Above Below - What's the story?

All you need to know about the best BMX video you haven't seen yet...

27 Oct 2014

Words and photos by Fred Murray

What is Above Below? That's the question that we've been asked since the #abovebelow hashtag started to appear online earlier this year in and around coverage of the 2014 Street Series. So here's what you need to know. Above Below will be a two-part BMX film directed by Rich Forne, produced by Monster Energy, in conjuction with DIG. The two parts looks like this...

Above is all about the riding. Ourselves, Rich Forne and Monster Energy have been working away on this one for the past 10 months, travelling to various parts of the globe every few weeks with Nathan Williams, Dan Lacey, Dakota Roche, Ben Lewis, Ed Zunda and Fernando Laczko as our protagonists. Above is 'what you see' - the end result of 10 months of filming the best riding with those guys. Some would describe it as a traditional riding video layout with individual rider sections, although with Rich Forne in charge of how things look, you know this is going to be anything but standard.

Below is all about what it takes to get there. The ups and downs of everything that comes with riding and progression; security, stress, injuries, frustration - these have all been documented during the course of filming for this full-length video. We've all been there… lying there palms bleeding, chest empty on some suddenly much colder concrete. Why do I put myself through this? Is it worth it? Below aims to answer those questions that we're sure have plagued many minds while in their state of madness, or for some, clarity. Whether it's being sedated in a South African emergency room or running from cops through back-alleys in downtown Tokyo, BMX can leave you in some interesting situations to say the least. This is the side that you don't always see…

We'll have lot's more exclusive coverage for you over the coming weeks with more of the (almost 15,000) photos shot on the project this year but meantime here's a closer look at the stories behind the photos used in the first series of adverts .

Above Below will be released via iTunes on December 14th 2014.

Ben Lewis - Cape Town, South Africa. February 2014: Well, much like Tokyo, if I was ever told that I would be shooting BMX photos underneath Table Mountain in Cape Town at some point, I would probably tell you to get real. Despite it being pretty tough riding in over 110F temperatures on some not-so-perfect spots, Ben Lewis was on his game south of the equator and the Mother City proved pretty fruitful for him. This ledge was on the side of a steep hill leading off the mountain and to be honest, Ben took some real good shoulder rolls on this one, especially the first time we went there, complete with high speed winds. What i've learnt about Ben is that he always has a plan and if the everything doesn't go to that plan, he's got a plan B. No doubt after this we went to the "Chicken and avocado pizza" place and Ben completed the rest of his plan. Make sure you keep your eyes peeled for this guy's section - Benny L fans will not be disappointed!

Have you ever tried to crash without making any noise to avoid getting the boot from a spot? Ben Lewis has...

Dakota Roche - Barcelona, Spain. April 2014: Due to Dak's hectic schedule, he didn't manage to go on all the Above Below trips but the ones he did get on, he made the most of, as you'll find out in December. Barcelona may be an obvious city to visit while filming for a full-length DVD, but hey, it's fucking Barcelona. Dak actually questioned whether this gap wallride was worth it - a prime example of how high his level of quality control is. The thing is, when you have the ability to get two wheels on a vertical wall like he can, i guess your viewpoint changes. Cold Barca wallride, first go before the questioning eyes of the security became bigger. Needless to say, Dakota's section will leave you baffled.

Down but not out in Tokyo...

Ed Zunda - Barcelona, Spain. April 2014: The ultimate Latvian beast and the only person i've ever been half-recognised as, Ed Zunda is one of the riders who seems to get overlooked a lot of the time when it comes to a worldwide outlook and hopefully his Above Below section will change some of those minds. One of the best hard threes in the game and if you're lucky he might of just unleashed something you wouldn't have seen before. This is a well-know spot in Barcelona and was perfect for Ed's smith nose bar - something that he seems to do with ease compared to any normal human. It definitely wasn't Barcelona Tshirt weather for most of that week, in fact i think it even rained shortly after this was shot, but that's the way it goes sometimes. Whatever you want to call him, Eduards, Ed, Zudenon… he's probably about to make you sit up and pay attention.

Ed Zunda and Ben Lewis taking a breather in a cold April Barcelona...

Fernando Laczko - Berlin, Germany. July 2014: I was the youngest child of three so i know what it can be like being the wee guy in a pack. It's easy to get lumped with carrying the skateboard or sleeping on the worst bed, or no bed at all, but it's all part of growing up, right? Lil' Nando might be the older one in his family at home, but in ours he's still the young pup, so despite having to deal with big brother Lacey's antics sometimes I think he's probably had a year in his life that he'll never forget. I mean, how many 19 year olds get to go to Tokyo, Berlin and New York with a bunch of mates? Fernando Laczko, switch pegs in a grey and cold Berlin before supplying a lot of the laughs later that night, and probably jiving Mr Forne one more time.

When in Rome... or Tokyo.

Nathan Williams - Tokyo, Japan. May 2014: There's something pretty special about getting to travel to far reaches of the world with the same group of people month after month. Tokyo was just another one of those moments which strengthened whatever bond it is i'm talking about. If you've ever seen the movie 'Lost In Translation', it describes the feelings you will experience in your first few days in the city; complete confusion, amazement, frustration… it's all elements of being in a foreign land that will connect you more with your travelling companions. Seeing Jay Bean and Jack Dub's faces after returning from sleeping in those insane white cubes is something i doubt anyone will forget. Another thing that you will discover instantly is that street riding in downtown Tokyo isn't something that's common place or appreciated. The whole time we were shooting this switch pegs switch hard 180 over the rail, i was waiting for a couple of very polite yet persistent men with white gloves doing invisible 'not allowed' X-ups to run around the corner. While we're on the subject of switch, you'll be able to count the amount of regular clips in Nathan's section on one hand.

When you run down ledges with a massive drop on one side with police chasing you from all angles, you're going to need a nap afterwards.

Dan Lacey - Nashville, USA. Sep 2014: It was an obvious choice to go visit Nathan's hometown of Nashville, TN for Above Below. Full of spots, nice weather and one of the best tour guides you could ask for. After everyone had re-fuelled on Chipotle we drove to this out-ledge with some lights. Once we got the place blaring with light the business owners came out wondering what was going on, but it was smoothed out in no time and they were cool. We probably rode that spot for a good few hours and multiple cops cruised up but luckily a bunch of lights and a generator create a mystique of legitimacy, and after a few minutes they'd be content enough to leave us to it. Dan made the most of this place and laced this hanger like it was nothing. Shooting photos with this guy never gets old. I'm sure we don't need to tell you that his part is heavy…