Philippines Parkour with a Storyline: Rush Hour
There are plenty of Parkour videos on YouTube and other video sites, but rarely do you find one with an actual storyline! This video features some pretty cool parkour moves and an amusing story about a kid who uses his free-running skills to get to class on time and beat rush hour traffic. The video is well shot, with scenes in traffic and more suburban and rural locations. Also, it features a sound track that really compliments the moves of the featured free-runner, Jhonny Ramos. The video was shot in San Pablo, Philippines and uploaded to YouTube in high definition by the Philippine Parkour FreeRunning Association.
- + Who
The video was made by the Philippine Parkour FreeRunning Association, and features Jhonny Ramos. The PPFA is a non-profit organization that promotes Parkour and FreeRunning Philippines. The group was started by the Philippine free-runners, and in March of 2009, the PPFA was established. It was made up of the Philippine FreeRunners, Parkour Pampagna (now the Pampanga FreeRunners) and the Tacloban FreeRunners. They established a website (parkour.ph) to spread their love of parkour and free-running and have uploaded more than 50 videos to their YouTube channel. They also have an active presence on other social media sites. There are now 13 teams affiliated with the organization, and 20 featured runners.
- + Where
This video was made in San Pablo, a city in the Laguna province in the Philippines. It is on of the oldest cities in the country and has a population just shy of 250,000 people. The city is known as the City of the Seven Lakes and is nestled in the foothills of three mountains. The Philippines (officially known as the Republic of the Philippines) is an island nation in Southeast Asia. It is made up of 7,107 islands.
- + What
The video begins with shots of gridlocked traffic, and Jhonny sitting in the back of a taxi. He hope out (0:17) and begins his run down the crowded sidewalks, as the the traffic continues to flow. He cuts through a forested park (0:25) and the runs along a street, hurdling an obstacle (a person) at (0:32). He takes on some decorative steppes in the park at (0:35) and hurdles a small stream at (0:40). Shortly after, he leaps the stump of a giant tree. He runs along the street again and leaps off the roof of a one story building at (0:50). He hops through an opening in a mural at (0:52) and cuts across a field towards some benches, which he leaps and then crosses a road. He climbs a brick retaining wall at (1:02) and then does an impressive flip. Then it’s back to a more forested area, leaping over huge tree roots (1:07) until he gets to campus. He flips over the parking lot barrier (1:10) and is then running down the hall to class. He hops down the stairs and flips over his teacher (1:25), who has helpfully dropped his papers. He high-fives a classmate at (1:35) and then credits roll along with behind the scenes and practice footage.
This post is also available in: Spanish