Culture – The film ‘On Any Sunday, The next Chapter’ on March 27 at the cinema – MNC interview with director Dana Brown

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The film “ On Any Sunday, The next Chapter ” on March 27 at the cinema

Culture - The film 'On Any Sunday, The next Chapter' on March 27 at the cinema - MNC interview with director Dana Brown

Oyez, oh yeah! A unique screening of ” On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter ” is scheduled in France on March 27. In preview, Site was able to attend the Parisian screening last night and interview its director, Dana Brown. Ride it !

MNC Interview with Director Dana Brown

By presenting the new film of Dana Brown – son of the venerable Bruce … Brown, not Lee! – entitled "On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter"(read), Site seriously doubted that French bikers could one day see this documentary on the big screen…

And yet, this will indeed be the case since a single screening is scheduled in a week, Friday March 27, 2015 at 8 p.m., in CGR cinemas and some additional rooms (see). And faith of MNC, you would be really wrong not to go !

First of all, because motorcycle documentaries do not run in the streets or in movie theaters. Then and above all, because this sequel to "Challenge One"- this is the title of" On Any Sunday "in France – is truly breathtaking.

Shooting in 4K resolution – four times more precise than HD – is no trick: the crispness and purity of the images, literally astonishing, can only be appreciated on a very large screen. Watching the film on DVD in your living room will certainly be less stunning…

The tone of the film, modeled on that of the original "On Any Sunday", will appeal to both old nostalgic fans – ah, how cool Steve McQueen was! – that to young people stuffed with overproduced videos. Stuffed with remarkable action scenes and adorned with sumptuous landscapes, this "new chapter" always gives pride of place to the men – and women – who ride motorcycles every Sunday every day !

Finally, we appreciate that the energy drink Red Bull, which is at the origin of this film and is the main producer via its "House Media", has remained in the background – even out of view! – in this magnificent fresco.

On the occasion of the French premiere organized last night at the Grand Rex in Paris, Site was able to speak with the very friendly and charismatic Dana Brown. Interview.

Site: "On Any Sunday" was released in 1971, then Don Shoemaker directed "On Any Sunday II" in 1981. And since then, nothing! Why did you wait more than 30 years before shooting this new chapter? ?
Dana Brown: I actually did some stuff based on unreleased scenes from On Any Sunday, DVDs on set, behind the scenes, like "On Any Sunday: Revisited" … I must have been 10 years old when I saw the original and immediately said to my dad: "that’s what I want to do later !"I studied film and directing in high school, then my dad asked me to work with him. We did ‘Undless Summer 2’ and other documentaries. When he retired, long after that, I started making my own films. I never really thought about doing a follow-up to one of his films because in a way I found them perfect. I did "Step Into Liquid" on surfing , and "Dust Of Glory" on the Baja 1000, and more.

As I was the "son of", I wanted to leave my mark. But he and I have some common ideas, like that we’re both the narrators. I have always loved On Any Sunday. One day I got a call from Red Bull Media House: they wanted me to make a film about surfing … It was the idea and I found it interesting. And then we discussed and we mentioned the motorcycle. I told them I would love to shoot a motorcycle movie, but I didn’t think they would want to call it On Any Sunday! I gave my consent and they told me we would call it On Any Sunday … I told them "guys, this is a great classic, a cult movie!" We risked lending our side to criticism … But they insisted. So I told my dad about it and we finally figured it was time to make a new one. The subject, the world of motorcycles, is so rich that we could almost do an On Any Sunday every year…

There are also documentaries on the, on the International Six Days Trial, or on drivers like. There are loads of great stories and it’s endless … So I used the name On Any Sunday with some reluctance but I’m glad I did today because it opens a lot of doors … And then dad is 77 years old, my mother died five or six years ago, it was not too late to pay tribute to this film which made me want to do what I do. It’s great !

MNC: What is your best memory of filming "On any Sunday" ?
D. B .: We went on a few races with the family. I was ten years old and I was going to see my father, nothing incredible until then. But he knew the drivers, we could go to the pits, he knew Mert Lawhill well (AMA champion 1969, Editor’s note). For a kid, it was thrilling to see that my father was friends with these champions! It marks a lot. I also remember the first time I saw him in the movies, the way the crowd reacted. I thought it was great to know how to do that, to tell stories.

MNC: Do you still ride a motorcycle every Sunday? ?
D. B .: No. I surf all the time because where I live in California I can walk to the beach. However, there are lots of laws that prohibit off-road motorcycling, so I don’t ride as much as I would like. But I try anyway. I went out with Robbie (Maddison, NDLR) two days ago in Athens … Don’t try to follow him! I gave up anyway: he kept doing rear wheels, before … But I had a good time.

MNC: Which motorcycle discipline do you prefer to watch? ?
D. B .: Probably MotoGP. All this pageantry … Well, it doesn’t make it quite the same on television, but on location, in Valence for example, when you feel all this energy in the arena, this passion, that we see all these guys so talented and knowledgeable … Yes, I would say MotoGP. We watch it on TV with dad, we’re always impressed. But I watch everything, I love everything.

MNC: The one (s) you practice ?
D. B .: Oh, I just do off-road, for fun. I have long passed the age to embark on other practices !

