Review of Evan Schmitt's One
Sixteen Year Old Filmmaker Captures the Passion of the Bike
Evan Schmitt, a former member of Rad Racing NW youth racing program, parked the bike for a season in order to bring us a great film entitled One. The film was shot, produced, and narrated entirely by the sixteen year old over the course of the 2006 season.
The forty-minute video takes the viewer through a season of cycling focused on events in the Pacific Northwest. Some of the highlighted events are the Cascade Classic, Hood River Cycling Classic, Star Crossed Cyclocross, and the USGP of Cyclocross races. Schmitt also captures a few non-competitive events such as Freedom Sports Summer Camp for kids, held on Orcas Island, and some scenic singletrack riding outside of Roslyn, Washington.
One offers some snippets of introductory background of the various filming locations. For instance, viewers learn that Roslyn was the home of the wildly popular television series Northern Exposure, and that the Tour de Gastown - held in Vancouver, BC each summer - was attended by the likes of Lance Armstrong. The video is also almost entirely set to the music of local artists The Outfit, and Micah Heflen as riders zoom across the screen.
The overarching theme of the video is a great example of how accessible cycling is to all of us. Schmitt's vision seems to be the premise that top level events and recreational riding are very much related. One also illustrates the grassroots nature of cycling by including footage of events such as the Freedom Sports Summer Camp and shots of Schmitt joyriding some great singletrack with his buddies. In the end it's the passion for the bicycle that really matters and brings people together.
Finally, One shows the viewer that cycling is a totally spectator-friendly sport and very accessible. Where else you one get a chance to race in the same mud as Tim Johnson, Ryan Trebon, or Lynn Bessette? When's the last time you were ever allowed to even come within a hundred feet of a pro football, basketball (unless you're being punched in the face!), or baseball athlete? Or walk on to a pro ball sports field without Homeland Security tackling you? Schmitt shows that even stars like Nathan O'Neil, who casually gives an interview, are totally approachable by the public. One also highlights supportive events such as Health Net's giving away of helmets to kids at the Twilight Criterium in Portland, Oregon.
One is a good example of creativeness that is bestowed upon the younger generations and should be supported and applauded. Get yourself a copy, watch it, then go out and ride. Or vise-versa. Either way, you'll enjoy it.
For More Info:
Dirty Moose Productions
Check out the trailer:
