More Air-Dates for Twist The Throttle
Small update to share about Twist The Throttle — Starting June 1st, HD Theater is going to start encore presentations of all eight episodes of the series, which will continuing running through November!
More info is available on a week by week basis at HD Theater: Twist The Throttle Schedule.
What Comes Next…
Photo by Trevor Navarra
“What’s next?” is a seemingly innocuous question…
And yet it’s a documentary filmmakers most constant fear… It’s a refrain you hear often in this business. People ask it off-handily, almost meaninglessly, during hello-how-are-you kinds of conversations, and yet it collectively haunts us all… Because often times there is no known answer when the question is posed.
As someone said to me recently, ‘creating documentaries is like throwing darts at a board and waiting six months to see if they hit.’
And therein lies the fear…
You never quite know what is coming next, even when you think you do… Because nothing in this business, like life itself, is ever certain.
The job is in a constant state of evolution. It’s a system of constant challenges and never-ending risk vs. reward scenarios. And honestly that’s part of the draw too. There’s something amazingly evocative about constantly ‘battling’ for your spot in line. And yet it’s the biggest concern as well. The amount of time you have to breath from one project to the next is minimal at best and yet everyone always expects not only your ‘A Game’, but for your ‘A Game’ to actually improve. The status quo is never good enough. Nor should it be, really. The goal should be — no it has to be — to get better. But you know that when you take the gig… It’s part of the inherent contract you sign with yourself.
So as some of you might have noticed, lately I’ve been more or less missing in action on the blog front — it certainly wasn’t a pre-planned hiatus but rather the result of being consumed with ‘What has come Next’…
And it’s worth mentioning at this point that right now given where the world is at from an economic standpoint a good portion of me is just thankful there is a ‘next’ anything at all. When all is said and done documentaries, and even movies to some extent, though less so, are completely consumable products. Nobody needs them to live their lives. The world would continue just fine without them. If every network on the face of the planet went into a state of constant re-runs… Sorry, ‘encore presentations’… You have to logically think that some percentage of the TV watching population wouldn’t even notice… We live in a world with more visual diversity and stimulation than at any other point in history and it’s impossible to keep current on it all…
That being said tonight I’m thankful for more than just the gig itself — I’m thankful for my guys. They are truly an amazing group and they were able to make ideas that existed only in my head and turn them into reality.
I simply cannot thank them enough; Directors of Photography Andrew Waruszewski and Trevor Navarra, along with Jason Goodell, who Gripped and Gaffed, and Peter Karr , who handled Location Sound, were absolute magicians.
I bring all of this up because tomorrow the rough cut for the next sportbike doc heads back east for the network to review and it is without a doubt the best piece of work we’ve ever collectively done. Sportbikes have never looked this good. It is light years beyond Speed On Two Wheels and so far past Twist The Throttle it’s not even funny.
It used to be when I was sitting in the edit suite editing a show I knew if something, say a sequence or an act, was good because the hairs on the back of neck would stand up and I’d get that goose-bump feeling that made me think this was something I’d watch… This time I know it’s good because I can’t stop watching it… And I’ve already seen it a couple hundred times…
Now ultimately it’s up to you the audience to really decide if it’s better, but right now I’ve got the strongest hunch of my entire life. I’d bet the farm, the house, the in-laws, maybe even the dog… (Probably not the bikes though 
It feels like something entirely different and yet still consistent with the tenets of filmmaking that we collectively subscribe to… I simply can not wait for all of you to see it.
Photo by Trevor Navarra
Monday 10pm - Twist The Throttle Episode #8: Yamaha
Twist The Throttle - Yamaha
Just a quick reminder that the eight episode of Twist The Throttle, which showcases Yamaha, debuts this coming Monday at 10 pm EST/PST on Discovery’s “HD Theater”!
*Channel 76 and 281 on DirecTV, but if you’ve got a different cable system please check your local listings…
*Detailed episode listings are available on the Discovery HD Theater website here.
Monday 10pm - Twist The Throttle Episode #7: Bimota & Alpinestars
Twist The Throttle - Bimota
Just a quick reminder that the seventh episode of Twist The Throttle, which showcases Bimota & Alpinestars, debuts this coming Monday at 10 pm EST/PST on Discovery’s “HD Theater”!
*Channel 76 and 281 on DirecTV, but if you’ve got a different cable system please check your local listings…
*Detailed episode listings are available on the Discovery HD Theater website here.
Monday 10pm - Twist The Throttle Episode #6: MV Agusta
Twist The Throttle - MV Agusta
Just a quick reminder that the sixth episode of Twist The Throttle, which showcases MV Agusta, debuts this coming Monday at 10 pm EST/PST on Discovery’s “HD Theater”!
*Channel 76 and 281 on DirecTV, but if you’ve got a different cable system please check your local listings…
*Detailed episode listings are available on the Discovery HD Theater website here.
Monday 10pm - Twist The Throttle Episode #5: Suzuki
Twist The Throttle - Suzuki
Just a quick reminder that the fifth episode of Twist The Throttle, which showcases Suzuki, debuts this coming Monday at 10 pm EST/PST on Discovery’s “HD Theater”!
*Channel 76 and 281 on DirecTV, but if you’ve got a different cable system please check your local listings…
*Detailed episode listings are available on the Discovery HD Theater website here.
Monday 10pm - Twist The Throttle Episode #4: Kawasaki
Twist The Throttle - Kawasaki
Just a quick reminder that the forth episode of Twist The Throttle showcasing Kawasaki debuts this coming Monday at 10 pm EST/PST on Discovery’s “HD Theater”!
*Channel 76 and 281 on DirecTV, but if you’ve got a different cable system please check your local listings…
*Detailed episode listings are available on the Discovery HD Theater website here.
Monday 10pm - Twist The Throttle Episode #3: BMW
Riding the Alps on BMW Motorcycles
Just a quick reminder that the third episode of Twist The Throttle, which showcases BMW, debuts this coming Monday at 10 pm EST/PST on Discovery’s “HD Theater”!
*Channel 76 and 281 on DirecTV, but if you’ve got a different cable system please check your local listings…
*Detailed episode listings are available on the Discovery HD Theater website here.
Returning Home from The Latest Moto-Adventure
Cry Havoc Team Picture - National Geographic Shoot
Looking out the window at 30,000 feet, I kept thinking it’s an odd life that I’ve chosen and quite an adventure… Because while there are ups and downs, like every other aspect of life, every now and then things coalesce in incredible ways…
On Monday of this past week the first episode of Twist The Throttle premiered on HD Theater and yet at the very same time, the boys and I were just returning home after three weeks of shooting in Italy for our next and latest sportbike documentary project for The National Geographic Channel.
Now I’ve always loved returning home to LA — There’s something utterly romantic to me about the final flight path that you take to get to LAX. The way you drop down through the clouds and start hovering over the city’s amazingly large urban sprawl and the vast array of mountains, which seem to pop up from nowhere and everywhere all at the same time. But then every few miles you drop a bit more and soon you see the freeways, the cars, the traffic, the movements of life and I swear it’s somewhere in that moment when everything just feels ‘right’.
When it feels like you’re coming ‘home’…
However this time around it was even better because Twist was going to debut the next night — and as longtime followers of this blog already know that’s been quite a journey by itself — but it’s strange how the mind works sometimes. The debut of the series was the true completion of a two and half year adventure, my first series was finally getting on the air, certainly my greatest achievement in television to date, and yet while looking out the window I could help myself. My mind already was running through the shots and the scenes of what we just finished shooting. When people say ‘you need to enjoy the moment’, this should have been it. Yet the future seemed so much better.
The shoot in Europe was absolutely spectacular - in every way possible - and unlike other productions we’ve done. From the companies involved to the crew itself, things simply went perfectly almost every step of the way…And that never happens… Yet even more importantly the images are absolutely incredible. And while Twist is good, this project is going to be better. I can see it and I can feel it. It’s just a radically different beast, that’s better visually, more dynamic and more exciting… I don’t mean to pour on the hyperbole but when we were watched the dailies each night I just had to smile. It’s always quite a powerful sensation when you feel the product moving to the next level.
That upward movement is a direct result of the crew — I simply can not thank them enough; Directors of Photography Andrew Waruszewski and Trevor Navarra, along with Jason Goodell, who gripped and gaffed, and Peter Karr , who handled Location Sound, all did magnificent jobs. Collectively they truly put in an incredible effort and it shows on screen.
So now it’s time to get to work and put this sucker together… And I can’t wait 
We’ve Got Air Dates!!!
Twist The Throttle
A somewhat crazy week ended with a bang — well, not a bang exactly, but we did get some great news…Twist The Throttle now has official air dates!
