This is Australia: The MTB Film
We’re always keen to check out a new flic here at Soul-Riders, so today we kept it local and had a bit of a chat to Sam Davies from SLD Productions to ask a few questions about his new upcoming Film “This is Australia” which will be premiered in August at the Canberra World Cup Round.
SR: Well Sam, tell us a bit about yourself.
SD: I live in Canberra, the capital of Australia. By far the biggest thing in my life is film making, followed by a pretty pathetic attempt at having a social life, and then study. It’s a pretty good existence.
SR: You have a new Film on its way, what can we expect in it? What’s it about?
SD: Yeah, I do. What I’m trying to do is show people the behind the scenes stuff that happens during the off-season, for both the top riders and the up-and-comers. The film has riding sections that show the pretty insane talent and ability of the riders, and of course some of Aus’s best (and in some cases secret) trails, mixed with footage that you wouldn’t usually get to see from, like I said, behind the scenes. The interviews are also very candid, I was lucky in that all the guys really let their guard down and told me the whole story.
SR: The trailer is very impressive, how much work have you already put into the film?
SD: Thanks mate, glad you like it. I started working on the idea more than a year ago, thinking about the overall theme/concept, and then slowly making a plan and getting a more detailed idea of what the film would be. I’ve spent probably 3 or 4 months filming, and I will have spent a good 4-5 months editing before I’m done with that. The trailer took about 3 weeks to edit, on and off.
SR: Who does all the filming, editing all the way through to getting it out on the shelves?
SD: In the end it’s all down to me. I filmed it, I’m producing it and I’m editing it. I have had an extra camera at a few shoots, I have a music supervisor, a motion-graphics person, a post-production supervisor and a lot of people who have helped out at individual shoots (for example, at the night time shoot with Rando and Amiel I think there were at least 15 different people who helped over the couple of nights we took to film it). So it’s my overall vision, but there are definitely lots of people helping me make it happen.
SR: It looks as though you have done quite a bit of traveling all over the country to film Australia’s riders on various locations, was it like a holiday for you or did you treat it as a job?
SD: haha yeah, Australia is a very big country, and I’ve been all over it! I do try and enjoy the places I go to, and it’s easy to do that when you’re staying in the living room of the riders’, but as soon as the camera comes out it’s time to work.
SR: You started off making short videos for people to download a few years ago and the riding community took it really well, so do you think this has helped you get to where you are today with all the support and positive feedback?
SD: I got into all of this by complete luck. I was going to the National Champs in Thredbo a few years ago, and for some reason I wasn't able to ride (I think I broke my bike or something). We’d already booked accommodation and stuff though so I went and I waved around my cheap video camera (I remember Rando once said he thought he’d be able to eat that camera it was so small) and made a little video out of it. People really liked it, in fact it was put on the front page of Farkin , which totally blew me away, and so I decided I’d make more. I wouldn’t be making films at all if people didn’t give me so much positive feedback and encouragement right at the start.
SR: Who influenced you to start making these videos which has led to making films?
SD: Well like I said I totally fell into it, no one said ‘Hey Sam, you should try making movies’ or anything, it just sort of happened!
SR: You’ve already made a film before called Compression, this was obviously a big learning curve for you being your first released DVD film, was there anything you learnt from it which has contributed to a different direction or style for TIA?
SD: Yeah, Compression was a huge learning curve. Before then the longest film I’d done was 15 minutes, and Compression was roughly 90 minutes, and making a 90 minute video is very different to making a 15 minute vid! It was definitely a great experience, but I’ve certainly learnt a lot since then and I’d like to think that Compression isn’t even comparable to TIA.
SR: How much support have you received to get you to where you are today? Who are they?
SD: More than I could ever pay back, that’s for sure. The list is longer than anyone would bother to read, but the biggest helpers have been of course my immediate family (Mum in particular!), my mentor Alister Robbie, the entire MTB community that has been so supportive and helpful, all of my friends, both from MTBing or otherwise, and people like yourself for doing your best to help improve and grow the sport!
SR: What are your plans for the future? Goals?
SD: Big picture wise I’d like to be making narrative feature films – I’m talking about the type of films that you’ll go to the cinema to see, the ones shown and sold all over the world. Shorter term though, obviously get this film done and done well, and then I have lots of smaller goals to work towards in order to get to that big picture.
