Rich Forne, the man behind the camera for such classics as Bruno Hoffman’s White City and the SOSH Urban Motion first place winning Alex Kennedy video (filmed entirely on a smartphone), is easily in the top ten greatest filmer-riders (or rider-filmers) (shouts to Mastroni and Rigal) and this edit is simply incredible.
Category Archives: Video
“The Michigan Video” Interview
Titling a video with such an all-encompassing name like “The Michigan Video” is a pretty daring move, and I was unsure of what to think. To me, the name suggests that it is the sole video to come out of The Mitten State and therefore had some pretty big shoes to fill.
Although the intro sequence initially caught me off guard (even going so far as to making sure I had started the video from the beginning) after watching it a second time, it made sense. Cory Wiergowski is not a new name on the scene by any means, but his opening part definitely cemented his name as one of the burlier riders of our day. His second-to-last clip was all at once completely unexpected, mind-blowing and definitely something that is NBD to my eyes. His last clip is just ridiculous. Connor Keating comes through with some of the crazier crank arm grinds to date (super smoothly too, I might add). Up-and-comer Mikey Tyra (whose section went online not long after the release of the video) made quite a name for himself, with his first line as one of the cleanest I’ve ever seen. Tyler Fernengel, another one who needs no introduction, completely destroyed every gap and rail in sight, and just as the smoke cleared and I thought the video was over, Nick Bullen came out of left field, screaming loudly “NOPE! THIS AIN’T OVER!”. There’s a good reason that he just got put on Subrosa pro and his ender section proves it.
When it was all said and done, I felt like the name was justified and after talking a bit with Cory and Alex Burnside (filmer/editor) about the creation, it was apparent that they really had no other choice.
Where in Michigan is everyone from?
Cory: Every person in the video that has a full part claims Detroit but a few guys are from neighboring cities like Dearborn, Taylor and the Bullen brothers are from Lapeer.
Did all you guys grow up riding together?
Cory: Nick and I grew up riding together because we’re from northern michigan. Than we both moved down to Detroit area and met everyone down there about 5 years ago. Everyone else grew up together though like all the young dudes Connor, Mikey, Tyler, burnside etc. Than when they started to all grow up we kind of all became homies just from all of us riding transitions skatepark together on a daily basis. It’s crazy to see all of them grown up and killing it. I swear, it feels like just the other day I was giving Tyler pointers on tail whips now he’s like the best rider ever.
Alex: I grew up riding and filming with Connor Keating, but didn’t meet anyone else in the crew until maybe 3 years ago when I made indoor park videos at TRP. That was my first work with Cory, Nick, Govan, dudes like that.
All photos courtesy of TMV
“The Michigan Video” is a pretty bold name- Did you include riders/crews from all around the state?
Cory: Every weekend I’d just send a mass text message to the normal crew asking if they wanted to go to X city for the weekend and tell them how much it’ll cost each. Whoever replied saying they were down would be at my house Friday morning and we’d go. Just stay in cheap hotels and film good times every weekend all over the state of michigan hence the name “the Michigan video”. It was supposed to be more focused on the spots around michigan and film the dudes from the area riding them. Southeast michigan is easily the epicenter of the bmx scene here. There’s still a little scene in Lansing including Luke Swab, Brian Block and a bunch of other little shredders coming up. The Grand Rapids crew kind of fell apart but the dudes I link up with there are Alex Burgnon and Jordan Youngs, those dudes are rad. The west side of michigan holds it down with dudes like Tyler Ellis, Pat Ellis, Chance Garrison, Alex Elko, Kyle Line and the rest of the holland crew. They’ll usually travel together, they’re the only other “true crew” in michigan right now other than our crew that has been kind of dubbed the ” tmv crew” as of late. There was a good scene in traverse city, MI with Steven Ramos, Domke, Marcus, Mikey and a bunch of others but it kind if fell apart after there indoor park closed. As for not including people in the video, Alex and I would film everyone and anyone willing to ride in front of our lens.
How long did you film for? Were there any major setbacks/injuries?
Cory: We ended up filming for about 7 months we set out to get it done in one year because we didn’t really want to just sit on footage for a whole winter in order to film for 2 years. We def sat down a few months and all talked about filming for 2 years but we didn’t all want to stay in michigan as much this year and we had enough footage at the end of the year to make it happen, everyone killed it. There were only a couple set backs during filming, Tyler broke his foot trying that half cab in his intro. Which put him out for about 3 months. That was the only real injury the whole year other than rolled ankles and Nick got knocked out trying this big kinked rail in suttens bay. The last month or so of filming we only had one camera because one of our dvx’s broke and we didn’t care to get it fixed but even that wasn’t really a set back. We got lucky, everything kind of fell into place.
