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Kizers Insiders DVD

March 08, 2004

So the outsiders has transformed into the insiders? – at least that is what Kizer promises with this video. But was the clever reference to the last Kizer team video just a good wordplay that couldn't hold?

The team itself promises great skating – Omar Wysong, Iain Mcloud, Aaron Feinberg and Brandom Campbell – thought the video was a born success even before the editing had started. Iain Mcloud, Chiaki Ito, and Omar Wysong has great sections with good skating, but I'm afraid I'm not too gald about the rest. Here's why:

Axel Dünnwald section It has been to Benny Harmanus' DVD Incident3's favor that I saw his video first – although I believe this video came before – which makes his profile in Incident3 an almost copy. It was only very few tricks taht were different from his section in Incident3, which is why I slept through this part. I guess this isn't Kizers fault, but it's just sad to see the same material in two films – especially when it's that much. The skating is alright though. So if you haven't seen Incident3, you'll like it.

Albert Hooi section Albert Hooi is a great skater with a high technical level. The tricks that he does are actually pretty sick, but I just don't personally like his style. It might be a personal preference, but I think his style is too sloppy. The section is also filmed with cameras of bad quality, which shows a little bit too much in the section. I guess his spot on the team was well deserved though, with two IMYTA titles.

Aaron Feinberg / Brandon Campbell section These are two skaters of the best quality – both in style and techical level. But why were they put in a section together – and why so short? Had they had a longer section each, my all-around rating of this DVD would be higher – but it isn't.

Josh Letona section The negative master. Nothing has changed in Josh's skating style – negative, negative, negative. He does the same that he has done in years. I thought it was innovative a few years ago, but it seems like he is where he was back then concerning the negative tricks. The non-negative tricks he has in the video were well deserved though – hurricane topsoul, fullcab truespin mizous, etc. But watching Josh Letona skate now is like watching him in the last Kizer video. If he had just had more non-negative tricks, his section would have been more interesting – since it seems that it is there, that he has progressed the most.

Fridolin Eelbo section He was promoted to be the upcoming European superstar in skating at the time of the Outsiders video. I don't know why, it seems he is where he was back then. This might be of the fact that most his footage is from crappy hi8 recordings and seems old. I think it is because of these old clips, that his progression doesn't shine through. Why isn't this guy promoted as much now as he was then, and why did this section consist of so much old footage? To his defence the non-hi8 clips are of good quality skating – so it might just have been a grab in the old footage box that made his section what it is.

So all in all, this video isn't of my recommendation. The Iain Mcloud, Chiaki Ito and Omar Wysong sections are good – the rest were of lesser interest. I can't tell if it is the skaters themselves or the fact that so much old footage was used and the real insiders of the industry that are on the team get some disappointing 4-5 minutes time. The editing is plain and simply without any effects. This would have been ok, if the video had better and unseen footage, but it doesn't. I hope that Kizer really focuses on getting fresh footage for their next team video – and enough footage to make full sections for everybody.

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