SR: So do you get out on the bike much yourself? Where do you ride?
SD: I’ve got a Suzuki GSXR 600 motorbike, I actually crashed it recently (I’m okay), I’ve been riding that a lot recently, but of course I do love MTBing! My favorite trails at the moment are Sparrow Hill and Mt. Stromlo (both for XC). I haven’t ridden DH in a while, but Majura or the old Batemans Bay DH track are my fave’s for playing around on a big rig.
SR: Do you have any hobbies outside riding & filming?
SD: Not really - although, I do like filming things other than riding, does that count?
SR: Let's talk GEAR! What's your equipment arsenal? [Camera, software, helmet cam's etc.]
SD: Well, I have two helicopters (a small one and a big one), four 35mm film cameras, several dolly setups, a 44 foot boom, 3…
Seriously though – on the shooting side of things I have a Panasonic HVX-200 camera, along with a heap of other junk that plugs into it. Helmet camera, a really flash tripod, steadicam, lots of batteries, lenses and lens adapters, microphones (lapel and directional/shotgun), kilometres of cables, rain covers, bags and I’m sure I’ve forgotten about a few things. I also try and rent any extra gear that adds to particular shots, such as booms etc. On the post-production side of things, Apple all the way: Final Cut Studio 2, mainly working in Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro and Compressor, is my software bundle. I also have Adobe CS3 for when I need it. Hardware wise it’s as you’d expect, lots of grunt and lots of storage.
SR: What's your current workflow for creating a MTB flick?
SD: Haha – a very broad question! I’ll try and simplify it as best I can.
Idea – develop idea – plan shooting schedule – shoot film – catalogue footage – prep for editing – edit film – mix audio – colour correct – compress – author DVD – smile.
It’s very important to do a lot of thinking before you get to filming, because if you don’t have the footage you need to do what you want you won’t be smiling at the end. Mixed in there is all sorts of other stuff too though, for example getting the appropriate licenses for music (all music in TIA is 100% licensed), marketing the film, organizing distribution, designing all of the print stuff (posters/DVD cover etc.), getting the film classified, making the website for the film and lots of unexpected hold ups and problems that you will not have planned for. It’s a pretty long hard road, but you get to smile at the end of it. :)
SR: What sort of technical headaches did you have while making the film and how did you overcome them?
SD: To be honest, everything has gone incredibly smoothly. I did a lot of research on my technical workflow, compatibility etc. before I bought anything or started filming, and I did lots of testing before I got to doing the work that counts – so I was as best prepared as possible. The only real dramas I’ve had have been with the odd corrupted file or at one point a blackout that had me worried, but touch wood everything has worked they way it’s supposed to. Planning and preparation, along with backing everything up, is the key!
SR: Where is your favorite place to film?
SD: In terms of the physical scenery, some of the jungle-like areas up in Cairns were amazing, although I hated the heat and humidity, so a catch-22 there. I really liked Perth – Mitch and Joel were great to work with and the guys from Launch Helmet Cams were immeasurably useful. The best shoot was at Stromlo though, for sure. Having like 15 people out there, along with a mind boggling amount of gear was incredible. Smoke machines, 2000 watt studio lights, a generator that was a trailer in itself, insane amounts of cables, stands, 3000 watt strobe lights, colour gels, an orange gun for entertainment between shots – that shoot had it all!
SR: What was your favorite thing about filming TIA?
SD: There is no favorite part really – I enjoyed everything. I am incredibly lucky to have been able to travel all across Australia doing what I love. I got to meet some amazing people, riders and otherwise, and got a great insight into what it’s like for these guys in the positions they’re in – I hope that I can successfully convey all of that in the film.
SR: Who was the most enjoyable to film?
SD: I know people will probably cringe when I say this, but I learnt a lot filming with Sam. Anyone who has spent a bit of time with him will know what I mean, he’s different to anyone I’ve met before, and he deals with the fame and notoriety of his position in a totally different way to all of the other riders, so it was definitely a lot of fun trying to capture that. A big challenge too, but I guess that’s what made it fun.
SR: Do we really have to wait until September for the launch at the World Cup in Canberra? admin note: Andrew knocked his head a while back in a MTB race and has yet to recover fully, basically, he's still a moron.
SD: No, you don’t! The launch (along with the World Cup Round) is on the last weekend of August! Haha!
Movie Trailer
