Infinite Pieces
I've heard nothing but fantastic reviews of Infinite Pieces, Chad Johnston's latest flatland video, so I was pretty excited to see it. Unfortunately, I think I may be the only person who's disappointed with it. I liked his past videos (especially Linkt and Connect), but this one didn't do it for me.
Let me first say that the riding is some of the best flatlanding you'll see anywhere. With the riders from around the world that appear in this video — Martti Kuoppa, Michael Steingräber, Matti Röse, Dan Rigby, Alex Jumelin, Morisake Hiroya, and many others — you'd expect that. (Martti actually has two sections: one at the beginning and one at the end.) There's stuff being done in flatland today that just shouldn't be possible; extremely difficult links that are just the beginning of an even more difficult string of tricks.
But here's where I have a problem with Infinite Pieces. Music's a personal choice, and I know there are people out there who like the style of hip hop in this video, but it just drove me nuts: no bass, no flow, just fast talking over a beat. The other problem is with the filming; there were so many basic principles of shooting that were broken — poor lighting, shooting into the sun, not zooming in — that it was annoying. Attempts at artistic shots (shooting with trees and plants in the foreground) just didn't work out. Part of it is because videos like Dorkin' 10, Modus Operandi, Nowhere Fast, and the Props/Road Fools series set the level of quality a lot higher. Infinite Pieces isn't on the same level as those, and as a result it was difficult for me to enjoy.
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