What happens when you travel a full season with the factory Yeti MTB team to every Norba and North American World Cup downhill and 4X race? The answer my friends is 2 hours of mind-blowing, world class racing action! It's time for all you race nuts out there get excited, 'cause Synopsis is a must have title if you're serious about your gravity racing.

Action

Clay has turned it up another level with Synopsis. His choice of locations and filming positions are geared towards speed and cornering and he really captures the essence of racing in every section he films. The slow motion footage where you are able to see into a riders eyes as they rail a berm really makes you proud to be a mountain biker. The one thing I love about watching pro riders is watching their technique and style as they glide (or smash) through the rockiest terrain on the course whilst maintaining the speed that us meer mortals only dream about. Clay’s ability to film downhill racers is faultless and I don’t believe anyone will be disappointed with Clay's camera positioning as the footage captures the speed, surrounding area and direction of every section. The smooth panning chair lift footage is fantastic and gives the viewer a real sense of speed as the riders link and flow through each section of the tracks. Jared ensures me that none of the footage in Synopsis is sped up; a claim that some popular movies of late can't make

Free Riding
 
Synopsis caters mainly to the race faces out there, however if you look hard enough at the end of the DVD you will see some true huck action. However, the squid (hah!) who attempts it will never make it in the free-ride world as he sadly doesn’t seem to have the style to pull it off. Sunglasses mate, not goggles; and cut your sleeves off next time fool, you'll never ride for the Clump.

Riders

Another great feature of Synopsis is the use of the rider interviews to provide the video with commentary. Clay gets the word from several riders including Graves, Rennie, Bryn Atkinson, Sam Hill and most notably our Keewee brother John Kirkcaldie who comes up with some classic comments about  the design of some of the 4X courses. It’s also entertaining to hear the riders comment on each other before they are featured in their own section, which gives you a chance to appreciate their individual styles. Featured riders include Graves, Bryn, Sam, Neething, Lopes and more. Clay has slotted the rider sections strategicly between the racing action to mix up the footage and keep the viewer entertained during this 2 hour spectacular.

As with most “racing focused” productions Synopsis is a perfect class room addition to riding school. Being able to watch the pro’s in some of the roughest terrain in the world at full speed will only benefit your riding style and technique if you apply it when you ride.

Locations

As I've already mentioned, Synopsis is filmed at all of the 2004 Norba 4X and DH venues along with the North American World Cups and some awesome American jump trails. The footage of the venues, team tents, riders and spectators reminds me of the classic film “The Circus” by Warwick Patterson. Clay does well in Synopsis to capture the “lifestyle” of racing and the action which takes place on and off the track. Throw in some food fights and road trip antics and you get a picture of what goes on between each event. You will learn the face of such luminaries as Yeti Team manager Keith Darner before the movie is done.

Music

Not for everyone…that about sums it up. Clays choice is bizarre and I guess fresh...some will like it and others will despise it but trust me, the footage is so entertaining you could be listening to Casey Donovan and you wouldn’t notice. The music, although different in sections usually does well to compliment the riding of the particular section it is in. To me the music is the only thing that pulls the video down a notch but honestly with the individualism of music how the hell can you please everyone ? I loved Normal like you !!! are they still playing?

Editors Note - To clarify what Dom said, if you're a hip hop head like me you'll probably love the choice of music but if you're a hardcore metal head you'll probably be all pissed off and want to go out and punch a baby or whatever it is you metal heads do. Worth noting is Aussie hip hop phenom's the Hilltop Hoods who team up with their crew Certified Wise to provide the soundtrack to the NORBA finals in Durango. Tight.

Thank god for DVDs

Because Synopsis is so jam-packed full of entertaining race action it weighs in at approximately 2 hours of viewing. It’s not a movie you can just throw on and kill 30 minutes with, however it’s so good to see a mountain bike title which is long but that still maintains that entertaining feel. You may find yourself choosing specific sections of the film through the chapters section when time is of the essence, however the different footage Clay captures is intelligently mixed and allows you to watch the entire production without getting bored. When it comes to value for money in a DVD Synopsis provides so much bang for your buck it’s not funny and the price shouldn’t even be considered when purchasing this title.

Overall

Synopsis is awesome! That’s all I really have to say. It captures the racing season perfectly and if Clay has the motivation to produce a title like this again after each season he will have the same punters coming back for more. If you enjoy your DH and 4X racing and follow the international racing circuit you will adore Synopsis and I recommend you leave your computer now to obtain a copy (Ed - Or log on to one of our fine internet-based purveyors of bike parephenalia). Clay and your team, I take my hat off to you.

Score

8.5/10

I lost 1 point in the music somewhere. Add another point again if you figure out how to run your own music whilst playing it. (Ed - Or if you like hip hop)

*Note* Clay contacted me and pointed out an interesting fact. I gave 2nd Spectacle a 9/10 yet im only giving Synopsis a 8.5/10. The above music point reduction is based on my personal opinion and because I am the reviwer I must be honest on how the film was in my eyes. Alot of people will like the music so consider the score 9.5/10 if you want something fresh and different for music choice. The benchmark for quality in mtb "race" films has been lifted.

Discuss Here

http://forums.farkin.net/showthread.php?p=353562#post353562