Harley Pilgrimage The Road to Shipley DVD - Description
Harley Pilgrimage
August bank holiday weekend this year saw one of the largest turn-outs of Harley-Davidson riders ever to descend upon Baildon for the annual Shipley-Harley-Club rally.
A documentary crew were present throughout and recorded the event from start to finish. Local Freelance Film Cameraman Darren Miller and Producer Ramon De Juan of Captured Vision Associates teamed up with their freelance colleagues to produce an interesting and rare insight to the phenomenon of the Harley pilgrimage to Baildon.
We covered everything from the first arrivals, the band entertainment in the marquee, interviews with riders and different clubs, the ride-out to Harewood and the personal views of many diverse characters, says Darren
With the use of three cameras and a 100ft aerial platform positioned in the village, we were able to capture the very essence of this remarkable event. The aerial shots really do give the full impression of the scale of the ride-out and we were also blessed with a beautiful sunny day.
After persuading a friendly policeman, I rode backward pillion with a hand held camera from Baildon to Otley, then re mounted to shoot over shoulder for the remaining route to Harewood. Allen Noutch, a very experienced motorcyclist, kindly offered his services after we were let down at the last moment.
We attached a mini camera to the rear of our own Harley donated by our sponsor, Leeds Harley Davidson, so the viewer really gets the full experience of what the ride-out is all about. Another cameraman was positioned en route to shoot the bikes as they rode 'up and past'. We interviewed many riders from all over the Europe including some very humorous Dutchmen.
There have been many hours spent sifting through the footage, digitising the material and making a 'rough cut' to make our story. The amount of information gathered could have been used to make three films but by utilising the best of the 'rushes', I feel confident that we have a unique and very interesting insight into this historic occasion.
Throughout the 50 minute documentary, I have tried to portray the bikes as the main character with their owners and riders as the story tellers. Filming this type of event could potentially, be quite boring, so I have tried to bring something visually different to the finished article. I wanted to produce a programme that I would like to watch and be interested in, so it's not necessarily aimed just at Harley owners.
Editing the material has been a liberating experience and the real guts of the film making process. Roger Greenwood, an ex YTV Calendar news-reader, has provided the voice over and we have had great fun choosing appropriate music.
A lot of my colleagues and friends have been called upon, all of them without pay, to make this production that has been a dream of my own for many years. I am deeply grateful for all the people involved especially to Pete and Roly, the rally organisers, who gave us un-limited access to all areas and personnel, without which, there would have been no documentary.
Normally, my work involves turning up on Broadcast Films and Drama as a Freelance Camera operator but I have always wanted to 'Direct' a production. I have been very fortunate in my career, shooting and directing 2nd unit stunt sequences etc but never had the chance to take the reins fully as it were. This has been a complete learning curve for me and a great deal of planning went into the production and the build up of the rally to ensure things ran smoothly.
Our intention is to cover the 30th anniversary of the Baildon rally next year which promises to be quite a spectacle. Hopefully, we can create our own 'biker' series similar to the ones currently being broadcast but with a different angle.
