Setting up a camping scene(Image credit: Alex Grant)
The sun comes up over the La Sals while the crew gets ready(Image credit: Alex Grant)
Matt Hardy mans the crane(Image credit: Alex Grant)
We had to load supplies in a jeep to get everything to one of our locations(Image credit: Alex Grant)
The Octocopter reminded me of a UFO and got some great aerial shots(Image credit: Alex Grant)
A cold winter sunrise in Moab(Image credit: Alex Grant)
As a young snowboard and skate rat in northern Vermont, I think it's pretty safe to say that I spent way too much time watching snowboard and skateboard videos. Starting in my early teen years my friends, sister, cousins and I used to wear out the old VHS tapes of the Totally Board movies, various skate videos, the Mack Dawg movies, and then all the others that began to pop up. We even tried to make some of our own, with a point and shoot VHS recorder. We knew a lot of work went in to making those movies, and clearly we didn't have the equipment or know how, but I don't think we realized how much work.
Over the years, real life responsibility has slowly crept in I have less and less time to watch all the action sports videos that are coming out, which is a shame because they have become so good! People and technology have been pushing things to another level, and this winter I experienced firsthand what it takes to make a top quality HD mountain bike video.
I was fortunate enough to be invited by Enve Composites to be part of their M Series rim launch video. I wasn't sure what to expect, but was really excited to be a part of the movie, as well as check out the new rims. Kevin Winzeler Photography was in charge of the project, with the help of Matt Irving and Matt Hardy.
When Jake Pantone at Enve told me to block out four days in Moab for the shoot, I was expecting a couple days shooting maybe an afternoon or morning to ride, but an overall chill schedule. I was wrong. A few people tipped me off when we arrived in Moab, have you worked with Kevin before? He will push you to your limit!
Turns out they were right, and we worked our butts off, but the footage we got made it more than worth it. I arrived in town around noon on a Wednesday in early February, the sun was out but it was a cool 40 degrees or so, and there was a lot of snow around. We found plenty of dry trails to film on though, and between Wednesday and Saturday we filmed a ton. We were out for four sunsets, a couple sunrises, and pretty much all the daylight in between. It was impressive to see how hard Kevin and his crew worked, and I was blown away by how hard it pushed me and how tired I was. I woke up in Moab on Sunday morning and even though I had the whole day free, I was too tired to ride and just hopped in the car and drove home. I felt like I had just raced a stage race.
I can't wait to see the behind the scenes footage. The equipment and expertise of the crew was pretty awesome. They had more cameras than I could count, a Movi camera stabilizer, a crane, an arsenal of lenses and tripods, plexi, blowers, chargers, Go Pros, and even rented an Octocopter for some aerials. While I may have frozen my butt off and wore myself out over the course of the week, it was an awesome experience and I am honored to have been a part of it. It was rad working with Kevin, Irving, and Hardy as well as Jake, Mike D and the whole Enve crew.
After seeing the video, I am super impressed, probably more so because I know how much work goes in to filming something like this, never mind the editing process. The video definitely lives up to the M Series rims; I have a bunch of miles and races on them, and have nothing but great things to say.
For those who haven’t seen the vid here's a link, and thanks for reading!
Alex Grant, 31, is one of America's top endurance mountain bike racers. Sponsored by Cannondale Factory Racing in 2012, Grant juggles racing as a pro with managing an outdoor gear consignment business called Gear Rush, which he co-owns with fellow Utah cyclist and racer Bart Gillepsie. This season, look out for Grant on the podiums at major endurance and stage races. For variety, you may also see him on on the start line of some super Ds, cross countries and short tracks.
In 2011, Grant finished third at the Leadville 100 and eighth at the US cross country national championships while also logging top 10s at the super D and marathon nationals. He finished fifth in the Downieville Classic All Mountain Overall and seventh at La Ruta de los Conquistadores. For the third year in a row, he won the Park City Point 2 Point.
In 2010, Grant made headlines with his second place finish at La Ruta de los Conquistadores, the Breck Epic and the Trans-Sylvania Epic.
When not on his mountain bike, Grant enjoys backcountry skiing, snowboarding and hiking.
Grant is from Richmond, Vermont, and he presently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Follow his 2012 season in this blog on Cyclingnews.
