When I first saw the trailer for Stoked On Being Pumped I knew I had to get my hands on this video. It was and is in my opinion the best BMX trailer for a video that I have ever seen. We I receive my copy of the full DVD I was not disappointed the riding is top notch and the camera work and editing are in this video are amazing. Which is not
surprising as Joe Simon apart from being a great rider he is also an award-winning videographer and editor. This is not your typical Action Sport video with “MTV” style edits and effects this is an amazing flowing video with seamless edits and buttery smooth camera movies. The whole video was shot and HD and you will notice a difference even on the Standard Definition DVD disk for if you really want to see the video in all it’s glory you can purchase it in Blue-Ray DVD! 
I had a little question answer session with Joe to get some more insight on the video.

Joe Simon doesn’t just make great videos, he rides in them too!

Brian: A quick Who, What, and Where

Joe: Joe Simon, I’m a partner in Mutiny Bikes and I also have a video production company. I live in Austin, Texas.

 Brian: A brief description and overview of the video
Joe: SOBP was filmed between three road trips with the team as well as some filming in Austin TX. It’s noBrt a team video but more of a multi road trip video. It has full sections from Ryan Smith, Neil Harrington, Cole Todorovich, Mat Roe and Justin Simpson as well as some mixed sections.

Brian: There seems to be quite a few shots from some Ontario Canada locations like Toronto and Hamilton when was that shoot and how was the experience up here in the great white north?

Joe: We made the trip up to Ontario in August 07. It was awesome up there. We stayed with Ryder distro. which was amazing. There are tons of good spots in the area and the weather was perfect!

Ryan Smith killing it in a Hamilton Ontario Spot

Ryan Smith using his tech street skills in a downtown Toronto location

Brian: What other locations was the video shot in?

We also shot in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Austin and the South Texas area.

Brian: Your main gig is shooting Wedding videos right?
Joe: Shooting weddings is part of my job. It’s a 50/50 mix between Mutiny bikes and the production company. We also shoot short/feature films, corporate videos and commercials.

Brian: Do you think shooting Weddings and other things not related to Bmx has helped with the way you shoot and edit?

Joe: Yes, I do think that shooting other subjects has helped. It opens your eyes to different shooting/editing styles. It also helps so you don’t get burned out on shooting the same thing.

Brian: I found the editing and shooting super clean in the video, was there any different techniques you learned from doing other videos that you have started to incorporate into the Bmx videos? Steady Cams? Jibs? Green Screen?
Joe: I started using steady cams, jibs, and green screens for some shorts and wedding work I was doing and I really liked the feel it gave. So with SOBP I decided to use that equipment and try to film a BMX video differently. With the editing I tried to keep it simple and clean. I wanted everything to flow really well and I think it worked out great!

Brian: What parts or sections of the video really stand out for you? Which parts are you the happiest with?

Joe: I really enjoy watching the video from beginning to end (after I took a few months break from staring at the computer). My favorite riding sections are – Mat Roe, Justin Simpson and the last mix section. But I’m really into the Slow-mo montage in the middle, I’m just loving that song.

Brian: Any crazy, weird, funny or interesting stories from the making of the video?
Joe: Road trips always come with crazy stories. We stayed in a motel 6 in Corpus Christy and some girls there were prostitutes. They kept trying to hook it up for $20 and sell us crack at the same time. At one point in the night they just kept calling our room and trying to come hang out it was crazy. Then just two doors down from us some 60 year old guy was jerking off right in front of the widow of his hotel room with the blinds open it was weird!

Morgan Wade may not have a full section in the video but he does still have some great shots

Brian: Morgan Wade doesn’t really have a full section in the video but the video still is not lacking in the least because of it and the other riders are amazing but I am sure some people are going to wonder why he did have a full section. Do you want to comment on that?

Joe: Morgan was super busy all year hitting the contest scene. We only had a chance to film with him for one day. My schedule is normally super busy so we just had a hard time connecting on dates. I’m bummed we didn’t have a chance to have more of Morgan, but we have something planned for 2008!

Brain: This video is also available on HD Blue-Ray DVD and I believe it is the first Bmx video to every be released in HD is that correct?

Joe: Yes, SOBP was the first BMX HD release. I figured that if we are filming in HD we might as well release it on Blu-ray. Since I do a lot of other HD work I already had all the equipment so it made things pretty easy.
Brian: Talk a little about that process you use for HD, what camera where you shooting with, what software and hardware are you using to working with the HD footage.

Joe: Most of the video was shot with the Panasonic HVX-200, but we also used the Canon XH-A1 for some of the static shots.
The video was edited using Final Cut Pro and After Effects. When working with HD I needed a computer that would be able to work in real time and not kill me with rendering times. So I used my Mac Quad 2.5 gig G5, it worked great and didn’t crash too much haha.

Brian: Thanks a ton for this Joe, now for the most important part. Where can people get a copy of the DVD?
Joe: The DVD/Blu-ray is available at most shops that carry videos or you can mail order a copy from Empire www.empirebmx.com or Dans www.danscompcom

Brian: Any last words and thanks?

Joe: Thanks to everyone for supporting us here at Mutiny Bikes. I would also like to thank the team for all their hard work and friendship! Making this video was such a blast!