Was every single clip filmed in Michigan?
Cory: Yes.
What was the inspiration for the intro?
Alex: The inspiration for the intro actually came from Cory. We were sitting in my room one night trying to find a good song for the intro and he must have had an epiphany because it’s one of my favorite parts of the whole video. I really wanted to break some stereotypes people had for the video and we felt like a raw intro would fit well with our theme and also break the mold for what a ‘normal’ intro usually is.
Is there any one outstanding story behind a certain clip?
Cory: So many stories that I don’t know where to start. When we went on a trip to the upper peninsula for a week, I had prior knowledge of this reservoir spot that my friend Scott Wanhala took Tony Neyer to last year to shoot that primo advert. So while we were in Marquette (about 9 hours from Detroit) Scott hit me with a google earth location, little did we know the spot was at a federal water reservoir about 45 min deep into the woods with a mile long hike after you’re there. I don’t know I’ve never been to a spot with an adventure like that. It’s so rewarding in the end. There were multiple 2 or 3 hour trips we took just to film one trick on a certain set up. We drove to suttens bay about 5 hours north of Detroit to check out this big kinked rail that Nick wanted to check out that ended up knocking him out, that was the scariest thing ever to witness your friend lifeless at the bottom of a rail without a hospital in site.
What gear did you use?
Alex: We were pretty strict on filming and which cameras were used, we wanted to keep a similar feel and style throughout the entire video. We relied on two DVX100B’s for the entire course of filming. We fell in love with them, they’re built like tanks and have an awesome fisheye option. We used an Opteka fisheye rather than a Century mkII because of the cost and ease of replacement for inevitable lens hits.
How long did the video take to edit?
Alex: Editing only took about 2 months miraculously. I started editing early November and finished on December 22nd. We had to get the master copy out to our chosen distributor by the 23rd in order to have our copies ready by the 11th of January for the video premiere at TRP. We got the copies the day before the premiere, it was way too stressful.
What’s the deal with Nick Bullen’s last clip? It’s definitely a novel idea.
Alex: It was super windy that day and we all knew it needed to get done then as bad weather and winter were closing in on us. Nick grinded the rail a few times to get loosened up, then tried to get mentally ready for the clip. He went down the rail a few times feeling out the first part, then finally stuck one right off the end of the rail, couldn’t have been more perfect. Everyone tripped out and he ran back up the stairs, got lined up for the banger and a huge gust of wind hit him about 15 feet before the ledge. He was so mad and everyone was bummed. We were going to just take the rail trick and call it, but I pushed the issue a little farther and convinced him that the double banger would be so worth it in the end, and that I’d make it worth his effort. Once he got back up and pulled the clip seamless, I knew who would get the ender section. Nick is the dude and put in so much work and he totally deserved it.
Are you guys planning on making another video?
Alex: As of right now, we have no plans for another project as big as The Michigan Video. It was a miracle things came together as well as they did this year and I know that won’t be able to happen in the near future. Too many dudes in the crew have plans to move or get jobs or do things outside bmx so it’s hard to commit to a big project. But we’ll be filming, that’s for certain. The world will just have to wait and see what we come up with.
How did the “Project After Hours” video come about?
Alex: The After Hours video was super fun to make. Basically, Cory does some work for Ron Thomas, who owns the shop we filmed in. Ron has been working on some really cool projects based around his Xtreme Builders business and his work with AGA Nation and Rise Above BMX. Hopefully you’ll be able to see more of his work soon, I can assure you it’s pretty cool. So Ron was down to support us with the space and time to film a video. Putting Ron’s support together with Cory’s welding ability, we were able to get the project done in a few short weeks.
The Michigan video is available here for just ten bucks and I highly suggest you buy it. It’s still early in the year but I guarantee this one will make lists for 2014.
Posted in BMX, Gear, Interview, Video
Tagged alex burnside, Connor Keating, Cory Wiergowski, Michigan, Mikey Tyra, Nick Bullen, The Michigan Video, Tyler Fernengel
Troy Charlesworth Interview
Troy talks with Focalpoint about the creation of his new DVD “That’s What’s Up” which I luckily saw over the weekend and FUCK it is great. Full review to come.
