Sellwood neighborhood resident Drew Coleman has a vision for his next project. But he needs a bit of help to realize it.
Coleman is a filmmaker who started shooting local cyclocross races this summer. He’s also started a YouTube channel under the Local Cycling Network banner. Now he wants to cover the biggest race of the year: the Cyclocross National Championships which take place in Reno, Nevada next weekend. This time around he wants to do try something new: Coleman wants to shoot the race and the culture that surrounds it, on film. He’s bought a 1983 Canon 814 xl-s camera and he’s looking for support to buy the film which runs about $1.53 per second.
He’s launched a GoFundMe campaign and hopes to raise $2,500 for the trip and the film.
Here’s more from Drew about the project:
“I am always looking for new ideas and new angles. One of these came about as a result of my work on the second part of a series about local professional race team, Team S&M CX based out of Sellwood Cycling Repair. During the creation of “Working Class Cyclocross: Do It The Hard Way” I made contact with a California-based photographer Michael Jasinski who shoots film stills on large and medium format cameras and who’s work appears in the video. As an aside I mentioned that it would be fun to actually film cyclocross on Super 8. And he mentioned that he lives near Reno, Nevada where Nationals are this year and I’d have a place to stay if I wanted. And so, the “Cyclocross Nationals on Super 8 Project” was born and we will be collaborating to bring it to you.”
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Here’s the video pitch, which includes his concept video shot with film:
Drew has a great eye, which he explained in an email to us last week like this: “I have a philosophy when it comes to filming and that is when everyone is looking one direction, I try to look in the opposite direction in order to get a unique perspective. Simply put, we want to take a new-old look at the event.”
If you’d like to help Drew make this happen — and help all of us enjoy a great piece of cyclocross content — consider donating to the campaign. And stay updated on all Drew’s videos by subscribing to his YouTube channel.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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couldnt we just watch the official coverage on old crappy tv’s for the same effect?
Phone = Crappy. The one handed generation is useless.
Did you get those kids off your lawn yet?
I fail to see the point. To get a really unique effect, the old Pathe’ equipment.
I really don’t understand these first two comments.
This is a guy’s passion, his art, his creative outlet. Do you ever think about how your comment feels to the person you are directing them at? Have you ever been excited about something? Imagine feeling that and taking the risk of sharing it with the world, only to have people you don’t even know dismiss it.
When I heard about Drew’s project, I was like, “Awesome! Go Drew! Create something cool! How can the community support you!”
Why not just support him? If you aren’t jazzed about the idea, maybe offer some constructive feedback instead of taking little digs on his project.
Really? Seems like a Quixotic choice to me.
There still needs to be an audience for the product…and when the audience thinks it’s a dumb idea, maybe it is.
Does there need to be an audience? Did you ask Drew about that? Again. This is his project. Why assume everything must be commercially viable in order to be successful.
And FWIW based on the people how have donated to his campaign, there’s clearly support for it.
If he’s asking for donations, then yeah, I would say there are stakeholders.
As someone who watches Drew’s stuff and donated count me as part of the audience that doesn’t think it’s dumb… and I don’t particularly care that much about photography or film personally, but it’s cool to see the subject of cycling being covered in as many ways a possible. It’s amazing that people will go out of their way to criticize something like this.
Good lord, heaven forbid someone has an interest in something. I could care less about tall bikes, don’t want, one, don’t see the appeal…but I love the fact that people are really into them. I’m not going to call tall bikes “dumb”. I keep thinking of this quote from Tom Scharpling:
https://music.avclub.com/tom-scharpling-1798226449
“It’s hard to do stuff. That’s why everybody stops doing it. ’Cause it’s hard. So I always have a lot of respect for people who do things. Even if it’s the worst garbage on earth. I give Insane Clown Posse a lot of credit. Nobody wanted them to stay around. Nobody wants that. It’s terrible. And they’ve got every reason in the world to go away, and after a few years, they could’ve left and everybody would’ve said, “Of course they’re leaving.” That’s what you do. You do a dumb thing like that for a couple of years, and then you leave. I think they make some of the worst music I’ve ever heard, but if it means something to some fan, if that’s their favorite thing, it’s not for me to take that away from them.
..But I’ll rank them above somebody who I know has impeccable taste and all they do is talk a good game. Insane Clown Posse gets more of my respect than that person, who’s just nothing but hot air and good taste. I might rather talk to the person with good taste than some fat Insane Clown Posse fan, but I actually give more respect to them for doing it if it makes people happy. “
So you’re allowed and opinion, but only if it’s the right one?
Welcome to Portland!
*Edit: Welcome to the human race.
He said the comments were rude, not forbidden. You’re the one bringing absolutes into it when a comment hurts your feelings.
Immunity from criticism leads the race to the bottom
I don’t say anything about “immunity from criticism”. Not at all. Just in this context, where someone is sharing their personal passion project, I really think you should make sure your criticism is constructive and kind. That’s all.
Same could be said for the arrogance that makes one feel it is their right or duty to criticize.
You don’t think they have a right to criticize?
Unless they have a vested interest in the filming of CX nationals in general or will be affected by Drews project then no… they don’t really have any background that would make their criticism valid, called for, worth paying attention too, justified, etc..
An no, I didn’t mean they can’t legally voice an opposing opinion. Just like the original comment was directed towards some kind of unwritten social concept about how someone should react to negative viewpoints mine was also directed towards a concept of what people think they deserve to say.
Please stop displaying your **deleted because of inappropriate personal insults** comments in such a **deleted because of inappropriate personal insults** way online. People who choose to attack artists because of their own lack of vision chips away at the beauty of the world. Please sit down.
Allow me to save good people some cash:
Sell the already purchased camera for $400
Use that money for gas.
