Midwest Surfers DVD rip

The complete Midwest Surfers DVD has been ripped and added to Vimeo. This video was shot in 2005 and edited in iMovie in a car. It was a fun project that really got me more interested in filmmaking and it was a fun way to document those who were involved. If you have a desire to make videos or short films- do it. I hope this proves it. For me, its always been about doing- make your art/craft and learn the skills necessary to make it into a career. In the 2 years since college, I've realized that following your passion and making it into a career is the only way to "work".

Midwest Surfers from Red Panda Creative on Vimeo.

Me with long hair = awesome.

VOW - Midwest Surfers II Trailer

Crystal Pepsi was the same as regular Pepsi. It just lacked the carmel coloring that the regular stuff used for its soda brown color. Crystal Pepsi faded into obscurity. What does Crystal Pepsi have to do with my choice for Video Of the Week? Nothing. Except that some projects are like defective fireworks- good start but no boom. Midwest Surfers II is my defective Crystal Pepsi firework. It never got finished- except for a trailer set to Dragon Force. It had the best intentions- flips from train bridge, good wake surfing, and longboarding. It didn't have my commitment. That summer I was saving up cash to move to Los Angeles and being a robot for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. No time for video editing.

Midwest Surfers II Trailer from Red Panda Creative on Vimeo.

So with the grandest of takeoffs, here is Midwest Surfers II, the trailer for the video that never was.

Groovy Drift RC Nationals

Groovy Drift RC Nationals HD from RiceBoyTV on Vimeo.

Formula Drift exposed me to RC drifting. It seemed so simple and trivial compared to the full sized counter part on the track. hmm...I remember when my interest in RC peaked- 9th grade. RC drifting looked lame.

Flash forward to August. Riceboytv tells me that we are going to be covering the RC drift nationals @ Zero One Motorsports. Great. What a waste of a day.

Wrong! RC drifting is down right impressive. Groovy Drift assembles the best RC drivers in the country to compete for the title of national champion. These cars are sick. The bodies have functional headlights, taillights, and turning indicators. ridiculous. They are also powered by high-spooled electric motors and require a great deal of skill to pilot. RC drift car setups are close to real drift cars, its important to: adjust the camber, toe, and tires for different track surfaces. Dialing in the car is just as important as the full sized machines.

I gained a lot of respect for RC drifters at the Groovy drift nationals. These guys are skilled, love what they do, and bring out a good crowd of dedicated drivers. Plus when you tap the wall- it doesn't mean days of labor and thousands of dollars in replacement parts. Plus anyone can do it. Unlike buying a 240 or FC RX-7, RC drift setups are affordable and completely customizable. We saw a few RC cars made up to pay homage to the full sized drift car and their drivers- like Riceboytv's Patrick Mordaunt's Nissan 240sx.

RC drifting is very cool and with any luck I will get my paws on a car sometime in the near future.

Scope the video coverage I shot and edited. Respect RC drifting. I do.

Formula D Sonoma

My Riceboytv edit for Formula Drift Sonoma. Held on September 13, 2008.


Formula D Sonoma 2008 HD from Will Roegge on Vimeo.

Since our turn around at riceboytv for event coverage is usually 2 days. I was feeling the pinch to get this edit finished for Wednesday morning launch. When reviewing my footage from the weekend I cannot help but think about opening montage and how to grab a viewer's attention. Thats usually how my mind works. Three steps ahead and usually focused on the final presentation. For example, I had the opening montage for this edit locked down and color corrected before even starting the narrative coverage. The more I shoot with the Sony EX-1 (about 6 months now) the more I appreciate it. I was and still am a loyal Canon and Panasonic user. I've shot stills with Canon's since I was 17 and the Panasonic DVX line was the first video camera that got me hooked on video production. Previous generations of Sony Prosumer/HDV cameras were cheap feeling and the controls were poor. The image quality was lackluster and who doesn't use XLR on their pro level cameras? Mini-jack? My gripes with Sony were forgotten after a day with the EX-1. Its incredible, even better than Panasonic's HVX (All accept for color space, 4:2:0? Really Sony? HVX's 4:2:2 is more desirable) The work flow with the SxS cards is simple and downloading/converting raw m4v files from the EX-1 using the express slot on my Mac Book Pro is a breeze!

Wow, super camera nerd digression.
Let me know what you think about the edit?

Midwest Surfers III Trailer

The long - awaited - underground - sensation - you've never head of - is now a trilogy.

Midwest Surfers III - Under Siege

Midwest Surfers III Trailer from Red Panda Creative on Vimeo.

Ever time the Adams brothers and I get together we usually are on boards. Surf boards, wake surf boards, wake boards, snow boards, long boards, diving boards, school boards, it doesn't matter - we are down for the cause.

While I studying film production, Chris, Nate, and I shot the original midwest surfers in 2005. We wanted to document our dedication to riding. It was a no pressure shoot. Just being ourselves and having a good time. We broke the video down like our favorite skate and surf videos - giving each of us a section set to music highlighting our best tricks and runs.

Jump to: 2008.

Packing an HD mini cam and more lenses than your optometrist - we reunited the crew in Indiana for some midwest surfing. Funny that I have to fly to Indiana to surf more, considering the Pacific Ocean is within view of my apartment. None the less, enjoy the trailer and stay tuned for the completed short film - Midwest Surfers III.

Working for the Weekend

It seems like lately I've been working all of the time.