Posted in Gear, Interview, Tech, Video
Tagged Focalpoint, That's What's Up, Troy Charlesworth
Long Lens Shot Contest Winners
The first-ever Push It A Stop video contest was judged by Mike Mastroni, Charlie Crumlish, Ryan Navazio and myself.
Thanks to everyone who entered- all of your shots were damn good. In the end we chose the shots with the smoothest tracking and zoom, the more striking light, use of unconventional angles and all-around cleanliness. The gear used was not taken into consideration, nor was the trick being executed. Remember that cameras don’t film people, people film people. You can make a beautiful shot with cameras of any price range and a little bit of work.
Honorable mention #1: Anthony Loconte – A very smooth tracking glidecam shot with a gorgeous blue sky, a pleasing depth-of-field and bonus points for the use of a graduated ND filter.
Honorable mention #2: Eddie Olschansky – Even though there’s another filmer in the shot, that shadow cast on the wall is super powerful and the overall lighting is very dramatic. I guess I never said there was no slow-motion or editing allowed, so I’ll allow it. Bonus points for hand-zooming with the 24-70mm f/2.8L.
Honorable mention #3: Jacob Hope – I find it hard to believe but Jacob says this was filmed on his first day using the GL2. I’m usually not a fan of foreground objects but it works for this skatepark shot of Morgan Wade. Bonus points for Oasis playing in the background.
Third place: Dylan Thompson – Despite the not-quiet skateboard wheels, this shot uses zoom nicely- going from wide to open and give context, zooming slowly on the rising action and isolating the trick and the rider towards the end. The rolling dynamics are beautiful- the way the rider is moving opposite the camera in the beginning adds an illusion of high speed. Then as soon as the rider’s direction switches, the shot becomes super fluid with the action moving in sync with the camera, making the nose manual look so much more majestic. The lighting throughout the shot is also on point.
Second place: Justin Browne – Nazaz said it best- “I hate that trick but the way it was filmed made me like it.” Personally my favorite part of the clip is how the rider emerges from shadow into golden light as soon as he hops up those stairs, about to hit the rail. The color of the rails complement the warm ambiance as well. The angle is choice (except for how it understates the height of the rail- although it doesn’t look to be too tall in the first place). The zoom is super smooth throughout and the rider’s exit is very graceful while the camera slowly comes to a still shot of the warm ground.
First place: Jeremie Infelise – This was the only shot that was on everyone’s top three list. I am partial to any tailwhip shot from above because of the way the bike looks spinning around under the rider- almost a point-of-view angle. Jeremie chose the most difficult way to film this trick- by climbing a tree- and it definitely paid off. Much like in the second place clip, the vantage point might make the rail look a bit shorter, but let’s be real for a minute- Jared Swafford is like 7 foot-a-million so any rail is baby to him. The shot opens with just a still shot, tree limbs in view, with no rider in sight. You can’t even see the rail yet. Much drama. Then here comes Jared, with a smooth track, hopping onto the rail. As soon as he’s on the rail there are no longer any obstructing tree limbs in the shot- just rider and obstacle (the angle further isolates this relationship- there is nothing else in frame to be distracted by. He launches off the rail and kicks a near-flawless tailwhip (the dynamics of which I previously explained)- all the while the camera zooms ever-so-slightly, keeping rider almost perfectly framed in a clearing of branches. He lands, obviously not directly to pedals (we aren’t judging the trick, remember that) but here’s the kicker- you can’t see him fix his footing because of the branches in our line-of-sight. Either Jeremie ingeniously foresaw this situation or it happened serendipitously… It doesn’t matter. It worked perfectly. Jared rolls out of frame and the camera swiftly tilts and zooms to the ground, the sure sign of a successful clip.
Look out for the next contest in the coming weeks.
Posted in Art, BMX, Contest, Gear, Tech, Video
Tagged 7d, Anthony Loconte, Canon, contest, Dylan Thompson, Eddie Olschansky, Filming, Glidecam, Jacob Hope, Jake Bohrer, Jared Swafford, Jeremie Infelise, Justin Browne, Kordel Caro, Long Lens, Matt Lough, Mike Gray, Morgan Wade, Push It A Stop, Sony, Video, VX2100
“I’m Alright” Trailer
The guy who always manages to jump the furthest at every Bicycle Film Festival long jump comp (he may have even won the NY Grands as well- I don’t remember, but it’s likely), Jon Lynn, is bringing you a film (not his first, but his first BMX related) that I’m sure will be heartwarming and hilarious at the same time.
