This is the third cult motorcycle film from Scott Di Lalla & Zack Coffman. They produced the first two Sinners Movies and Rico still cringes from embarrassment, when I bring 'em up. “I'm not the boss,” Rico said. He's sorta portrayed as the Sinner leader. But like Bruce Brown surfing movies from the '60s these flixs have an edge, and capture a spirit and romance for biking.
Brittown brings the SoCal Brit bike community alive on film as a clean passionate documentary without a political agenda. It takes us deep into a builder's life, Meatball. We learn the ins and outs of building Triumphs, street riding, Meatballs music, girls, family and Vintage competitive racing.
Here's what the producers had to say:
Brittown is a feature documentary featuring legendary underground Britbike mechanic “Meatball” from the Hell On Wheels bike shop in Anaheim, CA. Brittown chronicles several months in Meatball's life as he runs his old BSA in vintage motocross races, embraces the legacy of Steve McQueen on his vintage Triumph Cub desert sled with the No Gooders motorcycle club, flies down the Willow Springs raceway on his Norstar, and uses all his skill to rebuild an old 650 Triumph Bonneville motor into a blazing road-ready screamer … all while juggling his responsibilities to his family and his rock band Smiling Face Down.
“We've been blown away by the response to our films,” says DiLalla, “We made Choppertown on a wing and a prayer and I think we struck a chord with the regular Joe wrenching on his bike in his garage. Our films so far have taken place in the world of motorcycles and hot rods, but we try to speak to a more universal concept of not needing to be rich and famous to put your energy into something that you love. It's not about how much money you have, but about your passion for life.”
Ya gotta keep in mind as you watch these flick that although they're shot and produced on a shoe string they've done a helluva job with the camera and limited production values. There is no screenplay, budgets for actors, music or stunts. Everything is handled on a reality toothpick basis. Yet Scott and Zack have the heart, the eye and the patience to edit hundreds of hours of footage to create something real and fun.
My problem with most of these films is they lack certain grit, expose style, fast action, drama, suspense and intrigue. The problem is that Zack and Scott want to be friends with these guys after the film is finished, so the hard driving CNN investigative news dogs are kept at Bay. That's good and bad. On the other hand each film they produce is better than the last one and I'm sure the grit and suspense is soon to roll onto the screen with fiery emotion and chrome suspense.
In the meantime, you can watch a Triumph 650 engine rebuild and a bike built then hauled to the track for its virgin run.
“There's a mystique to the old British bikes that people really connect with,” said the co-producer Zack Coffman. “Like Steve McQueen racing in On Any Sunday, when you ride an old motorcycle – Triumph, Harley, BMW, Honda or whatever — you feel a relationship with the past but also have a chance to express yourself as an individual in the present. Brittown is about more than motorcycles; it’s about individual expression and about an import part of our cultural heritage.”
You'll grab a sense of the California lifestyle around Vintage British steels, and take it from me, it's all good. Enjoy the ride.
Filmmakers
Produced, edited, and directed by:
Scott Di Lalla
Zack Coffman
Cinematography by:
Scott Di Lalla
Zack Coffman
Aaron Therol
Sound design by:
Zack Coffman
Art direction by:
Scott Di Lalla
Executive Producers:
Martin Perlberger
Tony Cruz
Legal:
Martin Perlberger
Production accountant:
Arthur Di Lalla
One World Studios is a proud sponsor of:
The American Red Crossand
The Autism Society of America’s RIDES FOR AUTISM and
The Meredith Baxter Center for Breast Cancer Research’s RIDE FOR THE PINK
One World Studios Ltd.
1523 Beloit Avenue #1
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Tel: (310) 210-6062
Email: zack@choppertown.com
Visit the Brittown website at: www.brittown.com
