Interview by John Wells
Photos by Peter Adam and John Wells
As we emerge from the yawning abyss of boredom that is the UK Winter, ‘Still United’ comes at the perfect time. This mammoth jigsaw puzzle of a video was put together by master lens-man, Peter Adam. He has done a magnificent job in making a video that will provide endless motivation and no doubt resonate for some time. We caught up with him to get an idea of what it was like to work on such an epic project.
Straight to DVD? This is a big deal in the BMX world! Give us a little run down on what has gone into making Still United.
“Yeah it is a big deal, it’s a huge commitment for everyone involved, we started filming in December 2013 and the last trip was December 2015. Give or take a few months when I was working on other projects, we went on a trip every month for the DVD – some trips were a week, some trips were two weeks, so there were a lot of miles logged. I couldn’t even guess how much footage we got, a lot! I had it backed up on three separate 5TB hard drives though, I was super paranoid. I labeled every clip as I went along so I didn’t have a panic attack when it came to editing, I got a really rough edit of the whole video done in October 2015, then really got stuck in late Dec/Jan/early Feb 2016, trying different songs and obsessing over every clip. I’ve read horror stories of people putting full length videos together with dead lines approaching and stressing and I can understand why, there’s a lot that goes into these videos, from rider input, graphics, running order, music, etc., etc. So I made sure I didn’t have anything else lined up when it came to editing and was able to take my time and make it just how we wanted.”
“I had the footage backed up on three separate 5TB hard drives, I was super paranoid.”
You benefit (and suffer) from a very active imagination and you’re the master at making videos stand out from the crowd. What have you done to make Still United different?
“Yes it is both a blessing and a curse, haha, thanks! It’s always a fine line with making a BMX video a little different, you don’t want to make it too wacky or cheesy but you want to do something different. With Still United, for the first year I just went on each trip, filmed like a maniac and from there we could work out who was getting a full section, start working on the feel, music, running order etc. I very much wanted to make a classic BMX video, not something that’s hot one year then not the next – I wanted to make something that will stand the test of time. I don’t want to give too much away but with the caliber of riders on the team I was able to have some fun with intros, although not everyone has an intro, I guess you could say I let the video grow naturally with a little bit of direction here and there to make sure it grew the right way.”
“I very much wanted to make a classic BMX video, not something that’s hot one year then not the next – I wanted to make something that will stand the test of time.”
What has been the most memorable moment of filming the video?
“It’s been a pretty intense couple of years, between the trips, we were planning the next trip and I was working on other projects as well, too much happened to pick just one moment. I’d have to say though when I got the first rough authored hard copy of the DVD through the post it was a really special moment, taking it out of the envelope and putting it in my DVD player. All the traveling/filming/editing/work from everyone involved was incredible and it’s worth every second.”
Any scary moments?
“For two solid years of filming and with what these guys did, the visits to the ER were thankfully few and far between. Corey breaking his collar bone and Nathan KO-ing himself were brutal and they both happened on the same day, just hours apart, final trip scud.”
How many times have you had your bike stolen through the making of the video?
“Twice, I’ve never had a bike stolen in my life before filming for this video though. The first time, I’ll take it on the chin and say it was my own fault, it was after the Monster street series Jam in New York, pedalling back to the hostel with a heavy crew (Tom White, Ty Morrow, Rat Kid, Hoder, Edwin, Bruno, Lacey etc.) and we stopped into a bar, we made a bike pile out the front, the drinks started flowing and when it came time to get our bikes, everyones was there, except mine! Second time was at a school in San Francisco, we unloaded the van, I was carrying Christian’s lights, leads, my camera bag, tripod, etc. to light up a rail at the school. I had my hands full so I couldn’t bring my bike, which I always do. After a good session at the school we got back to the van, windows smashed and my bike was gone. I had a twelve day holiday planned with my girlfriend in Cali after that trip and I was really looking forward to riding a bit. I’d like to thank Ralph at Animal bikes for helping me out the first time and Ian at United for sorting me out both times with a new bike.”
It is pretty stressful making a video, especially one following James Cox’s This Is United. Apart from the usual Tinder, weed and booze what was the biggest struggle?
“Yeah, Coxie’s shoes are pretty big to fill, I love his video work. I actually rang him as soon as I got ‘the job’ – we’ve been friends for years, he gave me a few pointers and we chatted about how much full length videos have changed since T.I.U. came out six years ago. Other than the struggles mentioned, we just took each day and trip as it came, there’s no short cuts with a project like this. You get the team together, hit the streets, deal with whatever gets thrown at you and hopefully everyone likes the end result.”
Are you happy with the final product and how it turned out?
“Yes I really am, I mean with a project this big there’s a lot to work out and a lot that can go wrong. With security and police literally running at us in some of the clips, somethings aren’t as perfectly filmed as I’d have liked but In the end I think it adds a lot of character to the video. You always want more footage but a time comes when you have to draw a line in the sand and say the video’s done!”
“I grew up in a small scene in a pretty rough city so if you were into BMX or skating you had to stick together.”
You’re a BMX and Skate video nerd, so what is your all time favourite film, Skate, BMX or otherwise, and why?
“Don’t get me talking about BMX or skate videos, I remember back in the day I’d be on trips watching and talking obsessively about skate videos and some people thought I was a weirdo but I always saw a huge connection with the tricks, filming and spots. I grew up in a small scene in a pretty rough city so if you were into BMX or skating you had to stick together, plus all the skaters round me are really cool people that I can relate to so I wanted to hang out with them, haha. Anyway I watched A LOT of skate and BMX videos (still do) and with Dig magazine being based here back in the day and before videos went online I got to see EVERY video that came out, from the big releases right down to really small batch VCR-VCR copied local vids. I couldn’t possibly pick a favourite, I’d have to make a list for every year from the early nineties right up until the present day, some for just one section, don’t get me started!”
Wow, you really pussied out of that question. How have BMX videos changed since you first start filming in the seventies?
“In the seventies warehouse maybe… What a question, there’s a lot more of them that’s for sure, I mean videos have changed a lot and in the same breath they haven’t, there’s old videos with Eddie Roman filming his friends goofing around, talking to camera and there’s videos today of Alex Donnachie or whoever filming their friends goofing around talking to camera, It’s just way more accessible now. Some are filmed with real care, consideration, passion and thought, others are bashed out for some sort of ‘online content.’
I like to think I embrace change and technology, I mean the cameras you can buy today are far superior (and cheaper) than previously and if it wasn’t for cheaper camera equipment, web videos, etc. I sure as hell wouldn’t be sat here answering these questions. But there is a part of me that harks back to the trv900 with a Century mini fish bundled up in a jumper, waiting for the next big video to drop, haha.
The sheer volume of video people capture and consume over recent years has changed so much and that’s changed the way both riders and filmers approach it, the only constant is change.”
What is your favourite video/edit you’ve made?
“Still United.”
Mine too. In the course of your career you have undoubtedly worked with many different riders. Is there a particular rider that you have not worked with yet but would like to? If so, who is it and why that person?
“Yeah, I’ve been lucky to film a lot of riders who I looked up to over the years, from the dreadlock era of Joe Rich, the streets of SF with a fresh faced Steven Hamilton to the new wave of street dogs and the whole United team these days. I want to film Dave Parrick’s comeback riding edit though, I know he’s still get them smiths and tucks.”
Tell us a joke…
“Q: How many bmxers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Twenty. One to change it and the other nineteen to go yeeeeeeaaaahhhh!!”
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