Dennis James - Bodybuilder

In Dennis James – Bodybuilder, join Dennis "The Menace" James as he takes you through his pre-contest 3 day training cycle in the world famous Gold's Gym in Venice, California.

This 2 hr and 20 minute training video will bring you along as witness to every exercise in Dennis James’s routine as it happens on the gym floor.

Dennis James – Bodybuilder is creatively edited to highlight the most interesting portions of each movement accompanied by a powerful, awe-inspiring soundtrack. Intercut with Dennis James's gym training are candid mini interviews covering a wide variety of subjects from his nutritional points of view, competitive history, motivational aspects and pre-contest dieting to name a few.

A lighthearted special feature insert takes us to Venice Beach for an exclusive Flex magazine photo-shoot with Weider champs Silvio Samuel and Brandon Curry as Dennis is interviewed by top Flex writer Shawn Perine.

Get ready for the most explosive bodybuilding DVD you've ever seen! You will be motivated, inspired and ready to tear up the weights in your next workout!

DVD Contents:

Bodypart Training

 Day 1: Chest AM, Arms PM
 Day 2: Quads AM, Hamstrings-Calves PM
 Day 3: Back AM, Delts PM

Interviews Inserted Between Bodyparts

 In the beginning
 Motivation
 Favorite bodypart
 High fats
 First contest
 Pro card
 Diet

Plus Shawn Perine from Flex Magazine cafe interviews.

Interview with filmmaker Alex Ardenti:

Alex Ardenti has been a professional photographer for over twenty years. A former bodybuilder himself, Ardenti won the Junior Mr. Europe and the Pro Mr. Italy. He credits his passion for the sport along with his early appreciation of still images, to making his own leap into photography. His eye for the capturing the physique was apparent in his early work and soon Alex Ardenti became one of the top fitness and bodybuilding photographers in the world.

Now that he has branched out into film and video production, we sat down with Alex and asked him how his newest project Dennis James: Bodybuilder came to life.

Q: With more than twenty years of great physique photography in the advertising world and the countless fitness and bodybuilding magazines you’ve shot for, what inspired you to suddenly make the switch to video production?

A: Actually, it wasn’t sudden at all. I've had a passion for filmmaking that went hand in hand with my love for photography ever since I was a kid growing up in Australia. Whether it’s still or moving, a powerful image is a powerful image. At this point in my career, I like to say that photography is my day job and making movies is my dream job.

To be honest I have to say that I really loved the look of film when it came to motion pictures. 10 or 15 years ago the look that video was producing just didn't turn me on. It looked cheap and it was a far cry from the look that a motion picture camera could obtain. With the recent developments in HD cameras the image quality has improved so dramatically that I felt it was time to start bringing my ideas to life and use this newer medium.

Long story short... I was having lunch with Dennis James in January after a shoot for FLEX magazine and he mentioned his past videos and how successful they were, even the older ones. A few days later I asked him if he wanted to shoot a new DVD with me and he was enthusiastic. I didn't really tell him much about the project but he said he knew it was going to be something different when he showed up on the movie location I rented for the intro of the film. It's a massive warehouse where they shoot a lot of action sequences for feature films and music videos. Great place to shoot.

Q: This DVD definitely has a different feel compared to the usual bodybuilding training films.

A: Yes, well I wanted different production values for my DVD. I have never seen a full bodybuilding video but I have seen several clips on YouTube etc. I knew it had to be different but I still wanted to show a lot of Dennis's training. I owe that to the fans because they learn from watching bodybuilders train. That doesn't mean I need to shoot him during every second of his workout while he is just sitting on a bench resting or at the water fountain. That doesn't exactly captivate an audience. But I did need to show what he does in the gym while training for a show.

Nothing was set up or staged for the camera. This was not a fluff piece. We followed him around the gym and added a light or two when needed and that's it. This was true reality TV unlike what we are used to seeing on TV shows today where everything is planned, scripted and directed.

On the warehouse shoot day we got creative and did some stylized exercises and posing but that was just for the intro. Viewers know the difference.

Q: The music is quite unique for a training video.

A: Every serious bodybuilder sees himself as a warrior in the gym while he is training. That's what he truly is. He's not playing golf at a leisurely pace or rollerblading by the beach to get his heart rate. He has a killer instinct and he's tearing up the weights. So I went for very heroic music, what can I say? It has 5.1 Surround Sound so play it loud!

Q: There seem to be a few usual elements we are used to seeing in bodybuilding DVDs that were not included in this video. Food-preparation, everyday activities and relaxation for example.

A: I purposely did not want to shoot Dennis in the kitchen cooking his meals. I find that the most boring thing I can think of to watch on screen. It's more useful having him explain his diet in a few minutes than actually see him cook the food repetitively throughout the video. Downtime and relaxation isn’t that interesting either unless it’s in a montage of some sort.

It's a motivational video and I'm not trying to make it into something it's not. It's meant to be pure motivation. Something you can pop into your DVD player or your computer and get psyched up before your workout.

Maybe one day I'll shoot him playing with his puppies in his backyard or pushing a cart in the grocery store... for now I felt the need to inspire the fans with some great footage and some realistic workouts of a great champion… and Dennis truly is a great champion.

It's something a gym owner can put up on their TV screens and have playing for 2 hrs and 20 minutes. It will be interesting every time a gym member glances at it while they workout. I wanted this DVD to be inspirational!