Record with phone.
Press “Super 8* Filter.
When I was in art school, one of my sage professors told me that when what you’re doing provokes questions, commentary and criticism, that’s when you know you’re onto something. My goal with this project is to provide a different media experience in regards to our National Championships; something that goes beyond watching the official race on a crappy tv. In the end, I’m trying to create an art piece for people to enjoy (or dislike).
Thanks for caring enough to comment!
Do it. This site has become a trolling site to drag down what few bike enthusiasts we have left in Portland. Thank you JM for posting. I look forward to seeing Drew’s vision.
LOL, no, this site has become a trolling site for a few bike enthusiasts who think they know better than everyone else what is good for cyclists.
All I can say about that is, when these ‘advocates’ get their way and the city builds something these cyclists requested, it typically ruins what was previously a perfectly good cycling route already.
What’s an example of something that the city built as requested?
As someone who’s shot 35mm, 16mm and Super 8 I’m so glad that I now live in a world where I never have to touch film again. Film really is a lot of extra work and pickiness and when something goes wrong (which it can easily) you won’t know until later.
Having said that I realize that this is an art project. In art people use all sorts of “obsolete” tools to get an effect or something. If you can afford it and want to do it then great! Like anything, make sure you know your gear really well. Learn it so well that things are automatic so you can work under pressure.
It might end up being really cool or might not work out and be a failed project. Even my worst failures I don’t regret because they’ve been educational and improved my craft.
Good luck.
Do you Drew! Haters gonna hate.
Comment deleted and user has been placed on automatic moderation list. — Jonathan
That would be fantastic! However, pastels would make it more aesthetically pleasing …
Why are you being such a jerk?
That’s stupid. No one can draw that fast.
I read the deleted comment and think that you’re setting a pretty low bar for censorship, Jonathan. I think that many of these critical comments have value and should not be scrubbed.
The comment was already deleted before I read this thread, but in fairness to JM it came after some other, still visible, negative and/or sarcastic comments so (pok!) he pulled the plug. Either “remount” is totally new to this blog, or else they came up with a new handle to say stuff that they didn’t want to put out under their previous fictitious ID-ish.
Moderation isn’t that big a deal. It means JM has to actually decide to put up whatever a person might have to say.
Maybe Ned Ludd restaurant will chip something in.
I can understand Drew’s creative intent with this project but I feel that just applying an old media to record a modern event will just feel jarring. As the test footage does with a very grainy low contrast look but racers in skin suits on carbon bikes with electronic drivetrains. I’d like to see this planned a bit more and shoot it around a fun short “Eroica” style race maybe during a break at one of the GP or CC races next fall. Think caged pedals, bar end friction shifters and all wool kits. Then it would have a much more nostalgic feel.
Also I get the very Portland craft slant with having to actually shoot it physically in the outdated (expensive) filmstock and camera, but modern software with simulated filmstock and grain can make digital look amazing too. It’s funny, I just came across a creative experiment a few days ago that took Footage from Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbIbchSteCI and processed it to look like a silent newsreel. With the technique and the original period costumes and props it looks exactly like the historical WW2 newsreel footage I’ve grown up seeing! They even copied the typical 18fps film shown on 24fps pacing Lastly, and this is just me, but for actual film I like the better balance between resolution and aesthetics of 16mm instead of Super 8, it’s just too muddy for me (and I get the irony of that for a CX race). All meant as just constructive criticism, I think this could be a great concept and artistic expression, I just think from the (seemingly) last minute planning and not as good as it could be sample footage it might be let down from what it could be. That said, It’s Drew’s project and vision and I wish him the best of luck with it, and honestly hope the end result gets me to change the very critique I just gave!
I love this. Excellent points. Thanks for the commentary. Rest assured it isn’t last-minute and will feature some stunning large and medium format photography as well. Here’s hoping you find the result compelling!
Yeah, I realized that if you shot test footage at Kruger’s two months ago, you must have been thinking about it for a while before that. Interested to see how comes out, good luck and enjoy Nats!
To me it is just about the end result being real and the effort it took to get there. Personally, I have no interest in trying to digitally recreate the past by clicking a mouse. Anyone can do that without much effort.
1991: The Year Punk Broke will always have more appeal to me because it was shot on Super 8 and not an iPhone app like part of Searching for Sugar Man was.
If I want something to look like it is from an old VHS tape, I’m not going to use a plugin that screws up the color and adds fake tracking bars…I’m going to go to Goodwill, buy two VCRs, then duplicate the video ten times over, then import it back in.
I personally like Super 8 — it’s the original youtube as far as I’m concerned. Highly portable so you can shoot anywhere, yet the format only allows for short clips making you really have to think about what you want to show and it takes a lot more skill to shoot with real film. As such, I like it better than the tape formats that followed that let people shoot too indiscriminately. The icing on the cake is it doesn’t lend itself well to adding cheese effects.
Given that this is more about a particular type cycling as art, I’m not surprised by the response here. I would expect a warmer response from communities where the journey and the experience are what’s important
I shot a bunch of it in the mid 90s, always in the back of my head was. “This is costing 20 cents per second, is a shot of this car driving by worth it?” (answer, 25 years later, yes, back then…not so much)
I’ll donate if he shoots it on 70mm.
Maybe someday!! One must crawl before he can walk …
DC is being a pretty good sport about this. Chris I, maybe you should get in early, unless you have six figures to throw around. 70mm is the deep end of the pool.
I never shot on 8mm, but I shot some projects on 16mm back in 2005 before HD was really accessible. I think the most fun part was sitting in the room with the hugely expensive film recorder used to transfer to digital for the edit and doing the color correction with the colorist at Barrandov Studios in Prague. So fun. Enjoy the process Drew!