Turn And Burn - The Film - Inside the world of barrel racing.

Joe Beaver Story' Among Wittkower's Works - Out of the Gate - August 29, 2006
by MARSHA MOULDER

Californian David Wittkower's pitch to a couple of TV stations about looking into the real life behind "based on a true story" movies resulted in Wittkower finding a career documenting rodeo topics.

When he couldn't find any interest among the TV stations, he decided to do his own documentary, and he picked champion bull rider Lane Frost, who was killed by a bull in 1989 at the Cheyenne Frontier Days, as his topic.

"The more I got into his life, the more I got into rodeo. I ended up doing a documentary about bull riding, with Lane Frost as the on-going theme," Wittkower said in a telephone interview. He called the documentary "Cowboy Up: Inside the Extreme World of Bull Riding."

And the more he got into rodeo, the more Wittkower wanted to tell the stories of the people involved in the sport.

He happened to mention to Pam Minick that he was looking for a project, and she told him Equibrand was looking for someone to produce a documentary about Joe Beaver. With Minick putting in a good word for Wittkower, he landed the job and Equibrand provided him with a budget.

"I knew of Joe Beaver. Once I got into it, I jumped 110 percent into it. Joe's a great guy, he's everyone's best friend. He's a cool guy to work with," Wittkower said.

The documentary, "The Drive of a Champion, the Joe Beaver Story," includes some home movies showing Beaver at different stages of his life. Using that video, National Finals Rodeo video and interviews of Beavers' parents, Walter and Bonnie Beaver, and ropers who have known Beaver a long time, Wittkower illustrated how hard Beaver worked to attain the success he has in the rodeo arena.

Once that documentary was completed, Wittkower turned his camera on professional barrel racing. "When I was working on the bull riding film and was at the rodeos, the one event that really stuck out as exciting to watch was the barrel racing. That one really got me hooked."

Wittkower said he knew nothing about barrel racing going in, so he learned as he did the film. "I was shaping the film as someone who knew nothing about barrel racing, so I shaped the film on what I'd be interested in," he said.

To get started, he contacted the Women's Professional Rodeo Association, and got a list of 40 to 50 women. "I just sort of picked girls out that other people said would be a good interview," he said. "When I went to the first event, which was in Salinas (California), people would say 'You should talk to her.'" Among the barrel racers that ended up in Wittkower's film are world champion Sheri Cervi, Jackie Dube, Holly Foster, Tammy Key, Molly Powell, Lyndee Stairs and Linda Vick.

"Experience living on the financial edge, hoping and gambling they will have more wins than losses to come out ahead and make it to the Finals for a big payoff and the ultimate prize: the Title of Champion," it what it says on the DVD package of "Turn and Burn: Inside the World of Barrel Racing."

"It's been a real joy to work in the rodeo community. I enjoy that kind of work and the people I work with," Wikkower said. "In January I'll look around to see what else I can do."

Ordering information for "Turn and Burn," or to review a retailers list where the documentary is sold can be found at www.turnandburnthefilm.com.

"The Drive of a Champion, the Joe Beaver Story" is sold where Equibrand products are sold.

Different Take On Rodeo
By JON GUDDAT

Even if you know a lot about rodeo and more specifically barrel racing, you've got to see this video. David Wittkower's "Turn and Burn: Inside the World of Barrel Racing" takes a multi-faceted perspective on barrel racers, their horses, their homes on the road and everything else fans can think of, giving us a good idea of what these athletes go through many months out of the year.

The documentary - mixing the serious with the lighthearted - shows how a barrel racer needs to be on the top of her game, day in and day out. Where to travel, how to travel, how to keep her expenses in check, when it's time to go home for a few days and how to take care of themselves. Shoot, they take better care of their horses than they do themselves. Molly Powell has hers on a diet saying while smiling, "Nobody needs too many carbohydrates these days, so I'm trying to cut down for everyone.

That's just the beginning. "Everyone's talking about the gas hikes," she continued. "That's the last of my worries. Thirty to $40 more isn't a lot to me. Three or four thousand in vet bills and the worst of it all not being able to compete because you paid those bills and your horse isn't better yet, that's more traumatic or dramatic for us." Just costs in general are tremendous, the tangible like shelling out cash and intangibles such as being gone months on end. "It's just (unbelievable) how much it costs to go down the road," Liz Pinkston said. "But if you make the finals you can justify your expenses for the year." And it might help you break even.

"For most of us, if you make it to the NFR, you have spent about that amount (that you earn on the year)," Tammy Key said. But that money has certainly increased over the years. "What's taken it out of the joke status is the amount of money," Lyndee Stairs said. "Not just at rodeos but at larger barrel racings." And when you find that horse that has the right mix of ability and the mental capacity to run barrels daily, you have a good shot at winning those increased purses. "It's grueling," one barrel racer said. "You have to have a horse that's an athlete. They can play with a little bit of pain. "He has to want to. It's just like a professional athlete. Lots of people can have talent and have ability. But if they don't want to they won't do it."

As I said, the film does a good job supporting what fans already know and may open our eyes to something we looked over. For me it was Powell mentioning the fact that gas is expensive, but caring for your horse is wallet-siphoning. It mixes the serious with the amusing. "People think that cowgirls are gonna be tobacco spittin, truck driving mammas," Pam Ginick said. "Yeah, they got a truck that's probably bigger than yours, but they're still ladies for the most part."

