Gary Buckham

Okay, now you know what I carry, at least if you’ve read Part One, now to take a wee look about how I go about filming the ride and editing the final video.

Let me start by saying that I do not plan out my rides or the video. I do not have a shooting schedule, detailed script or anything of that like. I might have the odd idea in my head for a camera angle, perhaps something I‘ve seen on the telly – a good source of ideas by the way – or a rough idea of scenes I might want to capture, but generally speaking I just make it up as I go along. I find it easier to just think on the spot about what I can do with what I have.

The order of the clips in my videos usually follows the same order as taken during the ride. Essentially I ride along, see an idea for a clip, film it and then move along to the next scene I come across. It’s as simple as that, I ride, I film, I ride some more, I film some more. The only change to this is I always try and record an opening scene and a closing scene, usually longer clips that will cover the opening and closing titles of the video. Surly Ogre 2 – An Evening Ride is a good example of this.

Now, it is important to keep in mind that each clip you record should be a good as you can make it. Don’t just point the camera and press the record button. Think before you click!

Recording good video clips is very much like taking a good photograph. All the same subjects apply: composition, lighting, and rule of thirds, depth of field and a whole host of other technical stuff I don’t often bother about. My advice is to use the web to learn about these aspects of photography. I’m not even sure where to begin explaining these topics. One the other hand, just ignore them and get on with it.

At the end of the day my media card will be crammed with around 100 clips taken during the ride. These will include shots of me riding merrily along as well as scenes captured along the way. All are downloaded onto the hard drive of the computer and, after checking I’ve copied all of them, the media card is then formatted and loaded back into the camera. I will also set about changing all the batteries ready for the next outing. I use a separate external hard drive to keep backup copies of all my footage.

To edit the raw footage into the final video for posting online, I use Pinnacle Studio 15. To begin, I start by opening a template project, a file that contains the standard title set I use in all my videos. Once opened I save a new project file with the title of the new video I’m creating. This is then used to create the video.

Creating the video is relatively straight forwards. You do this by inserting a clip into the time-line of the video. The time-line is a sort-of shelf where you arrange all the clips side by side, like books on a library shelf. The time-line also allows you to re-arrange the clips as required and also to delete or add them. The clips themselves are edited by cutting out the parts I don’t require. For example, a clip will often show my setting up the camera, riding the scene and walking back to collect the camera. I usually cut out the start and end sections.

Once I’ve been through all the clips – I usually add most of them, I look at the total length of the video and decide if it’s too long, too short is rarely an issue. I then add a music track to the clip, this time dragging and dropping onto the music time-line, which works the same way as the clip time-line mentioned above. Next, I edit the standard titles to match the video I’m making, adding the name, location, etc. Finally, I compile the entire project into a finished video. This is the first draft.

Once compiled I watch the entire video, noting any parts that need further editing, perhaps shortening a clip or two and removing any that seem un-necessary or of too poor quality. I also decide if the music track is suitable for the piece and may change it for another. Most of my music is sourced online from Jamendo; the tracks here permit use so long as the author is credited. Once I’m happy with everything, I compile the final version and upload onto Youtube.

All this can take between and hour and about 4 hours to do, depending on how many clips I have, the quality of the footage and sometimes, a point which is often very relevant, what mood I’m in. If you’re not in the mood, getting things to work just right can be almost impossible. Better to leave it for a day and try again later. Sometimes it’s better to scrap the work entirely and start again. Very occasionally, I find that a piece I’m working on just will be come together and is abandoned. It’s better to stop than to continue with something that just isn’t right.

The final items that I want to cover briefly are voice-overs and audio tracks.

Both the Panasonic and the GoPro record audio at the same time as the video track itself. The Panasonic records quite acceptable sound although wind noise can be a problem. The GoPro is, shall be say, lacking in quality, and I rarely make use of it. I generally leave in most of the original sound with the clips, only adjusting the level of both sound and music tracks for a good balance between the two. I like to leave in the original sounds as they can add to the mood of the final video.

As for voice-overs, I’ve only dabbled on a couple of occasions and find it quite difficult to produce good quality recording. It looks so easy when you see Nick Crane talking to camera on Coast but trying it yourself in another matter entirely. Technically, it’s not too difficult to do. Simply attach the lavaliere microphone to the camera, clip it to your fleece or t-shirt collar and start talking. Now, a good tip is to make sure the camera is actually recording and the microphone switched on before you start. Believe me when I say, it’s easy to forget!

Talking of the TV program Coast, this is the level I’m trying to aspire too, the standard I want to be able to produce my videos. When you break down how Coast is put together, at least in simple lay-man terms, there are about six different elements, namely,

1. Shots of the scenery
2. Shots showing action or movement
3. Background music
4. Background sounds
5. Presenter taking to camera
6. Studio voice-overs or narration

I think I’ve got a reasonable grasp of items 1 to 4 but still have some work to do on 5 and 6. If I can crack these two, it adds a whole new dimension to the videos. If you look at Coast again, you will see how narration and voice-overs allow changes in the type of background music that can be used. This is my long-term aim.

