Shadows in the Understory - Ft. Dillon Butcher
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- Опубликовано: 1 июл 2024
- One of the greatest challenges in cinematography is avoiding the repetition of the same ideas. It’s easy to fall into the habit of regurgitating what works to create a video, out of necessity to complete a project quickly. When Dillon and I first conceived the concept of “Shadows in the Understory,” it was daunting. We knew we had no time limit with a concept fueled by passion, but how do we seamlessly transition between seasons mid-ride in almost every shot? I wanted to do this in a way that was both challenging, feasible and difficult to reproduce. Naturally, the answer was to film almost the entire video using a Cable Cam, ensuring smooth transitions between seasons. Tripod and handheld filming would have been too simple and lacked the dynamic movement we envisioned.
Initially, I had serious doubts about whether this idea would work. I wondered how it would be possible to have the camera in the exact same spot, moving at the same speed, while Dillon's riding remained consistent and repeatable in each season. I knew achieving this was going to be extremely difficult and time consuming. We both had a hefty job to do. The transition ideas and calculations needed to be correct in the spring, given any variation in the cable lines would result in not being able to line shots up come fall time. There were countless factors to consider. So, we devised a plan, thinking through each shot thoroughly, and set out with a tape measure and all the necessary gear.
We both knew that the only place where this could be accomplished was at our local jump spot, Spooks. The layout at Spooks is compact, allowing for similar riding speeds in each season. Most importantly, we believed we could "probably" pull this off even in the snow. Dillon is a true master of this spot, he’s poetry in motion, and watching him ride there is art. If any rider at any location could achieve this, it’s Dillon at Spooks.
The logistics of this project was nothing short of a headache. We essentially had to film the entire video over 20 times, considering the number of takes it would require to line up transition seamlessly. Fast forward to today: after 20 days of filming and being blessed with 2 days of snow all winter, we managed to create something we are both thrilled to share with the world.
I can't thank Dillon enough for his determination and perseverance. He is truly a filmmaker's dream and, more importantly, one of my favorite people to spend time with. While I'd like to say this video is about our creative idea, it is really about Dillon's ability to be consistently stylish and fluid every single day he gets on the bike. AND, how beautiful the world is we live in.
This is the most challenging video concept we’ve ever undertaken. We poured our heart and soul into this project, and we hope you enjoy the result as much as we enjoyed creating it.
Special thanks to Race Face for supporting this video, every human who has ever put a shovel to dirt out there, & Cole Nichol for his snow plowing arms!
Rider: Dillon Butcher
Filming and editing: Calvin Huth
Music: Ezra Bell - a serenade to Kathy
Sundae Music Publishing
I would have got back to the woods and been like, "shit was it this tree or that one we tied the cable too?!"😝 - I'm guessing you had to match the tension on the line each time too. The more you think about this the more you realise what would have gone into it. Bloody awesome.
Amazing work on this one boys! Masterpiece!
You know, guys, just when I think you couldn't possibly be any sicker you go and do something like this... and totally outdo yourself!
Absolute masterclass in filming and riding.
This is a fuckin masterpiece! Never saw anything like this before, really really impressive
3 minutes of video editing is a painful process when You're try to synchronized 1 second clip with the music beat, but in the end you're creating masterpiece 🎉. Nice video🤘
Wow Calvin and Dillon! Safe to say it’s everywhere after that last clip! 😩
I don’t know how you managed to capture this but the idea and the end result is sick, well done 🤯🤯
Perfect! As always... 💪
I knew you were one of my favorite filmmakers. But this video is just incredible! We're beyond inspired now. Thanks for your work, I hope to see some behind the scene soon!
Unbelievable. This is not only the best bike edit I've ever seen, but the best EDIT I've ever seen. Period.
This is the progression and pushing boundaries of filming and riding we didn't know we needed. Next level.
Calvin, you're a huge inspiration. This is the finest piece of bike cinema ever created. Thankyou!
Wow! This is UNREAL guys!! Best biking video I’ve watched in a long time!👏🏼
Unreal video. Taking me back to Life Cycles but turning it up by matching so much more of the riding. The music was the perfect match too. You've definitely got a MTB Video of the Year nominee if not the winner, in my eyes.
Wow wtf 🙌
Amazing! The attention to detail with the different colour bikes is super cool
10/10 to both parties on this masterpiece
That last sequence is outrageous on all parts 😮💨😮💨😮💨
Not only is this ridiculously perfectly prepared, ridden, filmed and edited it's damn beautiful.