We are about to board our flight for U.S.A. from London to Las Vegas for the Olympia week.  These last 3 weeks have been very busy taping with Clarence Bass in New Mexico, U.S.A. and then taping in the U.K. the EFBB British Championships in Nottingham and then the NABBA Universe last Saturday in Newcastle.  Full reports of all these events and results will be posted as soon as I get a chance.
For all Australians the good news is that NICK JONES placed a fantastic 2nd in his Class 4 at the Universe.  We are presently editing 2 videos on Nick so watch for all his exciting Universe action to conclude these documentaries.  He also won the overall Australian Championships just prior to the Universe.

Now follows the Clarence Bass report and pix from our visit to Albuquerque.  I could not add to his report other than to say what a super professional Clarence was to work with, ably supported by his wife Carol.  We had a fantastic time shooting this "RIPPED" video and can't wait to start the editing.  Thanks Clarence and Carol for making us so welcome.

The video will be available from Clarence and from GMV Productions for US$34.95 plus post.

From The Desk Of Clarence Bass....

Video Completed, Except for Editing

What a week! But it’s a done deal. The video is in the can, so to speak, except for editing. As in any video taping, there’s lots of footage that should not and will not see the light of day, but what remains is made up of really worthwhile material that we believe viewers will enjoy -- and learn from as well.

As regular web site visitors know, we’ve been planning the video for several months. We intended to devote the week before the shoot almost exclusively to final preparations. But life threw us a curve at the last-minute when Clarence’s brother-in-law passed away unexpectedly; he was only 54. Several days were occupied in arranging for and attending the memorial service. In spite of the untimely and sad interruption – it was a lovely and moving service with many family members and friends in attendance – we were ready when Wayne and Tina Gallasch arrived as scheduled on Sunday evening, September 22.  Shooting started the next day at 8 a.m. and continued late into the evening on Monday and Tuesday.  We finally finished at about 6 p.m. on Wednesday (in time to celebrate with dinner at one of the beautiful and picturesque Native American-owned resorts north of Albuquerque). It was exhausting, but we had lots of fun and, in the end, everyone felt that we’d accomplish something really worthwhile.

  
Carol snapped this photo of Wayne Gallasch behind the camera while Clarence was explaining his training dairy.

Without spoiling it for viewers – there will be some delightful surprises – we can say that major segments include: preparation of the latest version of the "old reliable" breakfast recipe, how Clarence uses his training diary to plan workouts, athletic-type lifting, the post-workout meal, Clarence’s bedtime snack, high intensity aerobics (including a demonstration of the Tabata protocol), Clarence weighing himself on the Tanita bodyweight/fat scale and Clarence posing in the gym (check out the photo we've just added to our pictorial page of Clarence's 50-year training career; it was taken a few day after the video shoot and about 45 days before his 65th birthday).

 One of the new poses Clarence came up with for the video; you'll be able to see it more clearly in the video.

Compare this snapshot of Clarence a few days after completion of the video with the same pose at 60 opposite the title page in Challenge Yourself.

Wayne, who has made or been involved in almost 750 lifting and bodybuilding videos over the last 32 years, told us he has never seen or made a video like ours. Apparently, there is nothing else like it on the market. So, it looks like The Ripped Video will be something truly special. We are excited about it and hope viewers will share our enthusiasm.

Editing will start in a few weeks when Wayne and Tina arrive home in Australia – in the interim, they will be video taping at the EFBB British Bodybuilding Championships, the NABBA Mr. Universe (Newcastle) and the Olympia events in Las Vegas (Fitness, Ms. & Mr.). We expect to have the final version of the video available for release on or about December 1. We estimate that the video will run at least 60 minutes. The price will be $34.95 plus five dollars shipping.

We can’t close without thanking Wayne and Tina for their patience, good nature and professionalism. They were magnificent throughout. Their skill and expertise will be evident in the final product. In our book, they are absolutely the best.

Clarence with Wayne and Tina on the final day of shooting.