Unicycling DVD review of TWNR (Training Wheel Not Required)

Unicycles and Equipment
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TWNR, “Training Wheel Not Required,” a film by Brian Mackenzie captures the essence of unicycling for all. His artistic angles and mixture of many forms of unicycling, make this a must-have DVD for the Unicyclist’s video/DVD library.

Okay, so that’s my attempt at writing like a film critic. But, seriously, the film rocks!

The word that describes the film is, F U N. It truly captures the joy of unicycling!! The film is full of variety. Plenty of footage of many different unis. You are always kept guessing as to what will pop up next. There is footage from natural trials on 20’s, off-road cokering, natural Coker trials, off-road 36” ultimate wheel, a very interesting view of an impossible wheel ride that gets you wondering what will finally happen, and some rail riding, too. There is footage from East Coast Muni weekend and much, much more. All of it peppered with shots at unusual angles. It keeps you wondering, “How did he shoot that?”

Brian rides many different types of unis in the film. His riding is exemplary. I wish I was that talented.

A lot of the trials footage would be within reach of most riders, with a few exceptions. That’s okay, because it adds flavor. The mouth moves from a smile to a gape. I mean - I found myself smiling during a lot of the film and then suddenly found my mouth agape, simply because I was thinking, “No way…”.

Much of the film is shot focusing on groups, rather than one or two riders only. There’s dumps and laughs throughout which show the joy of riding in a group. Laughing and Cheering – that’s group unicycling.

The stage setting near the end has the music synced up to the drops. The lyrics at one point match to what one of the riders is doing on camera.

There is great rail riding and some Muni trials.

With the smile on my face, came the yearning to go out and try “that”, whatever it might be. It really is a fun film to watch. For the price it’s a bargain and it includes the three dollar shipping to the states.

I have my favorite scene, but I will leave that for a discussion, later.

Get it! It’s a feel-good movie for unicycling.:slight_smile:

Touche’ Brian

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I was going to add my take on the movie as a reply to this, but I couldn’t have put it any better and I completely agree with everything Rod has said. It truely is a lot of fun to watch, and not just for the first viewing.

I’m very much looking forward to TWNR 2 (for several reasons ;)). :slight_smile:

Andrew

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Thanks Rod, it’s nice to see people picking up on what I was shooting for!

PS, your shipping was included in the price due to a now fixed glitch in the ordering system :slight_smile:

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can’t… wait… to… see… film…

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Where can I order it?

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www.LBMmultimedia.com

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What a fantastic movie. I really enjoyed the whole thing. The whole concept of filming locations and not just a few individual riders is great. And the fact that it’s all within most peoples range of riding abilities is something that I appreciate(as others have mentioned already) Having ridden in most of the locations before(or in some cases during the filming) is pretty cool. I can certainly appreciate the amount of work Brian has put into this movie to get it ready for your viewing pleasure. Fantastic job Brian and I hope everyone likes it as much as I did.

I also liked the inside jokes and the puppetry.:smiley:

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hey brian, where shall i send the money to for a copy. by the reviews i been hearing it sounds killer:D anyho drop me a pm on how i can pick one up

-Kyle-

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I got my copy today.

It was sick, and the part where Joe Merril rides right into the tree is hilarious. I also really liked the 36" ultimate wheel part: I would never have thought of a lot of the stuff you do on it Brian.

Thanks for adding the SWAT logo into the ECMW bonus feature, that was really cool to see. And in the credits you even spelled my last name right (no one ever does)!

The music was wonderful, I thought it fit the riding and feel of the movie extremely well.

You did a great job Brian, I really liked it.

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Another ‘review’…

“Training Wheel Not Required” is one of my select few favourite unicycling movies. I think it’s really nice to see Brian putting so much effort into all aspects of the movie production and not just the (fantastic) riding. You watch it the first time in awe of the brilliant riding, and can’t help smiling and generally feeling good inside because you can really relate to how the riders feel and how much fun they’re having. Then you watch it over and over again and react exactly the same way. Then, when you know almost every clip in the movie, you still feel good about watching it because it’s filmed so well and the music is so fitting and it all pieces together so tightly.

