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Independent Playak Review: Source – Young Gun Productions

Featuring

The three guys that make up the commonly referred as ‘Young Guns’ are Rush Sturges, Brooks Baldwin and Marlow Long. Of course, there are several other big names which you will recognise, namely - Logan Grayling, Tyler Bradt, Evan Garcia, Raffa Oritz, Anthony Yap, Charlie Center, Ben Marr, Patrick Camblin and several others.

Title

Young Gun Productions (YGP) presents Source, as the DVD states – “…captures stunning action in impossible locations.”

About

The movie takes the viewer along an awe inspiring ride that portrays the lifestyle and radical adventures of three close friends.

Content

This DVD has superb, high quality footage of some of the finest athletes in our sport – no doubt. I’ve reviewed several different kayaking films for Playak already, including some really good ones but this one really does stand out with the best of them. I would be very hard pressed not to choose this as my new top three. It seems they just keep getting better and better. Hardcore waterfalls and rapids are shown with beautiful landscapes breaking the rhythm. There are also loads of interviews, if I can call them that, where the kayakers give their thoughts to the situation and I found this really tells a far greater story than purely showing what most people now refer to as ‘kayak porn’. Several non-kayaking friends of mine have seen this too and they walked away saying wow.

If waterfall running is your thing, then this is the one for you. I don’t think I’ve seen another flick with this many monster drops being run, inspirational stuff. It also includes a second run of the previous world record – Johnston Falls, as well as the new world record Alexandra Falls at a mind blowing 107 feet.

Locations range from Vietnam, California, to the Rio Baker in Patagonia, Alexandra Falls in Canada, Quebec and down to tropical Mexico. All of these featuring some of the gnarliest drops you’ve seen being run, guaranteed.

It seems that the ‘Young Guns’ are seen as very arrogant and cocky by the general paddling fraternity, but as one of them told me, mostly, they’re just messing around and taking the piss. I guess everyone tends to prejudge people based on what they perceive but in the end, they’re just people like you and me; travelling around the world, having fun and creating some of the finest films on shoestring budgets. With the current decline in sponsorship across the sport, I hope we can still sit back and enjoy fine features such as these in the coming years.

There is actually another film on the DVD which I felt was unfair to add as an extra - State of the Art. It is as long as Source and almost as good! The way in which it is shown is a little different though. Various athletes are shown with accompanying clips and some good music. Virtually no talking and about 30 minutes of non-stop action. While some of the rapids and waterfalls may be recognisable from the main movie Source, the angles and people paddling them are all different. In another words, two great movies in one.

Music

The music is really great. It definitely helps to create the mood and every segment is well matched with its corresponding tracks. While music is naturally a very personal thing, I thoroughly enjoyed what I heard.

Conclusion

Looking to see how the world’s best tackle some of craziest drops through high quality filming, action packed scenes and interesting interviews? Then this one is for you. Get your copy today, you will not regret it – satisfaction guaranteed.

Extras

There are nine extra features to enjoy. A slideshow, promotional movie about the World Class Kayak Academy, some great carnage shown at Cherry Bomb Falls, the Teva Creek Race, Teva/LVM Top Ten, Last Descents trailer and a few other things to keep it interesting.

Sponsors

Teva
Red Bull

Websites

Young Gun Productions

For Playak,
Adrian Tregoning