NETWORK:
DISCOVERY
HD
THEATER
AIR
DATES
&
TIMES
(NOTE:
ALL
TIMES
ARE
’LOCAL
TIMES’ )
MONDAY,
JANUARY
5TH
10PM
- HONDA
MONDAY,
JANUARY
12TH
10PM
- DUCATI
MONDAY,
JANUARY
19TH
10PM
- BMW
MONDAY,
JANUARY
26TH
10PM
- KAWASAKI
MONDAY,
FEBRUARY
2ND
10PM -
SUZUKI
MONDAY,
FEBRUARY
9TH
10PM
- MV
AGUSTA
MONDAY,
FEBRUARY
16TH
10PM
- BIMOTA & ALPINESTARS
MONDAY,
FEBRUARY
23RD
10PM
-
YAMAHA
Quick Update on the Twist The Throttle front — Discovery HD Theater has decided to push the premiere of the series back until later in the 1st Quarter of 2009 in order to give it more promotion on both TV and in the Mags.
Unfortunately we don’t have the new air dates just yet but I’ll post them as soon as the new schedule is announced.
Exciting News - Twist The Throttle Goes Broadcast!
Twist The Throttle
‘What a long strange trip its been indeed’…
After many months of hard work, a severe lack of riding, some coy hints, and many days and nights spent in the edit bay, I’m excited to finally be able to share some fantastic news — Twist The Throttle is going to Broadcast!
Starting January 5th, 2009, you’ll be able to check out hour long episodes on each of the eight manufacturers showcased in the original online version of the series but this time around in the comfort of your own living room in high-definition on Discovery HD Theater. The time slot has yet to be finalized, but needless to say once it is I’ll certainly post something about it.
On a personal level, I’m extremely excited about the broadcast version of the series for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that the additional time afforded on air has allowed us to greatly expand on each individual manufacturers story. We’ve added a great number of new ‘voices’, new footage, historical vault material and lengthened just about everything else. If you enjoyed the original online version, I’d imagine you’ll greatly enjoy the new broadcast versions.
Right now I’m limited in how much I can divulge about the shows, but needless to say it’s been quite a trip to get to this point — This is an idea that has been percolating in one form or another for almost two years now and when I look back on it, it’s extremely exciting and fulfilling to see how the smallest germination of an idea can grow into something greater.
There are a number of folks who deserve a great of the credit for all of this, starting with our immensely talented Director of Photography Andrew Warsuzki and 2nd Unit Shooter (and as I’ve mentioned previously, Jack of All Trades) Andrew Cochrane. As I’ve mentioned previously both poured their hearts and souls into the project and each episode proves it. Ira Rappaport did a fantastic job with the new opening animation and show graphics. Truly awesome stuff… Finally I’d also like to toss a shout out to the incredibly talented Peter Karr, who has completely outdone himself once again by composing an absolutely rock’n original score for each show. Stuff like this ought to be available on CD’s…
So without further ado here’s the official press release:
HD THEATER TAKES TO THE ROAD WITH TWIST THE THROTTLE, AN EIGHT-PART SERIES EXPLORING SOME OF THE GREATEST MOTORCYCLE BRANDS IN THE WORLD
– Original Turbo.com Broadband Series Makes Its Television Debut
with New Footage on HD Theater Starting Monday, January 5 –
(Silver Spring, MD) – Millions of people ride motorcycles and millions more fantasize about what it would be like to ride these cultural icons of speed, freedom, craftsmanship and personal rebellion. HD Theater’s new series, TWIST THE THROTTLE, takes audiences on a remarkable 36,000 mile journey across the globe to explore eight of the most famous sport motorcycling brands. Each episode focuses on a single brand, showcasing the remarkable history; the behind-closed-door factory, design facilities and R&D departments; and ultimately, what it is like to ride these magnificent machines on some of the most picturesque roads and spectacular racetracks in the world. The brands covered in TWIST THE THROTTLE include Bimota, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, MV Agusta, Suzuki and Yamaha. TWIST THE THROTTLE premieres on HD Theater starting Monday, January 5 and stories will continue to be featured on HD Theater’s online home for motorized content, Turbo.com.
Using spectacular 1080i high-definition and 5.1 digital surround sound, TWIST THE THROTTLE takes viewers directly to challenging racetracks like Kawasaki’s Autopolis on the island of Kyushu and Honda’s top-secret proving grounds in California’s Mojave Desert. For the first time ever, outside cameras were permitted on Yamaha’s private test track, Fukoroi, in Hamamatsu where TWIST THE THROTTLE put two of Yamaha’s newest sports bikes to the test. In addition to exclusive access to these private test facilities, the series travels on the open road through picturesque locales like northern Italy’s Futa Pass. Originally an ancient Roman road linking Florence to Bologna, the Futa Pass has over 200 curves carved into the mountainside in just a 20 mile stretch.
