What do you want in a mountain bike film
- Thread starter Patrick L
- Start date
I think larock has it dialed with his videos!
... a moratorium on the use of any and all songs by the band "Rise Against".
x2...... a moratorium on the use of any and all songs by the band "Rise Against".
Booyah.
As least slow motion as possible!
Real speed riding has much more wow factor to it. Too much slow motion is just corny and pretentious. Some is ok if done right but not too much please.
I'm writing this after watching Life Cycles where a lot of things about it pissed me off, like too much droning narration trying to explain to the viewer all this hippy sh!t soul searching about what a bike is etc. Yeah we know that thanks. Riding please.
Another thing that annoyed me about it was it was all too set up, too artificial and staged, like they took hundreds of takes of it to get it just right. Sure it made for a nice arty farty film but i'd like to see more capture of one off moments as they happen, that were not so set up. Alex Rankin has/had a good talent for this.
On the other hand I did like a lot of stuff about it, like some of the time lapse sequences. I also like the close ups of bikes and bits, tech stuff, that kind of thing, but that's me.
On another hand still, I like the shots where the riding is followed fairly closely by a zip wire or crosser mounted steady cam, but then a lot of that is staged, so bit of a difficult one that..
Some on-board head/chest/bike mounted cams are also cool in the right amounts. Maybe some aerial/heli shots....
So, more amazing riding/racing as it happens.
I do like some day-in-the-life style documentary type things, following a rider on their day to day life, but riding bikes!
So really I'd just like to see decent riding, speed, nice cinematography that doesn't look too staged. No hippy sh!t narration, some nice scenery, nice riding, bikes, good riding. Oh and some fast riding. Did I say riding? Yep lots of riding please.
Now, music. This is important. A good mix of styles, that go well with what's happening on screen. Definitely no cheesy Guns and Roses Paradise City sh!te! Play me music I haven't heard before seeing the film, stuff that makes me want to go out and buy the artists album. I know it's difficult to cater for everyones tastes, so mix it up. Just make it original and stylish so it leaves an impression. Not music that you hear on daytime radio!!!
Don't make it too short. Mountain biking films are fairly pricey, I want my moneys worth. Lots of extras too please (more riding, out takes etc. are better than how we made it or why we called this section this blah blah blah bollocks, I'm sure film makers have hours and hours of proper footage that didn't make the final cut, put it in the extras).
Last but not least: Include some god damn humour! ...and maybe some hot chicks here and there.
Alex Rankin, where are you now? You are sorely missed!
Thankyou please.
Real speed riding has much more wow factor to it. Too much slow motion is just corny and pretentious. Some is ok if done right but not too much please.
I'm writing this after watching Life Cycles where a lot of things about it pissed me off, like too much droning narration trying to explain to the viewer all this hippy sh!t soul searching about what a bike is etc. Yeah we know that thanks. Riding please.
Another thing that annoyed me about it was it was all too set up, too artificial and staged, like they took hundreds of takes of it to get it just right. Sure it made for a nice arty farty film but i'd like to see more capture of one off moments as they happen, that were not so set up. Alex Rankin has/had a good talent for this.
On the other hand I did like a lot of stuff about it, like some of the time lapse sequences. I also like the close ups of bikes and bits, tech stuff, that kind of thing, but that's me.
On another hand still, I like the shots where the riding is followed fairly closely by a zip wire or crosser mounted steady cam, but then a lot of that is staged, so bit of a difficult one that..
Some on-board head/chest/bike mounted cams are also cool in the right amounts. Maybe some aerial/heli shots....
So, more amazing riding/racing as it happens.
I do like some day-in-the-life style documentary type things, following a rider on their day to day life, but riding bikes!
So really I'd just like to see decent riding, speed, nice cinematography that doesn't look too staged. No hippy sh!t narration, some nice scenery, nice riding, bikes, good riding. Oh and some fast riding. Did I say riding? Yep lots of riding please.
Now, music. This is important. A good mix of styles, that go well with what's happening on screen. Definitely no cheesy Guns and Roses Paradise City sh!te! Play me music I haven't heard before seeing the film, stuff that makes me want to go out and buy the artists album. I know it's difficult to cater for everyones tastes, so mix it up. Just make it original and stylish so it leaves an impression. Not music that you hear on daytime radio!!!
Don't make it too short. Mountain biking films are fairly pricey, I want my moneys worth. Lots of extras too please (more riding, out takes etc. are better than how we made it or why we called this section this blah blah blah bollocks, I'm sure film makers have hours and hours of proper footage that didn't make the final cut, put it in the extras).
Last but not least: Include some god damn humour! ...and maybe some hot chicks here and there.
Alex Rankin, where are you now? You are sorely missed!
Thankyou please.
Agree with much of what's been said. I love segments that give you a sense of speed. Steve Smith's part from "Seasons" was awesome in that regard along with the Mount 7 part.
Anything with Brendan Fairclough.
Certainly no terrible narration: "imagine the task of performing differential calculus while riding a unicycle backwards and...". Dude, it's just riding a bike. And DH mountain biking is the only sport where the course/conditions change? Really?
Segments with no music are awesome. The last NWD film (I think) had the stuff with Voreis (I think) that was a little overdone, but still a nice change.
Anything with Brendan Fairclough.
Certainly no terrible narration: "imagine the task of performing differential calculus while riding a unicycle backwards and...". Dude, it's just riding a bike. And DH mountain biking is the only sport where the course/conditions change? Really?
