A new MTB film company....Absolute Zero

I didn't watch your entire showreel. Not because I'm an ass, but because after 2:47 I was bored.

You guys have an obvious talent for cinematography and composition, and I appreciate that a showreeel needs to show a bit of everything but it was a minute of generic scenery and then 3 second clips of tiny parts of much larger sections. It didn't leave me wanting more, it left me a bit cold to be honest.

As you've said the MTB/extreme sports film market is saturated.

Don't bother making artsy slow mo shots of dirt fading through shafts of light and don't bother trekking to Mongolian valleys to make a 2 minute piece of a guy in matching race kit neatly dropping from sculpted lip to smooth transition.

Make videos that are exciting to watch, that capture speed and style and fun. I couldn't care less about seeing x riders steely look of determination and a close up of his knuckles as he delicately feathers the brake through a through a greased berm, I want to see that greasy chute of **** getting slayed by the two wheel drift hes pulling.

Don't follow trends for music (**** dubstep) it dates your videos. Pick music that works with the vid. I've got nothing against M83 (or whatever soundalike was playing) but it didn't make me want to pick up my bike and tear some sideknobs off in a berm.

Be facetious, look at littermag and Rankins early vids, they had attitude, if they thought a rider or event was **** they called them out on it. No-one gets anywhere by pandering to everyone.

If you think I'm being a cunt, fine, carry on doing what you do. You are talented guys swimming in a huge pool of other talented guys all producing incredibly similar work. I'd rather see some attitude put back into videos though.

theres a bit at 3:06 where you really get a feel for what it's like to be popping out of those turns and scattering loam all over the place. Really like the occasions where you use that style.

My advice on the show reel front is:

Show people your very best, the shots that are uniquely yours. There' sno need to show the standard shots of feet being placed on pedals or goggles stretched over helmets. That's easy, it's the raw, aggressive shots, the high intensity moments that are interesting to watch and unique to you that need to be seen. Similarly the idea of showing 'a day on the hill, sunrise to sunset in 5 seconds' (the nice, easy way of saying that has escaped me) is not new, original or yours. Why watch your video when the first minute could have been from any number of other vids that have been circulating the internet since time began.

Always ask 'Why?' why do People need to see the rider putting on his goggles and pumping his fork? why does the nice green leaf amongst the brown dirt need to be seen? We're here to see people better than us and for a few minutes, live through them. I want to feel like I got the experience of being fastest man on the hill, not snappiest dresser in the start hut.

these allegations stopped being about you, but the bike vid industry as a collective. i do apologise for going off on one.

I'll keep watching the vids you post and I'll keep being honest with you about them, best of luck with the venture.

Peacock said:

So today marks the launch of Absolute Zero, which is a company I've started up with a couple of other filmmakers named Andre Nutini and Liam Mullany. We're going to be making a ton of MTB related content over the next while, here's our 2011 reel if you're interested!

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The section around 03:40 was as good as any ski/board movie I've ever seen.....unreal

You haz potentials

Good luck in your endevours

Peacock said:

So today marks the launch of Absolute Zero, which is a company I've started up with a couple of other filmmakers named Andre Nutini and Liam Mullany. We're going to be making a ton of MTB related content over the next while, here's our 2011 reel if you're interested!

Click to expand...

That Last shot was pretty sick!

General Lee said:

That Last shot was pretty sick!

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Totally.

Man that would really suck to miss that shot. I mean.......say you stopped it like 2 minutes and some change in. You'd have no idea how sick that last shot was. Thank god I don't have adhd!

kidwoo said:

Totally.

Man that would really suck to miss that shot. I mean.......say you stopped it like 2 minutes and some change in. You'd have no idea how sick that last shot was. Thank god I don't have adhd!

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Thank god I had ridemonkey to tell me to skip right to the end (I have a terrible time with delayed gratification). Then I went back and watched the whole thing from the beginning.

I like mountain biking movies, this had great shots and I was willing to forgive the goggle tightening etc etc because its a promo vid, but I can't honestly disagree with anything trib said. If its relevant, I showed it to my non-mountain biking fiance and after about 2 minutes she said "I don't like this one. Where's all the riding?"

