Alex Rankin: Filmmaker/Rider

No other videos has seen more play time in my VCR than Alex Rankin’s movies. Heck, Sprung video magazine (Movie by Alex Rankin and Milan Spasic) was the first MTB movie I’ve ever owned and was very influential in me transitioning from XC racing to DH/DS. In my opinion, Alex is the “Steven Spielberg” of MTB filmmakers – every single one of his movies are blockbusters! From his Sprung series to his latest Earthed movies, Alex always come up with some of the sickest racing footage ever to hit your television screen.sample of my Sprung Video Magazine collection
Nothing gets me more motivated than great racing footage; racers pinning it at mach speeds through some of the roughest natural terrain you’ve ever seen! World Cup racers are a different breed – they make it look so easy, yet so much preparation and effort goes into it! I believe many of those top world cuppers have an extra chromosome, which most of us mere mortals are missing - but don’t think they didn’t work hard to get to that point! If you want to stand tall on world cup podium, you pretty much need the skills and talent to nail that perfect run! This is where Fundamentals might help you understand what skills are required to be a top racer.


I recently got my copy of Fundamentals – a mountain bike technique video by Dirt Magazine and Alex R. Fundamentals covers the techniques required to hang with the pros. – from bike maintenance, to suspension setup all the way to riding tips from the pros. The hope of this video is to have you grasp the proper techniques and come out of it a better rider. Yeah some sections you will probably skip over – but unless you’re riding for a factory team, you’ll definitely get something out of Fundamentals. The video is meant to be used as a reference manual – simply watch the chapters that you think will make you a better rider.

Justin Havukainen showing you how to bunnyhop
Fundamentals is jam packed with a running time of almost to 3 hours. Not only are you being told what the proper techniques are, but you can also watch demonstrations. That is key for me – se I’ve never been good at learning out of text books. I’m more of a visual and auditive type of person – i.e. I tend to learn by either looking at pictures, watching people ride, watching videos or have better riders tell me how it’s done. But even in Fundamentals – the riders make it look so easy ;o) definitely a must have for your mountain bike video collection. I’m surprised it took this long for someone to come out with such a video. All things considered, I don’t think we could ask for a better group of people to do it than Dirt Mag and Alex!

Nathan Rennie
I have yet to see Earthed 2, but should be getting a preview copy soon courtesy of Alex Rankin himself! I cannot wait – it it’s anything like his last movie Earthed, it’s going to be a treat! As a bonus, Alex graciously took the time to answer a few questions I had about Fundamentals and movie making in general:


Steve Jones and Alex RankinImage by Mike Rose of Dirt Mag
Acadian: What is it about Mountain Biking, or bikes in general, that gets you excited? Why did you choose to do MTB movies?
Alex: I used to ride XC back at Uni but it was always more about the DH and jumping side. When DH and Dirt mag came on the scene, about the same time I left uni, the gap in the UK market was there to make a good mtb video and so Sprung video magazine was born. The thing that excites me in Mountain biking are DH racing at the top level, I also love BMX

Acadian: Do you ride yourself? How often?
Alex: I ride lots when not editing, mostly BMX these days, I live right next to a perfect ramp set up in Oxford, I also have loads of good trails close to me. I still ride XC with flat pedals and wide bars for that Moto feel, and I have a Monkey bike, which is for the royal race day and sessions in the woods.

Acadian: Many people accuse you using sped up footage in your movies. How would you respond to that?
Alex: Some people say I speed up footage, recently it’s been said about clips on the internet, these are clips with no film effects on what so ever, they are for real, I can’t see the point of speeding up a clip, that’s the whole reason of shooting fast riders to see how fast they go. On the DVD’s I use a film effect that will de-interlace the image, but this effect is on every clip, even the jumps and slow motions and why would I use an effect to speed a jump up. Some people dis me in the internet like they know for a fact that is speed up, they need to get informed, I’ve had people say a clip is defiantly sped up because of how the leaves are moving on the trees, what the F**k, how do they know how windy it was.

Acadian: How different was it to make an instructional movie, compared to your other master pieces (Sprung & Earthed)?
Alex: Not sure about master pieces, but Sprung was a joint effort between myself and Milan Spasic, who’s now a surf bum in so-cal, Sprung was about traveling and being different to the other videos out there and over time people noticed that, but it was just what we liked, different tunes and high production values. Earthed is for Dirt mag and is some real meat for the Dirt mag fans, long race sections with some of the most skillful riders pushing themselves, but again I try not to follow the sheep and try to do what the riders enjoy which for the top pros is not hucking or nibbly street, I don’t think real riders want that stuff, Real DH is Hardcore enough without some hucker chucking himself off a cliff with no style, I like to see riders that have good all-round skills, its like some guys that ride BMX at the local park, they are spending all day learning tail whips when that can’t even pump or air the ramp. But to answer your question fundamentals was different to make because I had to do interviews and the riders had to work much harder thinking of stuff to say, but it was cool to use some of my other TV production skills like sound skills and interviews.

Acadian: Was it your own personal decision to make Fundamentals?
Alex: The idea came about from Dirt’s editor Mike Rose thinking a “How To tune a DH bike” video would be useful for some racers, the thinking being that it’s easier to see how something is fixed rather than have to write about it. We expanded on the “How To” idea and decided a “How To Ride” video would be more interesting with the tech stuff as extra.