Jon Guddat covers rodeo - from the kids to the kids at heart - with a weekly column in the Daily Record. Contact Jon at jonguddat@yahoo.com with story ideas.

Reno Gazette-Journal

Documentary takes look inside world of Barrel Racing - Posted: 7/29/2006

Rodeo: Guy Clifton

A new documentary, much of which was filmed in Reno, takes a behind-the-scenes look at the world of professional barrel racing.

"Turn and Burn," a film by award-winning documentary producer David Wittkower, features interviews with more than a dozen barrel racers, including some of the top riders in the Women's Professional Rodeo Association.

Wittkower, who previously produced the film "Cowboy Up: Inside the Extreme World of Bull Riding," said he selected barrel racing as a topic because it is "a sport that is often underestimated in the rodeo world."

It's also arguably the most popular event in rodeo behind bull riding, he said.

Wittkower and his co-producer, Fred Martin interviewed barrel racers at the 2005 American West 4D Finals in Reno, the California Rodeo in Salinas and the Ellensburg Rodeo in Washington state as well as other smaller barrel racing events in the west.

Among the women interviewed are two-time world champion Sherry Cervi of Marana, Ariz.; and perennial Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifiers Tammy Key, Linda Vick, Jackie Dube, Liz Pinkston, Shali Lord, Jolee Lauteret and Danyelle Campbell. Carson City barrel racer -- and local real estate appraiser -- Lita Scott is also featured.

"To my knowledge, this is the only film that truly gives people a real idea of what happens in the barrel racing world," Wittkower said. "It's certainly not a training video."

Instead, the filmmakers talk about life on the rodeo road for barrel racers, who must haul their horses thousands of miles each year to reach competitions. The women talk frankly about the costs, both monetary and from a personal standpoint, of pursuing a career in barrel racing.

The film runs 65 minutes. It's available on DVD, and the DVD includes a couple of bonuses, including 20 minutes of added footage of straight barrel racing and a short music video montage.

I had the chance to view the video recently and liked it very much. I've interviewed many of the women featured in the film and getting some of them to talk at length is a major achievement for Wittkower. One thing I would have liked to see in the main part of the film was more barrel racing during actual rodeo performances. Barrel racing is one of the fan-favorite events, but footage in the film seemed to be filmed mostly during the off-hours slack competition, when there aren't many fans. I would have liked to see -- and hear -- crowd interaction during performances. That said, it's still a great look at the women who participate in the sport.

The DVD can be purchased via the Web at www.turnandburnthefilm.com

film.com. It's also available locally at Set Apart by calling Cari at 771-7952.

Front DVD Cover
© 2006 Added Money Productions / David Wittkower. Used with permission.

TURN AND BURN - Inside the World of Barrel Racing Film Review
by Ralph Clark

Guide Rating * * * *

The Bottom Line

Turn And Burn is a full length documentary on Barrel Racing, a long neglected and maligned event, that is now growing into one of rodeos most popular. It a must see for all fans of rodeo, horses, cowgirls, or sports.

Turn And Burn a backstage pass to a world that is rarely seen by the average spectator and director David Wittkower brings it to us with the same skill and talent that can be seen in his previous award winning documentary, Cowboy Up: Inside the Extreme World of Bull Riding.

Pros

Top barrel racers tell it how it is and in their own words.
Excellent camera work that puts you at some of the best rodeos in California, Nevada and Washington.
Dispels myths about cruelty and gives the horses their due.
Shows the life and hardships that rodeo competitors face for the love of their sport.

Cons

A fascinating albeit graphic equine surgery might make some viewers squeamish.

Description

TURN AND BURN: Inside the World of Barrel Racing
A David Wittkower Film
Features Sherry Cervi, Linda Vick, Shali Lord, Liz Pinkston, Jackie Dube, and more!
Special Features include bonus footage with commentary and
Not Rated
65 minutes
www.turnandburnthefilm.com

Guide Review - TURN AND BURN - Inside the World of Barrel Racing Film Review

Filmmaker David Witttkower does for barrel racing what he did for bull riding with another eye-opening documentary that features some of the top racers in rodeo.

In his own words, "The plan is to show the sporting world the sport of barrel racing, a sport that is often underestimated in the rodeo world."

Filmed at rodeos in California, Nevada, and Washington, this documentary gives us a look at what life in the rodeo is really about. For the competitors the freedom and romantic ideas are tempered with long hours, longer drives, being far from home, which pales next to the task of keeping themselves and their horses at the top of their game, not to mention the daily managing of their lives.

There are plenty of things in this film to get excited about. The candid interviews are incredible and many viewers will be surprised that the immense financial strain that many of these competitors are under. This is perhaps the most troubling aspect for the future of this event.

The 'hat-cam' being worn on a barrel run was a fantastic idea. I only wish we could have been taken on a full run.

So if you are looking for a how-to, this isn't it. But if you're looking to understand what goes into this sport at the highest levels, from the mouths of the top competitors, TURN AND BURN is a must see, and not just for barrel racing fans, but ALL fans of rodeo.

Related Guide Picks

COWBOY UP: Inside the Extreme World of Bull Riding

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