Anyway, even if you full length web edits/feature films are like that, I'll still enjoy watching them, and I will watch them, I'll just hold them with less esteem then I do something like earthed or tri-ride.

I agree with trib, but I also think those are two pretty sick vids. Come on guys, Hopkins was smoking and it was captured pretty darn well, and the first one had some sweet bellypopper shots...

My 2c (probably worth .0034c) - I like to see wild stuff, not a fan of close ups and constantly switching camera angles.

What usually gets me stoked is people riding trails I can usually ride too, just a ton slower - less stylishly. I really get nuts for race footage, seeing the pros floor it through sections, and choosing lines I would never even see, much less consider -- thats what brings it home for me. Earthed keeps getting repeats in my house; Kranked, NSX etc have long since been relegated to the.. I have no idea what I did with those actually. (No to between the tape for sure)

Some remote, exposed, uber big lines that only the best can ride from a helicopter shot IS interesting, but not for a whole movie. (Im not pointing that finger here, but at the recent super hyped mega MTB film)

Rider interviews can be an added feature on the DVD/BluRay - keep the history off the main reel!


see how worthless that was?


But overall, re the above clips? Niiiiiice.

You guys know what a 'reel' is right?

Not every edit that has a mountain bike is a documentary of what riding is supposed to look like to YOU.



edit: with regards to what sandwich just said:

DP: please let me come on shoots with you. I'll carry cranes, hang out of helicopters run shlt up and down mountains. Just please let me carry a pistol so that every time a relatively competent bike rider does that stupid canadian rear wheel flick thing I can shoot them in the face. Multiple times.

I like to see fast lines with the entire rider in the picture. It's ok to see a few close ups off the tire going through the mud, but that gets anoying really quick. Keep it simple. Not to much slow mo. We want to see the real speed of the riders bouncing down the hill. Combine it with good sound and you have a winner.

What I really don't like to see is a rider going down the trail, jumping an obstacle and then you see that jump from different views again and again. That pretty much ruins the flow of the whole videopart.
And MTB movies should show the fun and the flow of the sport.

Can you remember the videopart in NWD8 (?) with Barel on a Kona?
I didn't like the movie. But that part made me "Fvck that the guy is fast! I wanna go ride!"
That's how it should look like.

My opinion.

Peacock said:

Dude, you're preaching to the choir there. Barel in jeans in Argentina? They shot that whole section in real time except for a few high-speed ramps, and that was before that style was super played. Still one of my favourite shredding segments

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best ever

Looking good.

Personally I'm pretty tired of how the whole "lifestyle" thing gets way too drawn out. I don't want to see 10 minutes about eating breakfast and getting ready to ride before a minute of actual ride footage. Instead of filling time with that stuff, make a shorter movie or go out and get more riding footage.

I personally don't mind a few slow mo clips or even the occasional leaf/wet root/environment shot, as long as they are relatively brief and edited in a way that adds context or impact. And although I'm often looking for pro-level moves to inspire me to get out and ride harder, I don't mind watching guys ride relatively tame trails if the scenery is rad and they've got some style.

Basically I'd rather see slow time filled with something like an epic Alpine crossing instead of some douche doing donuts in the parking lot.

As most of posters in this thread I believe that too many MTB video makers are after the homosexual crowd.

Bring back Eearthed style. If you have to go artsy, do it right like the forementioned (and linked) Barel section.

If I wanted a ****ing soap opera I wouldn't be riding downhill mountainbikes.

Bring back the sickness!

Just noticed that the word cunt wasn't censored in my previous profanity laden posts. Odd, do americans not use the word?

Can't stress enough i think that you're a talented filmer Peacock, I just wish that there was more action and less filler in todays videos.

trib said:

Just noticed that the word cunt wasn't censored in my previous profanity laden posts. Odd, do americans not use the word?

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We use it all the time. It's just that here, cunt means a flavor of ice cream. It's like 'gimme a scoop of cunt with some pink sprinkles'. It's not a bad word at all. Next time you see an american family with kids, try it out. They'll be stoked.

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to kidwoo again."