Acadian: What is the most challenging thing about making MTB movies?
Alex: Not knowing when to stop shooting and again in the edit, deadlines are important because you have to draw the line.

Acadian: How difficult is it to work with the riders as "actors" when filming? Especially for an instructional video? How do they deal with “repetitiveness” since I’m sure they have to do and say the same thing over and over until they (or you) get it right?
Alex: It was easy for some riders, Like EC can talk so well, “how to ride berms” in 3.5mins one take, I had to get him to do it 4 times just incase, other riders took some time, but it took that time to figure out the technique and we would work through it together, without a script because scripts are stiff.

Acadian: Favorite rider to work with?
Alex: At the moment Mick Hannah for his section in Earthed 2 but in fundamentals they are all good apart from Jones.

Acadian: Most difficult you’ve ever worked with?
Alex: Well Jones is pain in the ass.

Acadian: After watching Fundamentals – I strongly believe that Jones should pursue an acting career after biking.
Alex: Yeah and win Welsh freak of the year at the Oscars.

Acadian: I’m sure there is a plethora of footage that we never get to see. How do you decipher between good versus bad shots?
Alex: Some leftovers but less is more and all that.

Acadian: Have you ever lost film or filmed for a few hours just to realize the camera wasn’t loaded?
Alex: Always have tape, but sometimes backward record when I first got my small camera.

Acadian: How do you pick your shooting spots on a race course? Is that something you scope out the day before practice or race day? Guess location is what kills or make a great segment.
Alex: Experience helps a lot, sometimes the race run is slower than practice in certain spots, I film all through practice but for the finals I like to be near the finish, But if the finish is a rubbish part of the track I will move around, It depends on how practice went, I think no race is ever the same. Also If I see a skin suit in the finals, I might try an use a clip from practice to avoid the lycra, Earthed 2 has very little lycra on show, some people think it’s more professional and there are lots of reasons for running it, but I think it’s bent.

Acadian: Do you have someone else helping you with camera work or you do all the shooting yourself? Is that a challenge for you?
Alex: Earthed and fundamental was all my camera work, it’s become my favorite part of process.

Acadian: What is it like to live our of a gear bag throughout the entire race season? Must get old after a while no?
Alex: It used to motivate me to keep going in the Sprung days, always thinking of new places to travel to, Now its more work like and I miss my lady when I’m away from her, but driving to the Alps is always so much fun, going to Australia this winter is a good escape from UK winter blues, I think airports are the only dull part.

Acadian: You hit the hills for an afternoon of shooting. What’s in your gear bag?
Alex: Normal stuff camera, power, tapes, lens, I travel light as possible, for The Don and Cunny section on earthed 2, Jones and I towed the riders from spot to spot in Monmouth Wales with our monkey bikes, that would have been good on film.

Acadian: Fundamentals is your first movie of its kind. Now that it’s been out for a while - I’m sure you’ve already been getting tons of feedback and criticism. Has it been good?
Alex: We’ve had loads of great feedback, better than I imagined, some reviewers have thought you are meant to watch the tech stuff all the way through, but its more of reference the viewer can dip in and out in fact same with the whole video. Most riders will skip to stuff they want. I’m also pleased that Fundamentals crossed over in to the XC world, I think your average XC rider will get lots out of Fundamentals from proper bunny hop tech to switchbacks to fast over rough stuff, I’m always doing cuties cause they are so much fun constantly trying to do proper drifts on the XC bike.

Acadian: Looking back. Do you think it could have been better? Any thing you should have added/changed?
Alex: With the time I had I’m pretty pleased with it but yeah with every vid I see bad edits and things I missed out. If I get list of stuff for volume 2 that could happen.

Acadian: This year you’ve been quite busy. Producing both Fundamentals and Earthed 2 (coming out soon) in parallel – how challenging was that?
Alex: Earthed 2 could have been out last November had it not been for Fundamentals, but the Australia trip came up in December and that had to go in Earthed 2, but the two projects feed of each other, some clips I would have missed had I not been shooting bits for Fundamentals and it works both ways.

Acadian: If you were not a filmmaker, what would you be doing?
Alex: I don’t know, something good.

Acadian: How many more movies do you have in you? Any future plans you can share with us?
Alex: No big plans right now, I don’t even have a camera at the moment so that could be an issue for the sort term but I would like to work on some quality TV stuff, more stuff with interviews, another movie maybe we will see.

Acadian: Any ending words?
Alex: Thanks to Luc at Pinkbike for the chance to speak, thanks to 4130 publishing and Dirt mag for the support, thanks to all the riders that supported the videos I make, Chris Noble for making the graphics so damn good and the gorgeous Lucy for all the meals I get when editing.

Thanks Alex!!

Alex and CunnyImage by Mike Rose of Dirt Mag

Fundamentals is now available in our online store and we should also be receiving Earthed 2 as soon as it becomes available. Like I said – must haves for your mountain bike video collection.

For additional info about Fundamentals and Earthed 2, you can visit the home of Dirt Magazine at www.4130.com. While you are there, do yourself a favor and get subscribe to Dirt Magazine, the best MTB publication out there!