Segments with no music are awesome. The last NWD film (I think) had the stuff with Voreis (I think) that was a little overdone, but still a nice change.
...can we please leave out the soul jam, white guy reggae music too?
I ****ing hate that ****.
And for the love of god, please, please, please no more rise against.
I ****ing hate that ****.
And for the love of god, please, please, please no more rise against.
Social Distortion for the win.... a moratorium on the use of any and all songs by the band "Rise Against".
So what you are saying is that you don't want Canadians making MTB films.
Excessive slo mo makes me want to poke my eyes out with soldering irons! it just strikes me as a cheap way of making the video longer, at the consumers expense of course.
Music is a very subjective thing, i actually like the music in the earthed videos alot, yet it seems to get universally panned on forums etc. A bit more variety would be nice, i see videographers hearing bands on others videos then using the same band or even the same song themselves. And yes the white guy reggae needs to stop! i'm putting Swollen Members in that category too.
Id like to see more about the riders lives off the bike (although not if this is going to include embarrassing attempts at wacky humour, as so often is the case) What do they do to relax? Ask good questions that every other interviewer hasn't already asked
Music is a very subjective thing, i actually like the music in the earthed videos alot, yet it seems to get universally panned on forums etc. A bit more variety would be nice, i see videographers hearing bands on others videos then using the same band or even the same song themselves. And yes the white guy reggae needs to stop! i'm putting Swollen Members in that category too.
Id like to see more about the riders lives off the bike (although not if this is going to include embarrassing attempts at wacky humour, as so often is the case) What do they do to relax? Ask good questions that every other interviewer hasn't already asked
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*Lighter click, burning sounds followed by bubbling, exhale and coughing. You'd be surprised.
Anyhow, I'm right up there with everyone else on the Earthed series. I personally, really like the music, and the footage and editing was top notch. But on the other hand, I also like films like Seasons, Roam, Collective, LifeCycles, what FollowMe could have been, and editing and filming from Clay Porters later films. I don't think I'll miss the NWD series, although some select rider parts I do really like watching from time to time.
I like that the Tri-Ride dudes use a bit of different music, I was super psyched to hear We Were Promised Jetpacks on one of their WC shorts.
I want Warren Miller to make a mtb film.
i dont know. i like absinth films work, and to what others have said i loved Thats It Thats All, and Warren Miller, but if an outsider (from mtn bike) made a film i would want Joe Simon from Mutiny BMX. he seems to focus on the riding in general and not the rider as much, its more about the trip to ride with everyone and not focusing on the individual rider.
personally (like most of you) i would like to see films focus more on the riding. But i still need a story line to a film, and while i would agree much less DJ i still feel it has its place in films. Also i would like to see a mtn bike film made in the inspiration of TGR's Deeper; i would love to see more of the behind the scenes stuff, the search, struggle, and exploration for new lines and features to ride.
+1
i think i have yet to hear slayer in an mtb movie
This thread is painful for me to read.
I say this because like everything else, opinions are like #*^)&$#@. Everyone likes different music, editing, style, ect. Personally, I like just about every film out there cause I can usually tell what the producers were thinking when they did it. I can also find fault with all of them too.
I'm pretty sure the "feature length" bike movie will taper off. Short clips on the web are taking over, and it's costly to do an entire production.
Finally, love it or hate it, Life Cycles is a monumental achievement. There won't be another film like it for a long time, and if there is people will just make comparisons to it...
I say this because like everything else, opinions are like #*^)&$#@. Everyone likes different music, editing, style, ect. Personally, I like just about every film out there cause I can usually tell what the producers were thinking when they did it. I can also find fault with all of them too.
I'm pretty sure the "feature length" bike movie will taper off. Short clips on the web are taking over, and it's costly to do an entire production.
Finally, love it or hate it, Life Cycles is a monumental achievement. There won't be another film like it for a long time, and if there is people will just make comparisons to it...
Agreed. Imagine a Rankin section with Brendan
Warren Miller movies are nicely edited and the music is great but he too uses way too much slo mo. And when he's done mtn biking it was mostly slo mo dirt jumping.
I also feel that Warren Miller movies lack any soul.
this. ohmyfvckinggodicantdealwiththemanymoretheyreeverywhereandimgoingtoshootmyselfintheheadjusttomakethevoicesstop... a moratorium on the use of any and all songs by the band "Rise Against".
but also, after reading this thread a bit, I went back and watched a few movies last night. the Peat/Hill seggy in Seasons really got my heart pumping. The bit of story, the filming, the speed of the riders, the super-slowmo done right did it for me. Another standout scene for me was the Smith/Gee scene in Follow-Me. If it had a little less backstory, it would have been perfect.
One comment on the use of slow-mo. I'd rather see the riders approach to a jump in slowmo, and then the landing in slowmo, rather than the air in slowmo. It's already pretty smooth up there, I want to see the tires deform, the suspension compress, the rider muscling and controlling the bike in slowmo, that's the awesome part of what they are doin... that's where the talent comes in and watching a pro carry speed into a tricky jump and control the bike on a sketchy landing blows me away... the same holds true for cornering.
anyways, as was mentionned before, opinions are like @ssholes, everyone's got one, and what gets me amped to ride is different than the dude standing beside me at the premiere of the next mtb movie. Choice and variety are good. Just no more rise against. please god no more.