About

Break the Cycle is a documentary about downhill mountain biking in Ireland.  The Film is due for release summer 2009.  All enquiries should be directed towards office[at]breakthecyclefilm.com

Synopsis

Most of the best downhill riders lives revolve around their bikes – their friends, their family, even their jobs. Break the cycle aims to get an insight into the lives of those top Irish mountain bike riders, to show their individuality.  Shooting them at the places they ride, train, work and live while showing off the amazing landscapes on this Island.  It will look into how these riders have used their bikes to ‘break the cycle’ of everyday life.

Crew

Sharon Kennedy (aka Fuzz)

Sharon is currently studying to be a Physicians Assistant of Anaesthesia, and should be qualified in five months.  She is also amazing on a trampoline and coaches at her local leisure centre in her spare time.  

Sharons role in the film is generally helping out with production of the film, from organising music to helping out with filming on the day.   She is also the on set still photographer getting some behind the scenes images each shoot.

Andy Yoong (aka Honcho)

After a few years travelling the world as a member of the Irish Downhill Mountain Bike Team, Honcho decided he better get a real job and set up a Graphic Design business which has been pretty successful over the last few years.  

Realising his talent for the video side of things, a couple of months ago he invested in an HD video camera and a 35mm adapter and has been making some pretty amazing short videos. 

So far, with having no outside help with funding or producing, his role in the film is pretty much doing everything, from all the background organising involved to shooting and editing the final footage.

The Setup

Break the cycle is being shot in High Definition.  The aim is to pay close attention to the cinematography and get the best shots possible.  We’re trying to shoot in the best light conditions, in the morning or evening, but this can be a hard thing to do in sunny Ireland!

I am using a 35mm adaptor on the front of my video camera so I can use SLR lenses with the aim of getting a more film like look.  It really does make a difference but the downside is that it is more time consuming while shooting because lenses have to be switched quite often, and there is no zoom on the camera.    I also use a dolly (camera on wheels) for some shots which makes things look pretty cool.

The footage is being edited in Final Cut Pro on a Mac and will be colour corrected in Apple Color.  The sound will possibly be mixed into Dolby 5.1 surround but I am still currently looking into this and is not a top priority at the moment.