Riding
The unicycling is hugely impressive, and it’s great to see some new and really talented riders. The thing I love most about a lot of the riding in this movie though is the originality, particularly in Brian’s riding. He looks so comfortable on the UW36, my favourite segment, doing stuff that many of us couldn’t do with any unicycle of our choosing.

Filming
The filming is one of the things in the movie that really impresses me. There are shots in there that I literally replay to see the framing and colours again…that’s pretty rare, and great to see.

Music
You can’t not like this music. :slight_smile: There’s obviously been a lot of effort put into linking it to the footage, and the songs really fit the feel of the scenes, it’s great!

I’ve been lucky enough to see the movie come together from the earlier stages, and it’s been so clear how much effort Brian has put into the whole production. This also means that I’ve watched each scene lots of times, and they’re still just as impressive and generally nice to watch as they were the first time around.

I have no hesitation in recommending this to anyone, I really can’t see how you could possibly regret buying yourself a copy.

I’m really looking forward to LBM Multimedia’s next movie.

Andrew

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I’ve watched TWNR a few times now. The last time that I finished it, I wanted to jump onto my Muni and try some of the moves that I just saw. Unfortunately, It was after midnight.

Starting with the UW36 design of the CD, and finishing with Leanne’s “twiggy” or was it “sticky” in the Bonus section. It’s the attention to detail that makes this CD a must own.

Like teachndad said “How did he shoot that?” I found myself trying to figure out some of Brian’s filming methods, because it just doesn’t seem that it is possible to shoot some of the action.

I really like the Muni scene where the rider, I’m assuming Brian, is cruising down a path with the camera near ground level showing the people that he’s ridden past. The couple with the dog, the young girl on the bicycle. Very cool!

I also liked the scene where Joel is jumping of the wall in front of the Police station. I’m waiting for the police to come running out and start chasing you down the street.

Nice job.

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I had to get my parents in the movie somehow!

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I received TWNR in the mail and I got to view my copy of this DVD last night. There is so much going on in so many of the scenes and the diversity of terrain, unicycles, styles within a single scene makes it fun to watch. As Rod says, it “captures the essence of unicycling” which is meant to be fun. Group rides are emphasized rather than individual trail riding or trials lines and the camaraderie is evident throughout the footage.

I really enjoyed being able to watch and say, “hey, isn’t that Joe Merrill’s unicycle” not only when he ran into the tree but during other parts of the riding sequences. Watching Joe at Moab in 2004 was remarkable; he could tackle anything. Is it odd that we are starting to recognize helmeted and padded riders by their distinctive unicycles?

I also enjoyed the PA coaster unicycle. It’s the kind of thing that you watch and say, “that’s impossible, I want to try it.” My understanding is that several of the SWAT guys can ride it.

I rode with Brian maybe a year or two ago and at that time at about the same level of expertize. After seeing the offroad 36" ultimate wheel riding I realize I will return to Ontario as a newbie if I go back again. That was unbelievable…trials riding on a 36" UW.

Other good points are including more girls in these videos. It would be nice to see even more of that regardless of the level of extremeness. It was one of the things I liked about Jeff Groves’ “Spaced Out” DVD also. The varying music was nice as was including the actual band in part of the trials setup.

Thanks heaps, Brian.

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TWNR

Hey Brian, TWNR is a fantastic film.

Top notch uniers have raised their thumbs.

I’m a relative uni newby. My TWNR arrived in the mail and I watched it tonight with friends who don’t ride uni. We all enjoyed it – great fun.

TWNR is worth buying. Seems like everyone digs watching it.

Cheers.

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If you are in Europe you can get it from Unicycle.com in the UK.

http://www.unicycle.uk.com/shop/shopdisplayproduct.asp?catalogid=262

Roger

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and finally, and i mean finally, it’s arrived in the sunny RS of A

big thanx to brian who sent out the 5 DVDs we ordered only to have them dissapear into thin air
and, despite my protestation, insisted on sending another batch before getting the insurance pay-out

i received the second batch on saturday and (finally) went out and bought myself a DVD player so i could watch the movie

excellent stuff and very good fun
much as i hate ‘MTV Speak’ at the best of times, the phrase that best sums up my reaction to some of your 36" riding is simply ‘Mad Skillz’

much respect