Probably because, I have been working all the time. The past two weekends have been non-stop shooting and traveling with Rice Boy TV. To give you a better idea of what I've been up to, here are some photos I snapped between rolling the video camera.


3rd & Grand, 9am Saturday September 6, 2008. Disney Concert Hall in the background. I dig the tiered roadways and dividing drop that becomes a sky-light for the roadway below.


LAPD's off-duty finest guards Vaughn Gittin Jr's Ford Mustang in the turning lane of Grand Avenue. Why is a drift car in downtown LA? Well because Bosch Spark Plugs is shooting an advertisement featuring JR's Mustang decorating the intersection with Falken tire rubber. Who says driving isn't art?


Vaughn's car between takes. In the foreground is a crane getting the overhead shot of the intersection- which is transformed into a cement canvas. Cool idea for an advertisement. Personally, I really enjoy the combination of art and precision driving. This combination is something that I strive for in my work. Trying to find the elements in motor sports that are often overlooked or overpowered by speed. The spiraling tire smoke, flickering exhaust flames, dancing tire debris, and the synthesis of driver & car. Stay tuned for more on Vaughn Gittin JR's Bosch advertisement and Rice Boy TV's coverage of the shoot.

Sunday checked out Subie Fest @ Willow Springs International Raceway. Good turn out and tons of on track action with Subaru putting fans into STi's and WRX's to test drive Big Willow track. Sweet. Also some time attack action in the heat. Also check for the coverage on Rice Boy TV in the coming weeks.


Friday (September 12th) rolled up to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. Thanks to Moe @ Mitsubishi Motors we drove up in a 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. It was very cool to drive the Lancer Ralliart for a few days on highways, country roads, and around LA- it gives you the opportunity to further evaluate the Ralliart. Ricky, Justin, and I even had the chance to drag race the Ralliart at Irwindale Speedway's 1/8th mile drag strip. Check back soon for an update- because you will not want to miss my first drag racing experience- captured on video.


Rik and I shoot a time lapse en route to Sonoma in the Ralliart.

Seattle at 120 MPH

The tachometer hit red line, up shift, the speedometer rushes past 120. The sweeping left hand turn was approaching fast. Down shift. Down shift. Fourth gear. Hold it and hit the apex then accelerate out.

Saying that the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR is fast, is an understatement. Its like a four door, four wheel drive jet.











Riceboytv was fortunate to be invited to the Mitsubishi Lancer Family day in Seattle, Washington and I was excited to meet my date with EVO destiny. In May I was close to buying an EVO- without having ever driven one. The EVO's reputation as a twisted turbo charged sedan precedes it. Driving it on Pacific motor speedway confirms- the EVO is a werewolf in sheep's costume. The only clues to the car's underbelly are the rear fiberglass/carbon!? spoiler and the vented aluminum hood. Minor body pieces and larger wheels are common after market parts these days. The EVO's heart and soul is its turbocharged 2.0 liter engine coupled to a 5 speed (GSR model) or 6 speed twin clutch paddle shift configuration.










These few photos are from my point and shoot, Panasonic LX-2, which shoots 16x9 native and has some great manual controls- including the ability to shoot RAW images.

The event was incredible. With an auto cross, track, and street drive sections to showcase the new Lancer Ralliart, Lancer Evolution GSR, Lancer Evolution MR, and compare all to the base Lancer GSR.

Check back for test drive videos and full video coverage on Rice Boy TV

Lakes, Dirtbikes, Biplanes - Indiana.

The horizon disappeared and the field below rushed towards the plane ferociously. I was in a hammerhead. One quick kick of the rudder and the nose dove from nearly vertical climb to vertical drop. My stomach tightened and all of my senses screamed silently. The biplane pulled up and I glanced over my shoulder at the pilot, my good friend Nate Adams, words wouldn't help over the roar of the engine- so I pounded my fist into the air and tried to ease the smile from my face.

Indiana. Hoosiers.
The Midwest.
Lake Michigan.
Meth Amphetamine.

I took a vacation day and visited my friends Chris and Nate Adams in Knox, Indiana. For a Labor day weekend of wake surfing, wake boarding, boating, skateboarding, airplane flying, motorcycle riding, family cookouts, and the 3 am longboard cruise.












It was awesome. Chris was able to assemble the crew he rides with: Blake Bailey, Nick Williams, and his brother Nate to come out and surf a man made lake thousands of miles from the nearest ocean. Wake surfing is similar to wakeboarding or water skiing in that the boat is used to launch the rider out of the water. The similarities end there though. Wake Surfing is close to the back deck of the boat where the wake is the biggest. Professional Ski boats have ballast tanks to increase the wave and trim adjustments to get the rear end to sink in and churn out a massive wake. The real challenge of wake surfing is to go "ropeless" and drop the tow rope and pump off of the boat's wake. By adjusting the nose height, board trim, and one's body weight (Similar to balancing on an INDO board) a rider can literally surf on a boat's wake.

Wake surf boards are usually smaller in length and use traction pads covering a majority of their top side instead of wax. This makes for a very durable board that preforms similarly to a full sized surfboard while still providing long lasting grip and float for the sans salt environment.

We all filmed individual sections for the epic
"MIDWEST SURFERS III - UNDER SIEGE"

Stay tuned for the video in the next few weeks. Thanks again to the Adams family for their hospitality! I had a blast and you guys are the nicest people imaginable.