Friday, April 16, 2010

Opee the Motocross Dog

Production assistant Max Brodsky was almost finished with a short feature about a dog who races motocross bikes.   Actually, the dog, Opee,  a 70-pound Blue Merle Australian shephed, rides with his owner, Mike Schelin, as they careen over California dirt tracks.
There’s no dog in Brodsky, who won’t quit on a piece until it’s just right.  And something was wrong with the music.
He had started with “spaghetti western” music evocative of Clint Eastwood in “A Fistful of Dollars”.
“I looked for music that matched with the desert and dirt where they race,” said Brodsky.
It worked, to a point.  Until one of Opee’s fans described him as “the fastest dog on wheels” as Opee and Mike gunned their bike.   Then it didn’t work, observed producer Brian Liburd
“Right there - it needs something faster,” said Liburd.
Brodsky was dubious but searched the music library and found an up-tempo country rock sound.  He, Liburd and editor Rob Berman tried it out.  Doggone if it wasn’t better. 
“I’ll buy that,” said Brodsky, and rolled over.

Posted by Steve Marantz, April 16, 2010