Secondly, I wouldn’t hold your breath for an end result…….

Firstly, I’d really like to make a nice riding video showcasing (yeah, right!) some local trails and riding, to mostly include stunning SDW scenery and some flowy singletrack.
I’d like it to include cable cam shots, and some static stuff. Finally, it would have an awesome soundtrack.

In reality, for a 5 – 8 minute video, how long do you think it would take from start to finish?? I reckon you’d be looking at 30 minutes of filming for each minute or two?? Plus editing time etc….

For those who’ve made a film, how long were you on it for?

I can’t help feeling it’s one of those things that will take AGES longer that predicted.

Of course, you have to actually START planning/filming, which given my life at the moment, isn’t going to happen…. (but it’s nice to dream!)

DrP

Depends what you want to achieve.

5min of chest cam footage takes 5min

But having a guy filming each straight and corner from off the bike could take you all day to do the same track. But the video would be infinately better than 95% of what ends up on youtube.

Having said that the most efficient film I’ve seen was done by 3 guys with 3 cameras, alternating chest, seatpost (faceing back) and downtube (faceing forewards looking through the fork) with a handfull of off the bike shots for variety. Meant they pretty much didn’t have to stop riding to film. Just alternate their order so everyone spent equal time being filmed from behind/in front.

From watching the BBC filming programs on location about 2 hours per minute of finished program seems normal! And that’s hours, not man hours (so x 5 people minimum), and not incuding planning, visits in advance, editing and everything else!

Including time to design/build/install a remotely controlled cable cam? Sounds like you need a willing volunteer with to shoot while you ride. Has miniP got a steady hand?

I made a quick and dirty top-to-bottom of a local trail to showcase the work that volunteers have done on it:

[video]http://vimeo.com/22070375[/video]

It took two afternoons of filming for a four-minute video, although that was just me on my own setting up shots, riding back and then getting the shot. With a helper/videographer it’d be quicker. I didn’t really have time to be a perfectionist but it was good enough for STW to put it on Midweek Movies (or maybe it was a really slow week).

I think where it starts to eat time is if the weather doesn’t play ball (inconceivable, eh?) or if you try techniques that don’t work and have to reshoot.

My top tip would be “don’t shoot the boring bits”, about 99% of home-made MTB videos could stand a bit of editing.

I’d probably steer clear of cable cams for your first one, although this looks bloody neat and is making me want to go and ride…

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USzGzer7_34&feature=plcp[/video]