Filming from a Bike

How To: Film Your Solo Cycling Expedition | Moving Image | Tom's Bike Trip:


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As I've already mentioned, at the end of this week I will be setting off on a traverse of the UK by bike. A lot of excitement has built up around the trip, and I'm keen to make sure that the memories of the event are properly recorded. 


And so it is that I've been reading up a little on filming from a bike. My trusty Canon Legria is now safely mounted to my handlebars via my new Joby GorillaPod Hybrid (meaning it can tilt its tripod head in any direction). From this favoured perch, my camera will hum along quietly to itself, recording everything it sees.


From the basic experience I've accumulated so far, I am conscious that some decent thought needs to go into the filming process - I don't want to risk boring any viewers into a stupor! Let's not fool ourselves, long roads and grey skies at 25km/h are probably not what kept Stephen Spielberg up at night as a child...


So, quite apart from the obligatory sweeping panoramas of Middle Earth Middle England, here's what I'm hoping to capture: 

1. Rolling vistas strung with quiet roads
2. High speed descents
3. Quaint villages and pubs
4. Wipe-outs and mechanical failures (with a bit of gratuitous aftermath, maybe)
5. Weather conditions (hopefully not all bad weather, either)
6. Interviews with the team
7. A sense of the hardships and thrills 

This may not be the only multi-day bike trip I embark upon, but it is the first and one I know I will (with a little help from the camera) remember forever.