Focalpoint “Into The City” Mixtape #2
If you saw the first “Into The City” that Focalpoint put out then you know what you’re in for now. Big city vibes, well-filmed clips, grinds, lines and good times. Nighttime footage, gym shorts, street performers. Marnold, Daniel Johnson, Cooper Brownlee, Melbourne.
“Not Just For Calling” | The Hadrien Picard Interview
Photos by Hadrien Picard interview by Chris Mortenson
Hadrien Picard seems to be able to do it all. Transitioning between the role of photographer and videographer is no easy task, however he seems to do it effortlessly and beautifully. Recently he has been pushing the limits of filming by shooting all his films on Nokia Lumia phone. Filming things on a phone is not a new concept, but with camer/phone technology getting better and better they are starting to turn into a necessity for any filmer/photographers bag. I caught up with Hadrien to find out more about his filming process and what he thinks about this new territory camera phones.
Can you give us a small introduction about yourself?
I am Hadrien Picard. I’m 31 and live around Paris. I’ve been riding for 20 years but I’m still terrible on a bike. I’ve been shooting photos for 16 years & thank god I’m a little less terrible at that. I’ve started to film around 7-8 years ago. I never thought I’d say this but I have the chance to be a pro photographer and filmer.
How did you make the transition from photographer to videographer?
For me, video has always seemed like a close cousin of photography. It has always interested me.
I’m not sayin I did everything in photo, very far from that, every day I realize that, but it was less a challenge for me at that time. I had a DV camera for a couple of years but something changed when video mode start to be included in DSLR. I was totally amazed by the quality and; the feel of the images from the 1st DSLRs that could film like the D90 & 5DMKII. So I bought a 7d and started to play with it. I did a couple of vids here and there, then I won the Nike StandBy Barcelona which helped me to look like a « legit » filmer haha.
I still and; will always shoot photos. It’s honestly cool to do both, it’s hard but it’s really rewarding for yourself to think you have done both. Video is a lot more work than photo, so I’m really happy when I can shoot photos ONLY.
What’s your current filming set up like?
I still have my lovely JVC HM100 but the majority of clips I film are with a Nikon D800 and; a Sony FS700 that maybe, besides my flat, is the most expensive thing I have ever bought. I’m pretty happy with it!
How did you start filming with the Nokia camera/phone?
They contacted me because they were looking for someone who was good in photo and; video in our sports.
Nokia used to be involved in BMX years ago so they knew BMX, skate and; snowboard are really photogenic/videogenic. They wanted people to shoot with their Lumias to show their cameras capabilities. I think they also like the spirit of BMX, skate and; snowboard. We met in the end of 2012 and; we talked about what we can do and Nokia Pureviews, and a creative community based around shooting with their Lumia lines, was born.
What are some of the challenges with filming on a phone? and did you have any hesitation putting down a video camera for a camera phone?
Those things are really light, which is good for your back, but I also thought that it can be a problem for stability. You have to pay attention to even small shakings but it’s actually less than I thought. There is an optical stabilisator inside that does great job.
Obviously a smartphone is and; will never be a DSLR : the sensor is small (even if the 1020 has a pretty big one) and; you can’t change lens. Some actually can but what’s the use having a smartphone that is big like DSLR at the end?
For sure it’s not a FS700 but overall I think the images look pretty damn good. Some riders were a little stressed to send it in front of a smartphone but when they saw the images they were confident about the result.
Your films are all very well done. How much does editing and post come into play? and could you give a little insight into your editing process?
Thanks!
I think editing is at least as important as filming. Photography is very exigent at the moment : a photo is good or bad. Period. But you can actually make a good video from not so good clips. The real difficulty of filming compared to shooting photos is that, even if it’s at the minimal scale, it’s not a movie, you have to think a little to what kind of shots you need if you want to make an intro, show something particular etc…
A photo could be great by its own but a video is an addition of a lot of clips so you have to think a little before & after about how organising it!
Music is also a third of the clip. It’s super important. It’s funny how I’m not a specialist in music but I really like to follow the most I can so the clip at the end is a perfect mix between sound and image.
I didn’t do any film/photo class so my editing process may not be the best! I don’t rename anything, I drag and drop all the clips I have in the time line and; from there cut and; select them and then bit by bit make the edit.