In addition, TWIST THE THROTTLE journeys through the history of each brand through interviews with the people behind their unique design philosophies. The series features an exclusive interview with Massimo Tamburini, considered to be the “Michelangelo of Italian motorcycle design,” who created some of the most iconic motorcycles including the Ducati 916 and the MV Agusta F4. Normally a recluse, Tamburini unlocks the doors of his design studio to reveal how he creates “mechanical art” and why he believes machines have souls. Additional interviews feature some of the most important names in the motorcycle world telling each brand’s remarkable story including:
• Honda’s Masanori Aoki, BMW’s David Robb and Yamaha’s Atsushi Ishiyama
• Former racing World Champions Freddie Spencer, Wayne Rainey, and Kevin Schwantz
• Current American road racing stars Mat Mladin, Neil Hodgson, Miguel Duhamel, Ben Bostrom, Jamie Hacking and Reg Pridmore
• Legendary motorcycle journalists Nick Ienatsch, Mark Hoyer, Mitch Boehm, Clement Salvadori and Mark Tuttle
About HD Theater
The first 24-hour high-definition network to broadcast all of its content in brilliant 1080i and 5.1 digital surround sound, HD Theater offers compelling real-world and motorized content from a wide range of categories including adventure, technology, nature and world culture – all designed to provide viewers with the highest-quality television experience available. For more information on Discovery Communication’s premier HD network, please visit www.dhd.discovery.com or www.turbo.com.
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISAD, DISBD, DISCK) is the world’s number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.
Update: We’ve now got air dates!
NETWORK:
DISCOVERY
HD
THEATER
AIR
DATES
&
TIMES
(NOTE:
ALL
TIMES
ARE
’LOCAL
TIMES’ )
MONDAY,
JANUARY
5TH
10PM
- HONDA
MONDAY,
JANUARY
12TH
10PM
- DUCATI
MONDAY,
JANUARY
19TH
10PM
- BMW
MONDAY,
JANUARY
26TH
10PM
- KAWASAKI
MONDAY,
FEBRUARY
2ND
10PM -
SUZUKI
MONDAY,
FEBRUARY
9TH
10PM
- MV
AGUSTA
MONDAY,
FEBRUARY
16TH
10PM
- BIMOTA & ALPINESTARS
MONDAY,
FEBRUARY
23RD
10PM
-
YAMAHA
Quick Update on the Twist The Throttle front — Discovery HD Theater has decided to push the premiere of the series back until later in the 1st Quarter of 2009 in order to give it more promotion on both TV and in the Mags.
Unfortunately we don’t have the new air dates just yet but I’ll post them as soon as the new schedule is announced.
Ducati Story of Passion Props
Always nice to wake up to good news It seems that veteran moto-journalist Jim McDermott, a long time contributor to SuperbikePlanet.com, has started a blog — Called “Real World Rider” — And for one of his first posts he’s penned a review of “Ducati: A Story of Passion” , the DVD that we produced for Pro Italia Motorcycles last year! (more…)
Them AMA Boys Got Skills
On Monday I once again found myself standing at the edge of a pit wall watching the best of the best in this country lay down sizzling lap times during an AMA testing session at Laguna Seca. As long time TwistingAsphalt readers might remember a few years ago, when we were working on Speed On Two Wheels, I was fortunate enough to spend some time at Road Atlanta during a completely-closed-to-the-public testing session and I found it a more or less mind-blowing experience. This time around was both better and yet a completely different entity.
For starters the event was actually open to the public - I think much to the teams dismay actually - and that created an ‘in the know’ atmosphere. Back at Road Atlanta everyone’s guard was down because it was just the teams doing their thing and the event had a bit of a ‘club house’ feel. Monday everyone seemed a touch more guarded, a touch more reserved and generally more intense, which is both understandable in my opinion and yet I think also highlights a need to ‘perform’. The Pro’s not only want to be fast but they want the fans to enjoy it and that added a certain extra element to the day.
We were there to do some additional pick up shooting for the yet to be named project and the folks at the track were kind enough to let us set up in our own garage at the end of Pit Row, which selfishly allowed me the chance to see guys like Mladin, Duhamel, Hodgson, Bostrom and Hacking do what they do up close. It’s a remarkable thing to stand mere feet away from these guys (behind the pit wall of course) when they hit the front straight and head into the Turn 1 left kink full out. The speed is ferocious. And wickedly instantaneous. Just bam. Yet the part that truly stood out was seeing these guys interact when they were off the bikes — the typical race day TV coverage never completely catches their focus, dedication, effort or intensity. You tune in and see forty-five minutes of racing and then it’s over. But a test session is different because it’s an all day affair where the guys put down hundreds of laps, tweaking each part of the bike a millimeter at a time to see what works best. Physically I’ve got no idea how they do it. This isn’t like an average track day or even some of the club races I’ve seen, it’s a constant whirlwind of movement and it’s all got to be done at green flag racing speeds, which amazes me. They seem to work at a level of perfection that is completely unobtainable in the ‘real world’.
