Down The Hill

So I’ve decided to produce an MTB film this year: “Down The Hill”. This project is supposed to fullfill my both amateur needs for mountain biking and photography/video production. And since I haven’t been riding much lately, I’ll start by re-gaining my MTB skills… so, this should be fun :)

[d0wnthehill]

COVID-19

Well, it will defenitely be longer than expected before we can release the second production from Down The Hill. As the pandemic goes through it’s cycle, we remain safe inside our apartment in CDMX, it’s been a while since we could travel back to Cholula and will be a long time before we can.

So, everybody keep safe, and good luck!

#QuédateEnCasa - #StayHome

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RAW Helmet Shot on Weekend 4

RAW shot of the helmet, taken on Weekend 4. This is the first content recorded completely on the DLSR. It will take us at least 2 sessions as we are trying to take it all on sunset.

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DTH Mag Teaser

Next week we’ll be releasing the official Down The Hill Magazine through Instagram and our very own website. Here’s a little teaser: page 4 of the first issue: 2.02

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DTH Escorpión Trail: Weekend 3.

The first official release from Down The Hill.

A short testing edit from shots taken on the last section of a trail called “Escorpión” in Zapotecas USA Bikes Park in San Pedro Cholula, Puebla, México.

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The first official content from Down The Hill.

Yess! I am proud to announce the first official video for the Down The Hill project, altough still a test (just to practice camera shots and video edition with a very... very basic riding), but it still counts :)

The video is a short edit with shots taken on weekend 3, and are about 20% of the total shots only (read my previous post explaining this), on the last section of a trail called "Escorpión" in the Zapotecas USA Bike Park, in San Pedro Cholula, Puebla, México.

(video available on the next post)

[d0wnthehill]

Well... that was a disapointment.

Yeah, the Cable Cam Experiment results turned out to be a bit on the uninspiring side (actually that was the reason why it took me this long to post the results)... however, I did learn something.

Short story: animating the clip position and scale (zoom) to simulate de cable, messes up with the frame rate somehow (not sure if only in 4K but it does).

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Long story is that I basically droped 70% - 80% of the footage taken on weekend 3 (including the Cable Cam Experiment), I learned that it is complicated to mix footage taken with a DLSR camera with another taken with a GoPro... they do not get along, there's something about how the lenses capture light and stuff, and with the GoPro is no that "cinematic".

The idea behind the hack of simulating the cable cam did work on the DLSR footage though (I actually used this same "technique" to simulate some zoom effects on the shots)... However as I mentioned before, I would probably be using DLSR captured footage only, none from the GoPros, at least as long as I find a way to make them more "cinematic".

[d0wnthehill]

Simulating a cable cam

So there I was, thinking about all the cool shots in Anthill Films productions in Red Bull TV... and I just tought... how far I am from getting cool shots like those (starting by my very basic amateur riding compared with Brandon Semenuk’s haha)... But then, I started to think, could there be a way to simulate those cable cam shots without having that type of gear? or not gear at all?...

The thing is that, I do own a GoPro that records on 4K and, although I do not plan on producing a 4K video, that little detail could be of help in this situation. The cool thing about a cable cam shot (in my opinion) is that, it makes it look like if you were side by side watching the athlete ride, like, at the same speed, watching all the trees get left behind by the magnificent run... the key, is that the frame can move along with the rider because it is actually sliding side by side with him/her. Now... what if I frame the whole trail (or a big section of it), and record a run at 4K and, since the composition (during editing) won’t have a 4K resolution, I will be able to just show part of the 4K clip... let’s say, the part where the subject is... and, as the subject starts moving, I will be able to drag the clip making sure I always frame the subject along the run, that is, going side by side with him... much like a cable cam does.

So, this weekend (Weekend 3), we’ll put the idea to the test...

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Cellphone shots

Just a few shots taken with our cellphones in a short edit... you know, just for warming up ;)

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No filming gear

Yeah, last weekend we went ahead and rode without thinking about framing, lenses, aperture or any of that film making stuff... the idea was to just ride, have fun, and basically remember how this beautiful sport makes you feel.

That would help me re-gain my skill and be prepared for shooting when the time is right.

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Ok, here we go riding again...

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And so...

After some time saving and a birthday, I managed to complete a decent GoPro equipment for the project. I need to repair that lens though...

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First things first.

On march 2019 my only GoPro got smashed with a rock :( so, if I wanted to start my new mtb film project, this wouldn’t do...

[d0wnthehill]

Down The Hill

So, I’ve decided to produce an MTB film this year: “Down The Hill”. This project is supposed to fullfill my both amateur needs for mountain biking and photography/video production. And since I haven’t been riding much lately, I’ll start by re-gaining my MTB skills... so, this should be fun :)