With camera and phone technology getting better every year, how do you think this is going to change the way we make films?
It has already changed a lot of things! Thanks to DSLR we can achieve a look that was impossible before. Things will become more and more close to perfection and; cheaper and; cheaper. But at the end, even with a Red Epic, if you suck you suck. It will never change that.
Smartphone speaking, they have 3 huge strenghs that may cause some big trouble to camera manufacturers: The image they make is getting better and; better and; can be usable for a lot of projects. Another strengh of the smartphone is that you carry it EVERYWHERE. It does so many thing it’s obvisouly already in your pocket, so you can shoot very fast whatever happen in front of you. « The best camera is the on you have » Remember. And finally phones are connected. Really important for geeks like us haha. But it’s true that more and more cameras can be connected. I bought a small panasonic that’s so smart it can send the photos to a phone via a wifi networks it creates. Crazy!
Do you have any other big projects coming out this year?
I have some really, really good stuff coming this year with Nokia…
Do you have any advice for future filmers out there?
Go out and shoot! Don’t wait, don’t be shy. If you want to learn, it’s 1000 times easier now that before thanks to digital and internet. Look around you to understand how things works but always remember not to copy/paste what is fashion today. Create your own style.
Posted in BMX, Interview, Uncategorized, Video
Tagged BMX, Hadrien Picard, Nokia Lumia, soul bmx, videography
Long Lens Shot Video Contest
If you’re like me, you got your first video camera but had no fisheye lens for a while. Not that fun, right? Then you finally got the fisheye and you might as well had glued it on, because from there on out, every shot was filmed fish. It’s just easier that way. It made stuff look big, it made slow seem fast. Plus it never took a steady hand- just hit record and aim.
But, there is essentially only one way to use a fisheye- getting in the action. Filming long, you have so much more freedom of angles, vantage points, dramatic zoom, dynamic elements, foreground framing… The list goes on.
For this contest, we’re ditching the fisheye. A long lens shot can be so much more powerful than a fisheye shot if done properly. What really inspired this whole contest was this shot of Trey Jones by Ryan Navazio @ 2:14 (check it out to see what it takes to win this contest.)
Why that shot would win:
- The pan into Trey using his shadow is so dynamic. It leads your eye seamlessly into the actual rider. It also shows character in the spot.
- The timing at which Trey enters the frame (exactly at flat bottom, about to hit the bank).
- The slow and steady zoom in, while panning and tilting.
- No portion of the rider is cut out of frame during the trick.
- It’s crisp, in focus and has good colors.
Let’s see your greatest long lens shots. The winning filmer will receive a Push It A Stop prize package and the rider will get gear from TCU/OSS.
Guidelines:
HD or SD – Any video camera can be used (although traditional video cameras have an advantage over DSLR’s- mostly the ability to zoom smoothly).
Clip can have been filmed whenever (doesn’t have to be new).
You can enter three clips (put them all in one file or upload separately- without music).
Handheld / tripod / zoom / rolling shots are all good (although there will be tripod shot and rolling long shot contests in the future).
Include an appropriate amount of heads and tails (time before the trick and after the trick).
The difficulty of the riding will NOT be judged, only the filming.
How to enter:
Join the Vimeo group and upload your clips, titled “Long Lens Shots” into the “Long Lens Shot Contest” album.
For help with exporting/compression (for SD) go here.
Deadline is March 10th. Any questions or comments can be heard here.
Savakas France Video
A lot of things in life are meant not to be understood but simply enjoyed. The best example I can think of right now is this video for Savakas by Adam Blyth. Beyond the obvious language barrier, I can’t wrap my mind around some of these spots they’re riding and how effortless it looks to them… But c’est la vie, no? Ridiculous street transition spots á la mode.
“The Chase”
I just did this as a volunteer for the SNOB Film Festival. They wanted some kind of action sequence to put in their Kickstarter fundraiser. I was heading to LA anyways so I hit up Jush [Allen] since I knew he was doing some acting out there and we busted the filming out in a few hours.
Gear: Canon 5DIII
Canon 60D
Canon 17-40mm f/4L
Canon 70-200mm f/4L
Sigma 50mm f/1.4
Glidecam
Tripod Slider
Zoom H1 mic
Big reflector
It was basically a backpack movie… everything could fit attached to my bag.
Push It A Stop 