On the trail with Mike Hopkins

Nov 23, 2009

Source: David Peacock

Bike movies have always been, to me at least, motivation to achieve something greater each time I grace (or in my case disgrace) the saddle of a bicycle. Films provided not only an outlet for my allowance growing up, but also a visual stimulus that incurred a strong desire to ride. The lines ridden in the aforementioned movies were always fascinating and kept me riveted to the screen, especially during the annual season of bike withdrawal known as winter.

2009 was no different in this regard: lines were being built, movies filmed, and premieres attended. Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of the film making process is the hours of labor preceding the poetic motion created by cinematographer and rider. Understandably, the riding community seems less enthralled by footage of digging and sweating than by powerful corners or awe awakening airs. But still, trails must be built in order to produce dynamic video segments. Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting a young filmmaker named Tam Forde. Tam is currently in the process of filming and producing his most aptly numbered project, Stripped 2. Over the course of a couple of days, the ever-efficient Tam compiled a snippet of footage in my hometown of Rossland, BC, of local pro Mike Hopkins (video below), and also put into place plans for producing a portion of his film in the area. I was lucky enough to be able to accompany Mike, on a few occasions, to the location of his newest line to be featured in the film.

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Mike has recently attained the unofficial title of “seasoned pro” following two rigorous seasons of shooting for Life Cycles, which will premier next spring. As a “seasoned pro”, Mike spends a lot of time trying to get his name out there in the biggest way possible. This consists of a significant amount of grunt work and digging in order to compile footage for movie segments. 20 seconds of film footage might translate into weeks worth of work, as scouting, getting land approval, planning and eventually digging can all prove to be arduous and frustratingly time consuming. The particular line being built for Forde’s cinematic purposes is a forested medley of riding challenges and obstacles, connected by a sensual strip of single-track. Kicking things off is a parlous rock drop with a rowdy, root infested landing, which is quickly succeeded by an intimidating high-speed stepdown. This leads to a snaking piece of trail through pristine green ground cover, and encased by a thick canopy of what appeared to be cedar and spruce, although my nonexistent background in dendrology may yet stand corrected. Following this miscellany of mandatory challenges is a stump jump leading to a set of naturally banked corners through a twisting ravine. The goal of this particular piece is to ride it as quickly and fluidly as humanly possible, whilst retaining an element of panache and style. Another day at the office awaits this mad hatter (what did you think MH stood for?).



The most rewarding thing about building lines is watching it all come together once the bike and camera begin to roll. Despite this, recognition of the feat and the filming is always massively delayed. The masses, along with myself, must wait until premiere time, or the DVD release date, to view the gold forged by rider and cinematographer. Perhaps this is what has kept films exciting for me over the years, the anticipation of what is to come. Hearing of certain events, visualizing how they will translate to film, and being consistently blown away. The duo of Forde and Hopkins will have their work debuted this winter, so keep an ear to the forest floor and eye on New Wave Cinema for the latest on Stripped 2.