BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Whether you’ve heard of Stu Thomson or not, chances are you’ll have seen some of his video mastery, whether it be the viral ‘Outdoor Capital’ video with Danny MacAskill and Jimmy Saville, or more recent flicks with the Chain Reaction team. BikeBiz pops Thomson a few questions about his riding, his work with the bike trade and what it’s like to work with Sir Jimmy Savile…
What bikes do you own and where’s your fave riding spot?
I ride an Orange Five 90 per cent of the time, though I also have a prototype DH bike from Orange and an XC hardtail.
My favourite place to ride is definitely my local trails. Riding the Five around Stirling and the Trossachs is amazing, though is mostly overlooked due to the Seven Stanes.
Tell us a bit about MTBcut and its work within the trade:
I started MTBcut in 2007, primarily just as a video website. Very soon people started requesting our video production facilities for wider use and it quickly developed into a video production company and now even further into a marketing agency, including wider promotion of photo’s and social media.
Four years down the line we have some fantastic clients and handle the UCI World Cup live streaming at Fort William Worlds and also the web edits after each day of racing.
You recently produced a viral video with Jimmy Savile and Danny Mac on board – how did this come about?
I have always been very involved in promotion of Fort William and the North West of Scotland.
The Outdoor Capital promotional team approached me with an idea for a viral ad aimed at the UK Outdoor Sports market. Sir Jimmy has always been involved in the area and when he was approached was very enthusiastic to help out. Danny has been a friend of mine for years and is obviously now a major star, so would bring a certain audience.
The video ended up being tweeted by a few big celebrities and made the mainstream UK press.
Any leftover footage from this video – maybe some crashes or Savile ramblings?
There’s actually a few clips that are worth using elsewhere, but I’ll need to think about how to go about the release. For me filming Danny MacAskill driving a VW campervan dressed as Jimmy Savile is the most fun and memorable shoot I’ve done, so I’d love to use more of the footage.
What’s the biggest rush achievable on a bike?
I do enjoy riding Downhill and some Dirt Jumps now and then, but since I stopped racing nothing beats just being out on your favourite ride in the sunshine with your mates.
What equipment is needed to create a typical production?
It really depends on the brief for the video, budget and what is required. A low budget event shoot will be literally one camera, a tripod and then the editing suite when you get back in the office.
It’s best to make contact and deliver us a brief, as this can vary. Email me direct at stu@mtbcut.tv, check out our website MTBcut.tv, or add yourself to our many thousand fans at facebook.com/mtbcut.
