Locations: CB: Currently living and going to school in Boston, MA
CZ: I’m originally from a small town on Long Island in NY but I moved up to Boston at the beginning of 2007 to go to school, now I live there until summer and go back and forth.
Years Riding: CB: Even as a little kid I rode BMX, but I didn’t start going to skateparks till I was about 13-14. So around 8 years
CZ: Around 5
Years filming and editing: CB: About 6 years. My mom bought me 200 dollar Sony handy cam when I was 17 and I never stopped.
CZ: 4 or 5
You are the guys behind the new AOTC video. How did the idea of the video come about and how long did it take from start to finish? CB: It started as a joke haha, Chris came to visit me on Cape Cod and he loved the word “chowder”. He wouldn’t stop saying it. I just finished my first video “Fathom” (which is in the bonus of AOTC) and had mentioned I wanted to do another one and have Chris as a partner. He agreed and made up the name on the spot. It just kind of stuck from there. Now it’s more than a video, it’s a whole group of good friends.
CZ: Well CB and I have been friends for a while and he made another web video a couple years ago called Fathom. It was an online mixtape that I put a bunch of clips into and we talked about a lot. I have always wanted to make a full video just to have said I did it, so we talked about it and figured that we could pull it off. At first it was going to be me filming in Boston and him filming in Cape Cod, starting in September 2007, but I broke my heel in October and the other kid I was working with in Boston got hurt too, and then CB got super busy with stuff and we never really got it started. Then this year with CB living in Boston we wanted to get it done. We started in September and filmed until late November then the horrible winter set in, we couldn’t really ride until February, then we got shit done in a hurry… So the footage spans a 7 month riding period.
Did you guys equally film and edit or was it one filmed more and the other did more of the editing? CB: We both filmed pretty equally. As for editing, I did the parts of Zack Cooke and Bret Silva’s, myself and Chris Saunders , Jake Frost and Lil’ Dave, Adam Spitalny, Craig Passero and the Credits. Chris edited the intro, E-whips and the Bresnahan twins, Rookie bmx section, his own part and the friends section.
CZ: Surprisingly the filming and editing was split pretty evenly. We always film together so that was easy, and the editing we split right down the middle, the video has 11 sections if you include the intro and credits, I edited 5 and CB edited 6.
What kinds of cameras, lenses, glidecams, and editing equiptment did you guys use for this video? CB: I have a Sony VX2000 with century optics fisheye and a Bescor light. I edit on a PC with Sony Vegas.
CZ: I have a Panasonic DVX100b, and a 16x9 inc compact fisheye. I also use a homemade 35mm adapter and edit on a MacBook Pro with Final Cut.
What were some of the problems you guys ran into throughout the whole video? Was there anything that really changed up the plan? CB: Weather was the worst problem. That and people having injuries.
CZ: Well you could say we had a years worth of problems, but it worked out for the better, me getting hurt and all the stuff that happened last year made the video turn out way better. Being perfectly honest,the riding this year is on a whole other level from where it was last year, and any locals can see that.
Is there anything you wish you would have done differently or wish you could have done? CB:I really wish Rory Ellis could have had a full part. Also, I wished we got some clips using Chris’s homemade dolly
CZ: We made a ton of web edits and stuff with footage that we thought we would replace that we should have held on to. Zack Cooke and I made a little split web edit in the begining of the year that we should have saved because he was short on footage going into the deadline. Just little things like that and maybe another trip.
Do either of you have any crazy stories from run ins with cops,security, or just people getting a little too worked up about you guys being around? CB: Lots of people got mad and we had to seriously evade security a couple of times, but we usually ended up getting the clip or going back and getting it done.
CZ: Just recently, on the second to last day of filming before the deadline I was trying a line in these basketball courts and this crazy old lady came out screaming at me just as I pulled it. I put my bike down to pack up my camera bag and she was flipping out about my pegs hitting the cement, telling me that they were tearing up the court. There were some kids playing with their parents watching and she ran over to the parents telling them that they should have called the cops if we were bothering the kid and the parents told them that the kids were having fun watching, the old bird didn’t know what to say. She is totally nuts.
The rider list is pretty long for this video, how did you come about for picking who had parts and who would be in the mix sections? CB: Well I rode with Chris and Craig everyday, so they automatically got a part. People knew Zack was crazy from past web edits and he’s my good friend so he had a part. As far as other friends in the video, if you could get enough clips you could have a part (ex. Adam Spitalny).If you couldn’t get enough clips on your own but we still wanted you to be a part of the video, we made it a split part (ex. me and Saunders, Jake and Dave etc.) basically if you rode with us, no matter what, we wanted you to be part of the DVD.
CZ: We had an idea of who was going to have sections in the beginning, it was going to be Myself, Craig Passero, Zack Cooke, and Jake Frost/Abdul Fofanah split part. Due to some issues Abdul opted out of the video so Dave Deltorto took his place with Jake on the split and we just went from there. People kept asking me for parts and all I would say was, hey, if you come film, and get enough clips for a section, then you have a section, but we didn’t want to promise video parts out to people and then have them bummed when they have 45 seconds of footage and they get put in a mix.
Which part in the video if your favorite and why? CB: My personal favorite is Zack Cooke and Brett Silva. I’ve known both of them for a few years now they have progressed so much. Brett is 14 and can’t come to Boston quite yet, so it was really nice go back to cape and film with them. I was lucky enough to film about 90 percent of their part and it’s just awesome to see they are getting recognized.
CZ: My favorite part would have to be the friends mix, I know some people don’t like parts with a ton of people with 1 or 2 clips each but that part wasn’t really about WHO was in it, more that the riding was cool and that everyone in the mix is friends. I also think the song goes really well with the riding.
Did you guys travel much to film or was it all taken care of in yourhome spots? CB & CZ: We mostly just filmed in Boston, but we took one trip to Philadelphia/Baltimore in February, and got contributed clips from Long Island locals.
Do you guys have any plans for making another video anytime soon? CB: As for right now I just want to make a few edits every now and then with the friends that make up AOTC. Hopefully next year we can make an AOTC 2 considering the first one only took about 5 months to make.
CZ: We definitely want to make an AOTC 2 but we probably wont start until september. I personally have some other stuff I need to work on and be done with by the end of summer so if I’m not too beat up I think the timing will be perfect.
When will the video be available for people to check out, and where can they get it? CZ: Right now you can pick copies up at Timeless BMX in Boston, MA.( www.timelessbmx.com ) And by the time this goes online Adam22 at TheCome Up should have a bunch of copies available through the web store. The video is 34 minutes long with 40 minutes of bonus, in my eyes, worth the $10.
Do you guys have anything else you want to say? CB: Thanks to Jody and Christine for helping us with everything, also thanks to Adam22 for all the support and always posting AOTC edits.Thanks to Kurt@BMXunion/Dig for this interview and doing a video review. Also, Thank you to anyone who has had a part in this.
CZ: I first off want to say thanks to Kurt for the interview and the awesome review of AOTC. Also thanks to my family and friends, and everyone who was around while we made the video. Thanks to Adam22 at The Come Up for all the help, and Jody and Christine at Timeless BMX for the premiere and everything they do, you guys are the best!
