One of the earliest sayings I adopted was to “never work with children.” In this video, Ron Taylor of Shred Yard absolutely demolishes that advice to create a high-energy, professional-quality mountain biking video in collaboration with his son.
The finished video showcases his son as he travels off the beaten path, surveys the land before him, and then absolutely demolishes the trail on his little mountain bike.
In the behind-the-scenes video, of course, shows that this isn’t quite the case and that to create even a short two-minute video takes practice and dedication to the craft. Ron utilizes a slew of gear, including running shots on a Ronin, panning shots on a slider, still images that utilize zooming and focus, as well as a drone. Beyond just the gear, Ron also offers storytelling elements such as the actual drive out to the road as well as images of the subject’s face to showcase emotion; these ground the final video with a human element, which makes the video relatable. Without these shots, it would just be a video of a person on the bike; with them, it becomes a story and a journey through the subject’s eyes.
I have often stressed how important it is to find a style or a niche that is uniquely yours. For Ron, this means combining his love of the outdoors and mountain biking with his creative side to create high-energy videos with his son. Of course, he can leverage the creative venture to garner commercial clients, but this type of work with family is also more than that. The experience and the memories he’s created will live on through the video as a cherished personal memento. In the comments, I’d love to hear experiences of times you have worked to create your own moments with your family.
