Behind the Scenes

Videographer: Luke Parmeter
Website: http://www.lpmultimedia.com

Equipment Used: Canon 60D, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 VC, Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, Sigma 10mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM Fisheye, Zacuto Z-Finder Pro, Canon XH-A1s, GoPro HD Hero, Glidetrack Slider 30", Aputure Shutter Release Timer
Additional Filmers: Tony Smith, Andy Kawa

The Dirt: I’d like to start off by thanking Wes Williams at Vurbmoto for everything! Last year we covered the event for the first time and it was absolutely incredible. This year, we knew what to expect, and we set our expectations higher than ever.

Millville threw us a couple curveballs before we even hit “record.” We arrived Friday afternoon with the intent of filming lifestyle and track footage. However, Mother Nature decided to drop about 4 inches of rain that day, and we could barely get to the pits! Luckily we prepared for the rain, and we busted out the knee-high rain boots and raincoats and set off!

We scoped out the big rigs and found the TwoTwo Motorsports crew working on Chad’s bike. We asked if we could film them and they said no problem. We set up the 30” Glidetrack Slider in every spot possible and pulled off some pretty cool shots. My favorite shot is the clip at 2:08. We set the slider on the toolbox, threw the fisheye on, and let ‘er slide. I’d like thank the TwoTwo crew again for letting us hang out while they dialed in Reed’s bike!

Canon 60D with a Tamron 17-55mm, resting on the 30" Glidetrack Slider

Next up, we hit up the Factory Suzuki tent, and set up some shots of the champ’s #1 bike. It sure was cool being up close to his bike! However, the lighting wasn’t too good under the Suzuki tent, so we had to do a lot of post processing to make it look normal.

While we were filming, Ryan Dungey himself came out, and we asked him for a quick interview. Ryan said yes so we quickly set up the wiresless mics and asked about his return back to Minnesota. You can check out the video on AlliSports.com. At that point, my weekend was complete, and I didn’t even hit the track yet!

Screen grab from the "Dungey Returns to Millville" video for AlliSports.com

At around 7:30 PM, the rain finally stopped and somehow the sun came out. Andy Kawa and myself both hit the track in search of an epic sunset. We ventured to the whoop section and found exactly what we were looking for. I threw the Canon 70-200 on and went to work. There was a giant rain puddle on the outside of the whoops and the sun was casting a nice orange glow over everything. I found a dry walkway over the puddle and set the slider down. I nailed a couple great shots from that perspective and moved on.

Low angle slider shot across the puddle

At that point the clouds looked incredible, and I decided to bust out the Aputure Shutter Release timer for a quick time-lapse, or so I thought. I planned on a 10-15 minute capture, but the sunset kept getting better and better. After about an hour I called it quits and headed back to the media tent.

Time-lapse photography using a shutter release timer

Day one was complete, and we were pretty stoked with the footage so far. We knew day two was going to be an entirely different ball game, but we were eager to take on the challenge. We arrived at Sping Creek MX Park the next day and the pits smelled like race gas and fresh rain, and I knew it was going to be a great day!

When you have more than one filmer, it's very important to map out where you'll be. You don't want to overlap! Here's a 100% accurate map we drew before the gate dropped.

I threw the 70-200 on and filmed some shots of Ryan Villopoto after he finished the first round of practice. He was talking to his mechanic about track conditions and I knew it’d make for some great B-roll. I wandered over to the Factory Honda pits and found Trey Canard washing the mud off his gear. I zoomed in closely and captured some unique shots.

Ryan Villopoto talks bike setup. Shot with Canon 60D using a Canon 70-200 f/2.8

Before the first moto got underway, I set up the slider in corner two looking back at corner one. I wanted to get a dolly shot of everyone blasting through the first corner. I used the 70-200 for this shot since it allowed me to zoom in on the action. As the riders came around the turn, I slowly pulled the slider left. Nailed it! Time to turn around and head to the whoop section. Last year I filmed an incredible shot of Dungey, Windham, and Grant coming back through the whoops, so this year I wanted to one up it with a dolly shot. On the second lap Reed led Dungey and Canard, and I went to my magical spot and went to work. The top three were so close and I knew it would look great on film. As Reed hit the big single, I slowly pulled the slider left and watched as all three riders came into the frame in harmonious fashion. At this point I was ready to start editing, but I still had a full day left of filming!

All set up for the first corner. Check out the shot at 37 seconds in.

As the second 450 moto got underway, I set up on top of the hill just outside corner one. I filmed the start and turned around and faced the big tabletop. Little did I know that I was about to film the defining moment of the 2011 motocross series. I still can’t believe I filmed Reed’s crash, but sometimes you get lucky like that.

Other Notes:
Everything in slow motion was filmed at 60 FPS while normal speed clips were 30 FPS. Our "go to" lens of the day was the Canon 70-200, but the trusty Tamron 17-50 was also used quite a bit. For the really creative shots, we busted out the Sigma 10mm fisheye.

Favorite Shots:
:38 Glidetrack Slider with 70-200
:49 Glidetrack Slider with 70-200
1:53 Handheld Sigma 10mm Fisheye
2:40 Handheld 70-200
3:28 Handheld 70-200