The Creative Process Behind YT's 'Return Of The Goat' Video
2018 marked the launch of the new YT CAPRA. We’re well renowned for ‘out there’ marketing campaigns, and with the new GOAT on the horizon we felt it was time to release a video that didn’t necessarily fit the industry as we currently know it.
We like to raise the bar a bit – when developing our bikes as well as when it comes to presenting them to the world. When launching the latest CAPRA campaign, everybody knew that we had to go big. Whatever it was, it had to go off.
 | We try not to take ourselves too seriously, we live for the Good Times and create what we want to see ourselves. |
Challenge accepted, everything begun with ideas from our CEO Markus Flossmann, and Creative Director Andreas John. A spark of inspiration turned into a ten-minute short film, with an 80 man crew and Hollywood cast. Before we knew it our crazy ideas conceived in a meeting room in Forcheim became a reality. The idea, born in Forchheim, Germany in summer 2017. From there it was developed further together with the team from SHIFT in Bath, UK with pre-production planning taking place in London, UK. The crew came from all over the US, and so it’s fair to say that the final details and production delivery really was a tri-nation effort. The majority of the filming then took place in Lone Pine, USA in early January over the course of a week, before the rushes were sent back to London where the editing took place. Then before the final film was released it went back to the USA for sound design. There were also sections of the riding content filmed in Portugal and SoCal.
| YT both had a clear sense that to make the idea really come alive, it was going to require global film making talent, to ensure that it was genuinely filmic and true to the classic horror genre – this after all was never intended to be just another bike commercial. So, they contacted acclaimed commercials director Mark Jenkinson, from Rogue Films, who instantly fell in love with the script. |
Director Mark Jenkinson, the Goatman and Director Of Photography Khalid Mohtaseb
Return Of The Goat, which plays on the Capra’s name – meaning goat in Latin. The short film was shot across three days and nights on location in and around Lone Pine, California – a historic and well-used location for Hollywood films since 1919. A perfect setting to tell the story of a mysterious Goatman kidnapping mountain bikers with the aim of re-educating them around the shortcomings of their bike choice.
| When we launch a product we like to deviate from the usual stuff. We tried to tell the story about our product in a different way... and we really liked the idea of promoting a mountain bike with a ten-minute horror flick, we hope you did too! |
After a few stressful months of planning and creative development, the number of people involved in the production and post-production was around 80.
| The half man half goat symbolic spooked in our head for some time now. We like the metaphor of this goat/human entity who stands for probably our most successful product. |
The mask was made by an extremely talented lady in Germany, but there were some post-production effects added – such as the blinking eyes.
Take a look below at some of our favourite behind the scenes shots from this project:
| We don’t think this can be compared to anything the cycling industry has seen before, instead this is more akin to the production you may see in an automotive commercial or a feature film. That’s not to downplay the effort that goes into some really great bike production, it’s just that this was, well...different. |
With 2019 just a glimpse away, are you ready for what’s coming next?
| Of course we are working on different projects for 2019 – can't say anything too specific but its gonna be fun. |
Photos: James Cheadle
MENTIONS: @YTIndustries
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Only Death is Real, my friend.
No wonder the Gwinner is leaving the Goatman’s team
As for Xmas, sorry I don't care about any of that. And it shouldn't by any means dictate what's being published on a bike website, should it? If you're looking for christmas friendly material, I'm sure you'll find enough of that even if you don't look for it.
Haven't watched the actual video because I'm not into horror stuff. And maybe that's what some should learn too. If you know you're not going to like it, just don't watch. Easy.
Do we have to keep reminding you boys on the West Coast???
You get ridicoulus priced bike you whine....
You get reasonably priced carbon bikes you whine...
Wtf?
For me mountain biking was always the possibility to get into nature and to enjoy this (and of course also means of transportation). In the meantime, it seems to be more about dominating nature, although some of my brain switches off as soon as I go downhill, too, but all these monstrous downhill slopes are brutal expressions of male power fantasies.
I probably go too far here, sorry for my fundamental discussion, but I hardly see any more female mountain bikers...
Waiting for the down votes.
New Jeffsy in 3... 2...
“The question is, how much cheesier can it get? None. None more cheesy.”
Would have been better to spend the budget on Customer Service people/training IMO.
Love my 2015 Capra but kinda glad it’s out of warrenty now! Maybe it’s got better these days but was awful in 2015/16
For me a close second to the rocky 'usual suspects' ad from a few years ago.
Actually has me thinking about capra which I think is the point?
Then it says at the end - "Now Available" - yeah right for at least a few minutes until their 100 units are sold out on the interwebs.
Come get my Trek Goatie Boy
if you see S-size capra weight 13.6kg then add 1.2 (or 1.4)kg to weight for Large..
Having said that; as much as I love that movie, and as much as I admire Aron Gwin, I thought this YT promo video to be an appalling stupid piece of violence.
BTW, I never think about spooky tales or commercial videos that try to establish a cult around a bike when riding my Capra. But some bikes are dentist bikes, some are plain stupid (Canyon) and some are cool...I think my Capra is cool, but a Sentinel or a sb150 would be ok too.