Ienatsch & Colorado
It’s late Saturday evening and right now I’m completely chomping at the bit to get a ride in tomorrow morning. I just got back into town late last night after spending a good portion of the week in Colorado, which I have to say is simply an amazing state. The beauty of the region is completely undeniable and I saw more freakishly good riding roads than can be described. I wish I had had more time to check them out on a bike… Instead I spent my week shooting additional segments and elements for the sportbike show I’m working on and the reason for the trip to Denver was because it’s not only home to the NFL Broncos but also author, CycleWorld writer and former professional racer Nick Ienatsch.
After spending a few days with Nick it’s hard not to want to ride. The man simply knows his motorcycles and has that unique ability to communicate what they’re doing, why they’re doing it and how to minipulate them better. As a rider it’s simply mindblowing to listen to him. But more important than his knowledge of sportbikes is the fact that he’s simply one of the coolest, most down to earth people I’ve ever met. Period.
We shot a number of things with Nick both on the track and in the dirt, here are a few picts. I’ll try to get some clips up later in the week.
Thoughts On Road Atlanta
8:50AM - Right Before the Track Went Hot
So this past week I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a closed-to-the-public AMA testing session in Georgia at the Road Atlanta racetrack. Normally, I tend to try and not write all that much about what I do for a living, but rather try to keep the focus of this blog on my personal passion in life - which of course is riding sportbikes and riding Ducati sportbikes in particular. Yet every so often it seems my two usually divergent worlds collide, as was the case this past week. I found myself standing square at an intersection comprised of both creating a television show and at the same time being in awe of sportbikes.
Early Morning At The Track
I don’t mean this as an indictment of how popular cruisers have become in today’s society, but nothing makes you more aware of how special sportbikes truly are then witnessing them up close for hours on end.
First and foremost I have no idea how professional riders even can do what they do. These guys are absolutely amazing athletes on so many different levels and after watching what they go through during a testing session the fact that the general public has more respect for guys in the NBA or MLB simply boggles my mind. What these guys do is not only far harder; it’s far more dangerous. The speeds at which they do even the smallest little thing is spectacular. From their reaction times to their feel for the smallest changes to their bikes, these guys are simply not normal human beings. They must be machines. I have no other explanation for how someone can come down the back straight at Road Atlanta and head into turn 12, stare straight at a two story high concrete wall with no run off room, set up for the corner, brake, downshift and then drift the rear end from the apex of the turn all the way to curb of the corner repeatedly, lap after lap and hit the same six inch spot over and over again. It’s just unreal.
Team Kawasaki Road Racing Unloading
Add to this the mere length of the schedule and it’s doubly insane. These guys start riding at 9 AM in the morning, take a 1 hour brake for lunch and then go straight until 5 PM in the afternoon on a series of days when the track temperature hit over 100º and the humidity was just below the point of out right rain. I’m running 2 miles a day right now and I was whipped by 11 AM. These guys simply don’t get the credit they deserve. It’s really that simple.
A Member of Team Jordan Leaves The Pits
Even though I was a fan before this past week started, I find it hard not to feel even more impressed with the sportbike scene after standing just a few feet away from the best of the best on the American road racing circuit during their numerous trips back and forth in and out of the pits. Hanging around the pits during this closed to the public event offered an interesting window into the higher end factory and/or factory supported AMA world. I had no idea how much co-operation and friendliness there was between the teams when it’s not a race weekend. Lots of smiles, laughs and general bullshitting could be heard and seen during off moments during the days. Of course when riders came into the pits it was all business. And equally – if not more surprising – was the amount of tiny adjustments that these guys make to their bikes every few laps. We’re talking single turns of ratchets and then the riders would go back out to see if they liked it better or worse. The level at which they can ‘feel’ their motorcycles is amazing.
Royal takes a break
Of course it helps that the pros have incredible crews backing them. The speed at which guys like Mladin, Duhamel, and the Hayden brothers ride is nothing compared to how fast their crews move. They build, rebuild and tweak bikes in mere minutes. On a usual racing weekend I’m not sure the guys behind the ‘names’ get the credit they deserve either. They truly are surgeons.
All in all being at Road Atlanta was a real eye-opening experience for me. We were granted amazing access, were incredibly close to the action and everyone we interacted with was so much more ‘real’ than the vast majority of personalities that I’ve run into over my professional career.
Early Morning Set Up
Inside The Team Kawasaki Pits
Mladin’s Ride - Post-Interview
More Team Green
Here’s some more info about the event from Superbike Planet and some more picts.
