The Mark Dugdale “DRIVEN” DVD background story by Wayne Gallasch.
 
After regular contact with Mark regarding his new DVD production, I invited him to write for our site about the background behind the making of his new DVD. He readily agreed and his story is below. As an intro to Mark let me share my experiences to date with this fast rising new pro as he makes his mark on the professional scene.

It is not possible for me to shoot major men’s NPC contests in USA and accordingly I do not get to know the top NPC guys till they obtain IFBB pro cards. Back in 2004 I read that a guy called Mark Dugdale had won the overall USA Championships in Las Vegas and that he was not a huge guy from the Heavyweights! Naturally I was intrigued to find out more about this Dugdale character having never heard of him before.

Next year when I was shooting the 2005 Iron Man Pro I was delighted to find that MARK DUGDALE was making his Pro debut. I was most impressed with the package he brought to that event. His 8th placing was a top class result for a rookie pro in his first event. Making top 10 in such a large and star studded field was an achievement in itself. Mark went on to place 9th 2 weeks later at the Arnold Classic and then a week later place an amazing 6th at the San Francisco Grand Prix. Mark was now setting quite a standard and knocking on the door step of the top 5 finalists.

In February 2006 GMV was back to Pasadena, California and again Mark showed good improvement on the previous year as he took a very strong 5th place at the Iron Man Pro. This time he joined elite company in the top 5 posedown along with Lee Priest (the eventual winner at his 10th try at the Iron Man title), David Henry, Troy Alves and Kris Dim. All are Olympia competitors.
Top guys that Mark beat included Mustafa Mohammad, and Toney Freeman who later placed 5th in the San Francisco Grand Prix.

Unfortunately illness struck preventing Mark from competing in the 2006 Arnold Classic or San Francisco Grand Prix. I know he will be back next year at the Iron Man with the 2006 model of his physique.  l feel sure his improvements can propel him into at least 3rd place and an Olympia qualification. Mark has “the goods” with one of the most symmetrical physiques I have seen in years, along with great condition and excellent posing.

In regard to our involvement in Mark’s new DVD, here is how things evolved with GMV.  This may be of interest to all other up and coming new pros and DVD producers who need contest footage to spice up their productions.
Firstly I got a message that Mark wanted his finals posing from the Iron Man for his new DVD. I spoke with him briefly at the Arnold Classic Expo.  On returning to Australia I thought, “that seems a bit thin for a new DVD so why not offer Mark everything I shot on him at the Iron Man!” This subsequently was accepted and I went through my wild camera footage looking for everything on Mark from the weigh in, to solo compulsory poses, to his posing routine to the posedown and presentation at the finals. I knew that if this had been my own DVD, I would have wanted access to all of this material to work from.

Over the last 5 or 6 years it has been my privilege to shoot and edit the Iron Man DVD and the availability of such footage is a side benefit for all who are involved. Now it is over to Mark to tell his side of the DVD production story.

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Driven: A Real Life Documentary Examining the Life of a Pro Bodybuilder
Directed by Joel Barham
Released May 2006
Length: 1:58

Mark Dugdale – Driven Video or DVD

The bodybuilding DVD market is saturated. Every month two or three new DVDs are released, each vying for our hard-earned dollars. Over the years, many athletes’ videos have made their mark in the industry. Dorian Yates with Blood and Guts, Mitsuru Okabe with the Battle for the Olympia series, and others — Markus Ruhl, Jay Cutler, Dennis James, and Ronnie Coleman among them — have put out DVDs, each with a unique spin on pro bodybuilders’ training and lifestyle.

A lot of these DVDs are good, provided you’re a fan of that specific athlete. Some entertain; others educate. Recent DVDs sometimes de-emphasize training in favor of lifestyle. So why should you buy Mark Dugdale’s new DVD? I’ll tell you.

It would be a crime to call this just a DVD. Why? Because it’s more of a film. It’s done so well that it looks like a documentary you might see on cable TV — even a feature documentary given theatrical release. If it were slightly re-edited to reduce some of the training routines, this film could easily be shown on TV or at film festivals. Viewers unfamiliar with the sport would better understand and appreciate what bodybuilders go through, gaining them much-needed respect from the general public.

The film is broken down into various segments: lifestyle, relationships, family, business, eating and nutrition, contest footage, and training. I’ll cover each part individually. 

Training footage. Hardcore fans will love these scenes. Although I was initially disappointed that no quad routine was shown, my feeling quickly dissipated when I saw how heavily Mark trains in the other routines shown. He always uses good form and high intensity. While he’s not as big as Dorian, his workouts are still Dorianesque. Highlights include heavy dumbbell presses, heavy incline presses, strict back workouts, and an awesome delt workout. In one scene, Mark is doing stiff-legged deadlifts for hamstrings. He uses four or five 35-lb. plates per side. I thought to myself, why use 35s? Why not 45s? Then I saw why. You can lower the bar further down and get a better stretch. The banter between Mark and his wife, and between him and his training partners, is funny and entertaining.

Contest footage. In this film, we see footage from the 2006 Ironman Pro show. The contest begins with  the weigh-in, tanning, Christina oiling Mark up, his mandatories as well as his posing routine.  During his routine, Mark hits some of the same poses Bob Paris made famous — and he’s the only current pro who can pull off the kneeling, twisting, one-arm-behind-the head shot. He looks like a statue Michelangelo himself sculpted. In the gym posing footage, you seehow big and ripped Mark has become.

Businessman. Mark has a full-time job as a fresh food supplier, specializing in vegetables. His two factories are huge. In this segment, which is somewhat short, the viewer comes to appreciate what it takes to be successful in business while juggling the discipline of a bodybuilding lifestyle.

Nutrition, shopping, and eating. There’s some humor in a segment in which Mark gets all his supplements ready for the day. It looked like there had to be at least a 100 different pills (I’m exaggerating). On his trip to the store Mark buys chicken breasts, oatmeal, and orange roughy. During one dinner, we see Mark eat fish while his family eats spaghetti. It’s refreshing to see a family having dinner together.

Lifestyle, religion, family, and love story. This is my favorite segment. Mark’s faith is important to him, yet he never once comes across as “holier than thou.” His beliefs are ingrained in every aspect of life, from raising his three daughters to his relationship with his wife Christina. Both talk about how they met and fell in love. There’s also footage of Mark helping out around the house, reading to his girls, and putting them to bed. We also see the family going out to eat and going to church.

This film is unique. I have never seen anything like it, and I love it. I could watch this over and over again. It’s truly a love story: not just about Mark’s love of bodybuilding, but his love for his family and his faith. Mark represents everything good about our sport, and can remind us about what is important in life.  You don’t get that in many other bodybuilding DVDs.

Thanks, Mark and Christina.

Steve Buccilli, May 2006