Tell us a bit about yourself:I’m 27 years old, born in Vancouver. Currently living in Victoria with my girlfriend Berkley and our cat named Sumo. I’ve been shooting mountain biking professionally for three years. Besides video work; I love my coffee, shooting photos, and riding my BMX.
When did you get introduced to filmmaking?I was introduced to filmmaking through the skiing world. I started out shooting my friends skiing when I was a teenager on a Panasonic handy cam. I loved doing it, but when my family moved away from the small ski town of Kimberley, BC; leaving my friends and easy access to a ski hill, I lost interest in filmmaking. It wasn’t until my last year of college on Vancouver Island that I got back into shooting and editing. A lot of my friends rode bikes there and it was a fun way to hang and be creative with the boys. It gave me the same feeling of enjoyment I had when I was a kid shooting skiing. I grew up mountain biking so it was automatically something I felt comfortable shooting.
Were you self-taught or have you had any formal training?I’m self-taught; I almost went to film school out of high school but chose to get my degree in business instead. I figured I didn’t need a film teacher trying to tell me how to be creative. At that point I was having fun filming and doing my own thing creatively. Choosing to get my degree in business was a way better route for me.
Was there a specific moment where you knew filming was a job, and not a hobby?Yeah – when my only income was coming from videos. It’s pretty rad that I can make a living off of doing what I love. It’s been a grind to get to this point though.
Do you shoot photos often?I shoot photos purely for fun. It’s something I’m really passionate about when I focus on it. If I can sell a photo every now and then I’m stoked. But posting photos of my friends on Instagram, Pinkbike, etc. is more satisfying for me.
What inspires you as a filmmaker?I spend a lot of time watching films unrelated to the mountain biking world. Everything inspires me in some way or another: people, movies, nature, music, etc. It’s tough for me to explain, most times it feels like inspiration comes out of nowhere.
What is Revel in the Chaos? A short film I’m making with Brandon Semenuk. It’s been an awesome experience so far, this is the first project I’ve been part of that will be sold on iTunes. Being able to document what Brandon can do on a bike is inspiring to say the least. We’ve got a unique concept that we know is progressive and I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved so far. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’ll be released this summer. Follow @
revel_co on Instagram to stay updated on the progress of the film.
What kind of cameras do you use? What lenses? Is there any other gear that you use frequently?I’ve worked with a handful of different cameras over the last year. I recently got the Canon 1D-C, I love the simplicity of the DSLR format. It shoots an amazing video image and I can switch over to photo mode having all the features of the 1DX with the push of a button. It’s great. I keep my lens kit simple with the Canon 24mm f1.4 and the Canon 135mm f2. I use a Movi M5 and have a drone - I also steal some of my girlfriend’s gear from time to time.
You use very little slow mo in your videos, is this a conscious decision?Yeah it is, when I watch my favourite movies outside of mtb that inspire me, very rarely will there be slow motion. 24fps is my favourite frame rate and all of my favourite films have been shot in that format. That being said, when used properly amazing shots come from slow mo – it’s just personal preference.
What video are you most proud of? Why?The video I did with my good friend Scott (Wink) Grant. When I didn’t have anywhere else to go he let me sleep on his couch and we worked on that video for the better part of a year. Wink is one of my favourite riders, his style on a bike is timeless. Not only did I want to make the best video of him I could, I felt like I owed it to him because he helped me when I was in a tough spot. More importantly, I wanted to blend his riding and his personality into a video that did him justice.
What advice would you pass on to aspiring filmmakers?Shoot for fun and don’t stress about gear.
Pinkbike // Rupert Walker
@rupskywalker
Past BTL Interviews:
Rupert may seriously like his Wink edit best, rather than giving the nod to it simply because he really likes Wink for helping him out (which is probably the real reason) but there's no denying, those Semenuk edits can rule the day, every day. When you talk about timeless style, the guy doing shit like speed manuals out of a corner through a 6 set of whoops right into & over the front side of a double like it was as casual as his alley-oop whip or all the little scrubs & drifts & nollies he sprinkles his edits with is the guy that's got an eternal style if you ask me.
I think the biggest testament to Rupert's ability is the fact that he'll be such an integral part of the legend of Semenuk. He must be doin' something right. His vision on the Raw 100 video blew my mind in almost the same way Sem's riding did.
Now that's deep.
*cough fest series cruzFEST day 1 vid here:* www.vitalmtb.com/videos/features/Vital-RAW-CruzFest-Day-1,28711/sspomer,2
You'll thank me- Check out Lacondeguy- guy's in beast mode!! Pinkbike keep up with the latest from FEST series please- thank you.
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