MNC: On his official website, your father recalls that Steve McQueen funded On Any Sunday and also testifies that he opened a lot of doors for him. Can we say that Red Bull was your Steve McQueen ?
D. B .: (Laughs) Ah, I never thought of that, but yeah. I hadn’t thought of it that way at all … When we were working on the script, we wondered who could become the new Steve McQueen, who would be our celebrity. We quickly realized that there would be no one because he was unique, both pilot and actor. We therefore deleted this character. But now that you say it, it’s true, Red Bull has opened a lot of doors for us. We knew for example that Marc (Marquez, Editor’s note) and as a sponsor, Red Bull had privileged access. I met Robbie thanks to them. So it was very useful.

MNC: Would this film exist without the support of the "Red Bull" ?
D. B .: Setting up such a project on extreme sports, shooting a film and showing it on the big screen is far from easy. I’ve done this before, but you really have to believe it. Could we have made this film without them: possible. Would we be here today to talk about it: I doubt it. This type of documentary requires a big investment, it engages a lot of people and on paper, it does not generate that much money..

I produced "Step Into Liquid" with private funds, but Lionsgate took over. Even if you are making a great movie, no one can handle all the communication afterwards on their own. You need someone who knows how to do it and who has the means to do it. I am happy that you allow me to speak about it, because we often have remarks of the style "oh, but it’s Red Bull"… Except that what you say is a little true: they open doors for us. It seems silly, but even today they made it considerably easier for us by coming to pick us up at the airport, by putting us in relationship with you…

MNC: Regarding Red Bull and sponsors in general, don’t you think they’ve changed the world of racing, the drivers’ mindset, their behavior? ?
D. B .: Compared to 40 years ago with On Any Sunday, yes I think. There is a lot more money at stake now. Much more ! The pilots have become public figures, they are arguably less eccentric than in the past, but when you meet them – and I think it shows in the film – they are not that "one-dimensional", as they say in the movie. about NFL (American Football League) players … They are very accessible.

So of course, it can annoy some to see all these pilots and their caps screwed on the head … But it is thanks to this that they are paid. Some of my own audience don’t understand and appreciate this kind of advertising, but anyway, if it’s not a Red Bull cap, it’s a Monster, or a Rockstar, or whatever. In the end, God bless the sponsors because at least thanks to them these guys can live and work well and safely. And it is good that they are rewarded as top athletes !

MNC: There are indeed many sports where athletes would like to be supported in this way….
D. B .: That’s it. I’ve seen videos of guys bouncing all over the place on buildings, sometimes from one to another (this discipline is called Parkour, NDLR). Red Bull invests in these people, they are always looking for new practices and I find that very good because these kids would do it anyway. Except that there they can make a living, it’s their dream !

MNC: What do you think has changed the most in 40 years between motorcycles or video equipment? ?
D. B .: Wow … It’s hard … Both have changed so much! I don’t know if you saw, but dad must have mounted huge cameras on the helmets because on-board models didn’t exist except maybe in Formula 1. Today anyone can buy a Go Pro and fix it almost anywhere, that has nothing to do with.

To film his scenes in slow motion, my father had to improvise using 24 volt batteries in 12 volt cameras! It has changed a lot. But motorcycles have also evolved. We were talking about MotoGP earlier: Marc puts his elbow on the ground … Really, the two have changed a lot. But that was also a bit like the idea of ​​the film: if "The Next Chapter" is visually very different, the heart of the subject, the heart of the biker, the passion and the pleasure that one feels while riding a motorcycle, it all remains, like the sense of humor or the camaraderie. That’s all the point: the spirit is the same, but the way of approaching things is much more modern.

MNC: About this passion precisely … In France, the passion for motorcycles is still present, but we note, however, that the average age of bikers is increasing. Is it the same in the United States? Do we have trouble getting young people off their screens, smartphones, video games, etc.. ?
D. B .: This is another very good question ! (thank you, thank you, Editor’s note) I don’t know … Are there fewer and fewer kids riding motorcycles in France? It is certain that with video games, they can do it … without doing it! This is probably the case in the USA too, but when you go out on the cross country or the flat track, you see a lot of young people on motorcycles. In competition, many are 20-21 years old. On the road, however, I could not say. We’ve been to the East Coast, to New York, Manhattan, Boston, and people there keep looking at the bikers and wondering, "but why ?"Motorcycles don’t make sense to them. I’ve been asked the question:"you made this great film on the surf, so beautiful … why make one on the motorbike ?"But it’s always been like this.

MNC: Do you think this motorcycle mindset could change in the future? ?
D. B .: It’s possible. When you look at what Robbie is doing, for example, it’s so precise and so incredible somewhere. It is very far from the image that some have of him and his colleagues: they are not just loaded with energy drinks and do not send themselves to the pipe breaker. !

MNC: You have a boy, Wes, who works in surfing. Does he ride a motorcycle ?
D. B .: Yes ! Again, where we live, it’s more convenient to surf. The rangers are very strict and you can’t go for a walk like that. But my dad has lots of motorcycles and when Wes went to his grandpa’s he often rode.

MNC: You also have grandchildren and I know your dad gave you a Super 8 when you were young … Did you give Go Pro to the new generation of "little Browns" ?
D. B .: Yes ! Not my granddaughter who is only four months old, but my four year old grandson. He skateboarded, scooted, and it’s amazing what they can do with it. I passed Go Pro to his parents to film himself…

MNC: Do you hope he shoots another "On Any Sunday" in 20 or 30 years? ?
D. B .: Of course ! Absolutely! Yes ! It is our heritage, they will inherit it. From my point of view, you have to make films or artistic works not for yourself or to claim them, but for others, so that they appreciate and appropriate them..

MNC: This will be our conclusion. Thanks, Mister Brown !
D. B .: thank you !

Interview by Matthieu BRETILLE

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