One very stylish video supporting Jacksonville, Florida Bike Month
One of the great things about bikes is how bike culture and creative culture seem to go hand in hand. Even without going near the whole cycle chic thing (which, admittedly, drives some screaming into the forest), or even the concept of beautiful bikes (e.g.), there is a lot of great design, beauty and style to be found in bike websites, zines, blogs, advertising and so on. Bike videos are no exception.
One that is sure to catch people’s eye is this video, directed and produced by Abhishek Mukherjee and Katie Smith in support of Bike Month in Jacksonville, Florida.
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/40595463 w=500&h=281]
It would be great if Peterborough’s creative class could come up with something like it for, say, Shifting Gears or Peterborough bicycling in general.
OK, we admit, we don’t quite get the beeping watcher thing (lurkers in Hyundais? Rob Ford police?), but the piece is enjoyable to watch, the music is interesting, the visual joke at [you figure it out] is clever and you have to like the outcome.
And think about it, while we can leave the smoking bit, who wouldn’t want a cool girlfriend who rides a Pashley and takes you bike riding in the dark? Hey, wait a minute…
Thank you for promoting our film!
The smoking is not my thing either but we felt compelled to stay true to the noir theme. I am always glad to see people’s take on the story. Characters were purposefully left ambiguous. The beeping bluetooth headsets allude that they are a part of the same group. The watchers represent the car culture in Jacksonville; the Girl, the bike culture. The film is about the tension between the two cultures.
Through this video, we want to reach motorists who are ‘bike-curious’ and get them to consider attending some fun activities during Bike Month. Typically, this is the only time non-cyclists read or hear any news about cyclists. The short film is to show them something interesting that involves a bicycle than telling them to join in the fun. Moreover, who does not like to see a stylish and pretty lady riding a stylish bicycle through some cool downtown streets?
I am not sure which visual joke you are alluding to. I would love to know.
Goliath Flores is a professional musician and fellow bike commuter among other things. He wrote and recorded the original score specifically for the film.
Yes, you are right, the smoking does contribute to the feel of the video.
OK, so we did have the watchers right. Rob Ford is the Mayor of Toronto (Rob Ford Police), notorious for hating bikes and everything to do with them. He seemingly coined the term “war on cars” as a label for bike advocacy.
“Word joke”, rather than “visual joke” would have probably been a better term: the juxtaposition of “weapons” and “automobiles” at the end of the stacks at 2:15. Hard humour. Or was that a real sign????
Anyway, the video is great. Hope your bike month goes well. Our Shifting Gears alternate transportation month started today.
The Girl is given a code by her people over the phone. It is the call number for a book in the library — Tom Vanderbilt’s Traffic. The aisle for that book was named by the library. We did not put up a fake sign. I do not understand how Automobiles and Weapons are clustered together in the library but I am not complaining 😉
We are excited about Bike Month. We cyclists are gifting our Mayor’s office a custom painted bicycle. We have used Jacksonville’s colors: Brown, Orange and Gold. We will be presenting it to him tomorrow in front of City Hall during our monthly Art Walk.
Good luck with Shifting Gears!