In Your Face: X Games 3D The Movie
The biggest name in action sports is coming off a screen near you.
"X Games 3D: The Movie" Behind the Scenes
X Games 3D: The Movie opens in theatres across the country on August 21st. I first viewed the film in late July at a private screening on the Disney Studios lot in Burbank, CA. My little group wandered around the sprawling complex, dodging Mickey Mouse hedge sculptures and ducking through a souvenir shop before finding our destination in a building on Dopey Drive. I swear I didn't make that up.
Tucked away between the production and development offices of some of the most powerful people in Hollywood, the surprisingly small screening room held just 40 folks. In attendance that afternoon? The movie's producer, narrator Emile Hirsch, a Walt Disney senior vice-president and featured athlete Danny Way. Oh, and me. Yeah, I was a little out of my league. I just tried not to trip over Emile while wearing my 3D glasses.
After Hirsch asked several smart questions about marketing and distribution, the space went dark and the projectionist put the reels in motion. Now, I assumed going in that I'd like the movie—the buzz about X Games 3D at ESPN was strong and growing, and it was made by bright, passionate people. It easily exceeded my expectations. I was blown away from the first moment, a dirtbike being kick-started, exhaust smoke floating atchya. It's three dimensional, baby!
Sure, the shots are incredible. Skateboards, rally car roost and Jake Brown's shoes explode off the screen. The technical precision behind tricks like Bob Burnquist's samba flip and Kyle Loza's freestyle motocross body varial never looked so good. I found myself laughing in sheer wonderment, and I even flinched once at a flying object. I felt like a dork, and I laughed then, too. But don't get concessions when the action slows and the athletes discuss their craft. Listen to Way talk about commitment or Pastrana speak about motivation. You might even be inspired. I was. I'm a jaded, cynical old dude, but the movie made me feel like a wide-eyed kid.
Full disclosure: I work for ESPN, and I made a very small contribution to the film. Go ahead, call me a homer. I'm not neutral or unbiased. It's cool if you don't believe me, but I wasn't the only one who walked away amazed.
X Games 3D: The Movie premiered on July 30th at the Nokia Theatre after the opening night of X Games 15 had finished across the street at Staples Center. It had been a very long day for Burnquist and Ricky Carmichael, two of the film's stars. Burnquist earned silver in Skateboard Big Air, while Carmichael opened XG 15 by taking bronze in Best Whip and closed the event's first evening by sharing gold in Step Up. It was Step Up, in fact, that caused the premiere to be delayed.
"Step Up was going long because [Ronnie] Renner and I kept fighting back-and-forth," said Carmichael. "I wanted to win, but I kept thinking about the movie, which was supposed to start at 8. At one point I asked what time it was and heard 8:20. I was thinking, 'Dang, let's go! I want to see this movie!'"
Finally, the stars were on the red carpet. "I was tired and normally would've gone back to the hotel with my wife, but there was so much energy there," Burnquist said. "It was really exciting. I didn't know what to expect from the movie, but I couldn't wait."
Both wanted to be involved with the project in part because of their relationship with director Steve Lawrence. "I've worked with Stevie for years, and he pours his heart into what he does just like we do," said Burnquist. "I trust him, and when I learned that they wanted to shoot behind-the-scenes footage, I saw a huge opportunity to show the world what we do in my backyard every day. I was immediately on-board."
Burnquist and Carmichael were just two of the literally thousands who filled the theatre that first night, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. "I was in awe the whole time," Carmichael said. "I was amazed. I couldn't wait for the next part, and these sports really show how cool 3D can be. I was just like, 'Wow!' through the entire thing. It made me pumped just to be a part of it."
"I was floored from the opening shot," Burnquist added. "There's so much quality throughout; I was impressed with the technology, and I enjoyed it all. I was really stoked on everything. The movie could've been cheesy, and it's so special that it wasn't. It's respectful and thoughtful. It's legit."
Getty ImagesThe action sports ladies of the red carpet: skier Sarah Burke, skateboarder Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, snowboarder Jamie Anderson, Casey Patridge (wife of FMX rider Kyle Loza) and Pamela Anderson (her son skates!).Both men believe fans will experience X Games like never before. "It gets the audience so up close and personal," Carmichael said. "It would be dead silent and quiet in the theatre, and then everyone would react when someone tried a trick. People will like the behind-the-scenes stuff; it's insightful and the real deal."
"It really does feel like you're in it," said Burnquist. "It makes you part of the action. There's so much information to take in, it's like sensory overload. Maybe all someone sees each year of us is X Games. This goes beyond that; it gives people more understanding of what we do and shows the bonds that are created between us."
Burnquist was still so enthused the next day that, back at Staples Center for practice, he interrupted an X Games production meeting to compliment the movie's makers. "I did, I crashed their meeting," he admitted with a laugh. "I wanted to tell them how good it was, and how I was glad to be a part of it. That sort of praise isn't something I just do. I really have to mean it to bother, and I did. I believe people will be energized by the movie, and I can't wait to see it again."
But back to my screening in that little room at Disney. The lights came up after the closing credits and an amusing outtake. "Wow," Hirsch said, turning to Way. "You guys are tough!" Both were impressed with the film. We said our goodbyes and walked out into the fading LA sun. Strolling back to our rental car, a middle-aged man approached, smiling as he pulled on his leather jacket.
"Congratulations," he said. We stared blankly. Who's this guy? "I was your projectionist, and I thought the movie was great, fantastic. No lulls." The projectionist. He's not paid to offer opinions about movies, he's paid to keep reels rolling. Yet here he was, seeking us out simply to applaud the picture.
I chatted him up as he neared his motorcycle, parked close to our minivan. The man shows films every day, and he's worked at Disney for 32 years, longer than most of the desired demo for X Games 3D has been alive. Every day for three decades is a lot of flicks, and he loved this one. The 50-something swung a leg over his ride, a big ol' cruiser. "Whaddya think?" he asked with a grin. "Should I take this thing off one of those ramps?"
That's the spirit.
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