jumping off of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building at 828 meters (2,2716 ft, 6 inches). BASE jumping has been pursued by action sports enthusiasts since the late 70s. BASE is an acronym for four commonly jumped from objects: building, antenna, span and Earth (cliff).

+ Who

This video was put together by the Dubai Film Production in partnership with Skydive Dubai and features the base jumping skills of Soul Flyers Vince Reffet and Fred Fugen. These two world champions take the sport of base jumping to a new level by taking on the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa. Vince and Fred leap from the pinnacle of the tower setting a new world record of 828 meters. Vince first saw the building three years before attempting the jump and he knew it would be a dream to take it on. The pair of French skydiving veterans trained for a week to prepare for this record setting event.

The video was sponsored by Skydive Dubai, who offer skydives over the extraordinary sights in Dubai. They also sponsor skydiving teams and athletes, including Soul Flyers World Champions Vince Reffet and Fred Fugen. Reffet and Fugen are French skydivers who have been diving and jumping for over a decade. Their parents of both were seasoned parachutists. They joined together on the French national Freefly team in 2004 and then soon after both joined the Skydive Empuria parachute club in Spain, the most prestigious skydiving school in Europe. They won World Championships in Freefly in 2004, 2006 and 2008. In addition to freefly and BASE jump, they are enthusiasts of canopy piloting, extreme landings, wind tunnel skydiving, wing suit flying and speed riding.

+ Where

The Burj Khalifa, or Khalifa Tower, is the world’s tallest building and located in Dubai. It is the tallest man-made structure in the world and was completed in 2009 and opened in 2010. The tower was designed and built by the firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill from Chicago. The building was designed to be the centerpiece of a huge development in Dubai to diversify the country’s economy from oil to tourism. It also holds the record for the tallest skyscraper, the building with the most floors (163) and the world’s highest elevator. Dubai is an emirate in the UAE, located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf. It is home to over 2 million people.

From the adrenalin pumping leap off the 828 meter building to the ground this whole video takes place as a base jump off the world’s tallest building in Dubai, Burj Khalifa. The Skydive Dubai helps set up this location for the pair of extreme skydivers Vince Reffet and Fred Fugen to set a new world record.

+ What

The video starts off by giving you a good idea of just how tall and immense the Burj Khalifa building is peaking with a orange tinted sunset shot of the platform at the pinnacle (0:23) where Vince and Fred will begin the leap. A little bit of dramatic lead up comes when the pair are standing on the edge of the platform (0:29) geared up and ready to go with a helicopter flying overhead in slow motion. It totally sets the scene and gets you on the edge of your chair waiting for what will happen next. The wide shot of Dubai in the background and this pinnacle stretching up into the sky (0:31) again let’s you experience just how high the 828 meters is above the ground. The jump begins with Vince and Fred having red smoke trailing off their feet as they lean over and leave the platform (0:37). The duo glides through the air taking your breath away (0:50) as they plummet toward the ground as they circle around the building. We get up close and personal with a point of view shot (1:04) as the two come together and grab hands to perform a little mid-air acrobatics twirling and spinning together. A shot from a third jumper (1:10) lets you see the two spin with Dubai in the background before they separate (1:13) and prepare to land back on Earth. The parachutes both deploy (1:17) and the intense journey is nearly complete. Both are safely on the ground (1:26) celebrating their triumph in the new record with the realization of a dream come true.

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May 20 2014

Effective home back workout for beginners

Are you looking for a home back workout but don’t have a lot of time or a home gym? Many people don’t have the time or motivation to go to the gym everyday. Some people can’t afford a costly gym membership. Whatever your reasons, working out in your own home is a good way to stay in shape while still avoiding all these potential pitfalls. The back muscles can be one of the most difficult areas to hit without specific gym equipment. This video shows some good exercises that people can do at home to target their back. It’s a beginner level video so pretty much anybody can do these exercises. They don’t take too long either so it is a good way to save time. Now you’ll have no excuse NOT to work out!

+ Who

Mike from Six Pack Shortcuts stars in this video. His Youtube channel has over 2.5 million subscribers and well over 300 million total video views. Obviously he has helped lots of normal people just like you get into shape with some simple and easy exercises. The channel might be called Six Pack Shortcuts but Mike’s videos don’t just focus on abs – he gives you a variety of tips to help get different parts of your body totally ripped. After all, to you would look kind of weird if just one specific part of you was all muscled up and other parts looked wimpy right?

+ Where

The video is about home workouts and seems to be set in Mike’s own home. On the wall are various “before” and “after” pictures of people Mike has helped get into shape. There’s a white board on the back wall listing all the various types of back workouts that will be shown and talked about in this video and Mike also shows off his homemade pull up “contraption” which consists of two chairs back to back and a broom stick with some towels wrapped around the ends. Nice!

