Review: Givin's One

B+ or 4/5 stars

The reason I gave this video four stars is because this production company is new and if I gave them five stars, there would be no incentive to go shoot a better video for next season! Joking aside, Givin is off to a very good start with their first effort, but there is always room for improvement. I am looking forward to next seasons offering because they will most definitely out do “One”, especially because they now know the ropes of being a legitimate film company.

I’ll be honest; the first time through I was disappointed. However, once I got my expectations out of the way and watched it a second time I loved the video. And I continue to love it every time I watch it.

The line up in this video consists of the more popular riders Forest Bailey, Keegan Valaika, Shayne Pospisil, and many other riders that I have never heard of. Don’t let this fool you; most of these riders may be little known but they are very good and will surely be on the come up in a season or two, namely Alex Stathis and Benny Urban. Mark my words.

Former Burton filmer Aaron Hooper did an excellent job with the cinematography in this video. The typical barrage of fish eye and wide shots were mixed up by a few telephoto shots in the backcountry. These shots were enticing and magnificent to watch. And, of course, like every video, there are shots taken from a helicopter. But, Givin does these shots differently. They use a lot of camera movement while following the rider. It adds much more to the video doing it this way. The heli shots are used sparingly, unlike the big budget film Art of Flight. Overall, the different types of shots used made for good clarity and the entire movie was shot very, very well.

The soundtrack and overall editing of the video is a little different than most production companies, and this is most likely why I didn’t like “One” the first time through. The music selection is, for the most part, soothing and chill type of music. It’s different, but it works very well with the editing choices. The editing I thought was great. They seem to have added in the warm up and throw away footage along with the bangers. Typically, video parts use only the bangers, but I personally loved that they put in everything because you get to see a longer video part. Ultimately, you get a better value out of it.

I would recommend getting the hard copy with the case over the iTunes edition because the cover art is just straight up sick. Just looking at it makes me want to go ride. This is why I brought the case 1000 miles to my college instead of just taking the disc. I really hope Givin keeps with the theme of the case for their upcoming videos.

To sum up, Givin’s “One” will be a great choice and a wonderful addition to your collection, especially if you like Videograss and Think Thank movies. Givin fits in nicely with these other companies and I think they all bring something different to the snowboarding film industry. Givin brings something a little unorthodox, but you will be stoked on it.