And there you have it, that’s how I go about making a Pugsley on Patrol video. So why not have a go yourself, its not rocket science, just requires a bit of thought and a lot of patience. Oh, and lots of practice as well.

Anyway, must dash, Cathryn say’s there’s someone on the phone for me, goes by the name Ridley Scott. I wonder what he wants.

Since July 2010 I’ve been trying to make interesting short videos about my cycle trips, trying to capture the overall feel of the journey, what I witness on route, the scenery, the mishaps and even the occasional munching of the traditional Kit-Kat. Now, almost three years later, with over 100 videos posted online, I thought it time to take a brief look about how I go about making these videos.

But first of all, I want to say that the aim of this page is to encourage others to do likewise, get hold of a camera, a bicycle and get out there and record some footage. Honestly, it is not all that difficult. You do not need expensive camcorders and equipment, anything that records video will do, what you do need above all else, is to simply think about what you are doing.

Now, let’s get started. The obvious thing to look at first is equipment and that is what we shall do beginning with the camera. A useful thing I found when starting out filming was to look at the equipment other film makers were using. This gave me a base line when starting myself.

On location I carry two cameras, my main camera being a Panasonic SD900 and the majority of the clips are recorded with this. For additional shots I use a GoPro Hero 2 which is useful for more unusual camera angles and being waterproof useful where water is involved. I’m not going to go into all the technical specification of each because there’s far too much of it and generally I don’t much pay attention to camera setting anyway, simple leaving the camera on auto mode and letting it do its stuff.

After the camera itself, the next two most important things to consider are batteries and media cards. On the Panasonic I use a large capacity battery which gives me about 3 hours recording time and to date I don’t recall that ever not being enough. Of course, I always carry a spare just in case I forget to charge the main battery, the battery fails or whatever. With the GoPro I carry two spare batteries in addition to the one in the camera as they tend to be rather battery hungry, especially when fitted with the LCD screen.

Each camera is fitted with a Class 10 32 GB SD media card which allows me more than enough storage capacity for a whole days filming. Generally, I’ll record between 5 and 10 GB of footage on the Panasonic and up to about 5 GB on the GoPro. Two spare cards are also carried as I’ve had cards fail in the past and not having a spare would really spoil the day.

Next item to look at, or rather items, are camera supports.

When you are both camera operator and the subject of the shot, some means of steadying the camera is essential and the most useful is a good quality tripod. A tripod should be heavy enough not to fall over in the wind yet light enough that it can be easily carried on a bicycle or in a rucksack. There’s a huge range to choose from but the important points for myself were weight and if it could be carried inside, or attached to, my rucksack, and also how it could be carried on the bike itself. The tripod I use is a Manfrotto Compact MKC3-P01.

However, having recommended a tripod that weighs a hefty 1000g I must admit that I’m getting tired of lugging it around and having to repeatedly remove and attach it to the bike rack or rucksack. Just this week I have starting to leave it behind in favour of a much smaller and lightweight mini tripod, the Ultrapod 2.

The Ultrapod 2 weighs in at a mere 120g and is fitted with a ball and socket head. It will easily support the Panasonic, or GoPro, and also comes with a thick Velcro strap allowing attachment to suitable objects such as branches or gates. The main drawback is that it only positions the camera 150 mm above the ground which is a bit restrictive compared to using the larger tripod. However, one just has to think more about where to place the camera, making use of whatever you have to hand to get the camera off the ground. The following video was made entirely using the Ultrapod 2.

I also carry additional supports for the GoPro, as well as a second Ultrapod 2 mini tripod so I can use both cameras at the same time, I have a GoPro handlebar mount, and what I call the GoPole, a home-made extendable pole mount. The handlebar mount allows me to attach the GoPro to a variety of positions on the bike and the GoPole is essentially a boom allowing me to hand-hold the camera about a meter away.

The GoPole was made from the leg of a cheap tripod with a GoPro mount bolted onto the end. In addition, I also carry the following: a GoPro tripod adaptor to allow the GoPro to attach to the Ultrapod 2, a GoPro Chest Mount rig that allows me to attach the camera to my chest and a lavaliere clip-on microphone together with spare batteries.

I also have another couple of gadgets that I put to use occasionally. The first is a home-made zip line rig. This is essentially a small carriage that hangs from a suspended line – usually between two trees – onto which the GoPro camera can be attached. The line is run at a fall, allowing gravity to carry the device along the line on small pulley wheels. This allows me to have the camera following behind, or running in front of me, while riding. Its range of uses is rather limited but fun none the less.

The other item is my Quadcopter. This is a four-engine remote control helicopter that can carry the GoPro camera and record footage from elevation beyond other means. I’ve not been very successful as yet having not solved the problem of camera vibration. Hopefully, I’ll solve the eventually. The Quadcopter also has built-in GPS, which means I can have the Quadcopter hovering unattended while I ride the bike. I’m hopeful that this will produce some interesting action footage.

Well, that’s enough for Part One. In Part Two, I’ll look at editing and some other tasks of film making. Bye for now!