+ What

The video starts off with Mike describing how these home exercises can help you develop a “v-shaped” back. At (0:23) he talks about and shows you his homemade pull up contraption. It is made from some simple materials and will enable you to do this workout if you don’t have access to a pull up bar. (1:30) Mike demonstrates how to properly do a bent over fly. (2:08) Mike shows how to do an exercise called a towel roll. (3:00) Mike shows how to do another exercise called prone cobras then at (3:33) he demonstrates two types of really effective back stretches. At (4:55) Mike actually starts the workout routine himself. Mike completes the first set of each exercise at (10:53). The other four sets are then shown in a highly sped up fast forward pace to save time. Finally at (13:44) Mike gives a little bit of a motivational speech about how you should be giving every workout your all and wraps up the video.

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May 19 2014

Parkour doesn’t have to be on foot

Parkour has become more and more popular and you often watch a video to see people scaling buildings and leaping over various obstacles, but Ronnie Shalvis is taking parkour up a notch. Ronnie brings in a car and shows off his parkour skills by leaping, jumping, flipping and sliding all over a car. Ronnie doesn’t just stop with parked cars either, but also flips and jumps over a moving vehicle all at a park structure showing you that there is nothing you can’t do with parkour with a little time, a lot of talent and your imagination. He doesn’t even just leave it to jumping over or around a car, but going through as well leaving you shaking your head as you watch.

+ Who

Ronnie Shalvis stars in this car parkour video. He jumps, flips and slides over a parked car leaving you watching in amazement and wonder as he performs each stunt. The leaping and flying over a parked car is one thing, but Ronnie also adds a touch of style by jumping over a moving car as it’s driving by all filmed by Warialasky. Ronnie is a professional parkour trainer, free runner and stunt coordinator from Utah and has spent the last seven years training and perfecting his craft and for the last two years has worked as a professional stuntman with his crew.

+ Where

This video of Ronnie Shalvis is an urban landscape featuring a parking structure where he does all his parkour stunts. From moving cars to parked cars, Ronnie shows off his skills in parkour and free running. The Moscow – Minsk House provides the soundtrack as we watch Ronnie do his thing keeping the video upbeat and high energy.

+ What

Kicking off this video, Ronnie Shalvis drives into a deserted parking area and stops. Getting out he gets right to work showing of his parkour skills (0:14). After a few backflips to get a bit of distance, Ronnie leaps to the top of the car (0:18) and flips off before launching into his next set of skills. He leaps and jumps over the entire car (0:23) in a mix of power and grace. One of the most exciting moments is the complete jump over the car (0:42) without touching it at all adding in a little rolling flip. As the video continues, Ronnie opens the back doors on the car (0:51) and goes right through showing off his dexterity. An eye-catching moment is the leap off the cement wall (1:03) over the car driving by ending in a tuck and roll. After a few leaps over the car onto the cement wall (1:11) Ronnie really shows off his power by hurdling several parked cars (1:18) with different and unique moves.

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May 18 2014

Kate Upton heats up the Cook Islands

Kate Upton is arguably the hottest model on the face of the planet right now. She recently did a new Sports Illustrated shoot on the tropical beaches of New Zealand – a far cry from the Antarctica shoot she did last year in the frigid cold. Kate gets to show off some of the smallest bikinis she’s ever worn in this video and doesn’t mind dancing and bouncing in them anyway. See some of the hottest swimsuits Kate has ever worn (and half worn) as all her crew members and photographers talk about how much they, like everybody else, love her.

+ Who

Kate Upton and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit crew joke and have fun in this video, a somewhat behind-the-scenes look of her newest SI shoot. Kate isn’t just a hottie, she is also a fun person to be around. The crew talks about how Kate is vibrant, lively, sweet, and funny and various clips of her playfully joking between pictures back this up these statements. This video allows you to get to know the real Kate Upton a little better personality wise. Is Kate Upton truly the most perfect woman or what? You also get to meet some of Kate’s crew and photographers from Sports Illustrated.

+ Where

The video was made at the tropical beaches of Cook Islands in New Zealand – the setting for Kate’s latest professional shoot. Kate comments how she loves it because it is so warm there. It is actually at several different beaches as well as in and on the water as Kate gets to ride around and relax on some boats throughout the video.

+ What

The video starts off with Kate arriving and wishing everybody good morning for Day One of shooting. She climbs aboard and is ready to get started. At (0:20) Kate compares this shoot with her one in Antarctica. Later at (0:52), one of the crew helps make Kate’s bikini top smaller for the shoot which she jokes about. At (1:10) Kate shows her favorite of the swimsuits brought on location and it is very tiny! She says her butt doesn’t get a lot of attention but she thinks this particular bikini will help it get the attention ti deserves! At (1:40) Kate shows off her singing skills by singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to nobody in particular then at (2:23) Kate shaves the facial hair off one of the members of the crew while commenting it is the first time she’s ever shaved someone ever than herself then at (2:47) her and another crew member dance around in the water and tells him to untie her bikini top. Unfortunately, the video cuts away and ends at that moment…

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