The Storm of 1999

Video Action From Berrow Power Break 1999

Shuttermandan Productions.
Running time 15 minutes.

Whilst the rest of us were tearing up and down the beach at the British Buggy Club's annual Berrow Power Break, Dan Eaton armed with video camera was capturing the action for the third consecutive year.

The Storm of 1999 comprises four sections plus credits and is a brilliantly produced piece of work. Most sections are backed by a memorable sound track with apt lyrics ("water on sand…", "set me free…", etc). The timings between footage and soundtrack are once again impeccable and the whole video is a pleasure to watch.
By the end you are left with the urge to jump in your buggy and go!

Part one is a reflection on what made 1999 a year to remember and builds up the atmosphere ready for the main action.
Part two consists of good all round buggy fun.
Part three shows kite surfers getting some good air.
Part four includes more extreme buggy and kite surf action.

I asked Dan a few questions about the making of The Storm of 1999.

Q. How do you go about editing the video and deciding which footage to use ?
A. "After shooting the video I tend to leave the video editing for a few weeks, because due to being there at the shoot, I tend to want to put in personal footage - whereas if I leave it a few weeks I can look at the footage without being on adrenaline mode still and put in parts that just give the atmosphere of the festival."
"It comes down to the subject that you are using and creating different perspectives and not forgetting having the patience to wait for the video repair company to phone back and say they have got the master tape out of the machine without breaking it. Trust me it happens!"
"It just takes the enthusiasm and commitment to come back from the beach and sit down and watch it over and over until you find the footage you want and then edit it."

Q. How long did the video take to make once all the footage had been captured ?
A. "Even though the video has taken this long to become available it was edited within a weekend and finished back in October 1999."

Q. What do you use to edit the footage?
A. "I play the tapes out of the video camera and record it on a normal video recorder adding music over the top later from my own hi-fi".
Unlike the previous Berrow videos Dan admits that "on this occasion I managed to loan a small production mixer with very little effects on it and was only able to use it for a weekend, so I had to edit the video on that day".

Q. How do you choose the music ?
A. "When it comes to the musical soundtracks and the footage I do try and listen to masses of music before attending Berrow and then try and produce camerawork that will fit the video. At Berrow 1999 however I couldn't find any music that really fitted with what I could produce with the limited equipment. And it was only three weeks later that I caught ear to a passing car that was thumping out a tune that I just had to have!"

Q. Any special techniques needed for filming the kite surfing ?
A. "The shots of the surfers were taken with the low budget camera and allowed me to get into the tightest of situations and hang over the edge of the boats and get some awesome flips and jumps. With the assistance of crew on the shoreline I was also able to get shots of the surfers jumping with the boat in shot as a kind of comparison of the height they were getting."

The Storm of 1999 is a very enjoyable video and well worth owning. Dan has managed to capture the true feel of the Berrow event yet again, despite the sometimes unfavourable weather conditions. There were distinctly fewer shots of people falling off or being dragged out of their buggies this year, due I'm sure to improved pilot handling skills...
There may be a repetition of some shots, but with action this good it is well worth seeing them again and again.

Dan is currently working on his new website as well as assisting with websites such as the British Buggy Club.

Dan works full-time as a multi-media designer at a top on-line shopping store based in the Midlands but is currently looking for work in the extreme sports video industry. He is open to offers!

Dan Eaton's homepage is at:
http://www.shuttermandan.com
This and other Berrow videos he has produced can be purchased from here. Teaser trailers are also available to watch.

The British Buggy Club homepage is at:
http://www.buggy.demon.co.uk