That guy walking down the track after the racing is finished that nobody notices. That guys point of view you all know from the DVD player. This guy is Clay Porter and after reading his interview will discover his best work is yet to come…

You can visit Clays official site clicking here

NSRMTB: Your last video was the Tipping Point. What are you working on now?

Clay: Well, right now I’m focusing on the Atherton Project which is a bi-weekly, fly-on-the-wall reality TV show starring the Atherton family. So that finishes out, theres 2 more episodes so I when Im down with this I go back to the UK for 2 weeks and do the last episode of that and then really I focus on…I’ve kinda started…I haven’t publicly released information yet but I’ve started a new production company with John Lawler who used to work for MTBcut last year. This year he did the Specialized and Santa Cruz web videos and my other friend John Reynolds who took over my job at Yeti. So basically all three of us are starting a new production company together  with me kinda directing the films, so we are gonna do…a couple project in the works but nothing that really I can quite say yet. A few sponsors are in the works. Basically new things are coming. Its going to be a different kind of, you know in the past with the Tipping Point and F1rst its all been me really. So now I have 2 filmmakers who are good friends of mine and who I think are two of the best kind of race filmmakers out there. So we’re all kinda working under one production company and it should be pretty cool.

NSRMTB: So its like a Collective sort of deal?

Clay: Yeah a little bit, cause you know I kinda reached the capacity with what I can do by myself, like the Tipping Point was a lot of work you know. So, I just, ah, decided it was a time for a change you know. So I think its gonna be good like change it good creatively too you know, now we have 3 heads are stronger than 1.

NSRMTB: Just so folks know, with all the footage you got from the Tipping Point, how many hours of editing was that?

Clay: Oh, it was…it was actually edited, the whole film was probably edited…I was editing the night before I flew to South Africa so it was super down to the wire but it was probably about a hundred hours of footage maybe edited down to an hour long film. So, yeah, editing time was about a month but that was literally like, that month all I did was edit you know. Like Saturday night I’d be in there editing so, yeah.

NSRMTB: With a lot of piracy around some folks will look for your video online way before they think of buying it. Do you think maybe the way forward is releasing stuff digitally only like on iTunes or something similar?

Clay: Yeah I mean definitely iTunes is a great resource for not just for films but obviously music you know, its changed changed the way people buy music and its doing the same with films. So I think there’s always going to be people that want to hold something also like with the Tipping Point I prided myself with doing some pretty cool packaging so theres always people that are going to want that. But at the same time like iTunes is a great way to get your films out to a lot of people, you know.

NSRMTB: When I reviewed the Tipping Point that was something I noted was the packaging was cool

Clay: Oh was that, I think I read that review

NSRMTB: Yeah I liked the way you opened it up and it had kind of an egg box carton insert to hold the disc. The booklet was very cool as well. Etnies did the same thing with their Grounded video, their last BMX DVD they did.

Clay: Yeah its kinda like, I definitely get inspired by all the kind of other action sports films.

NSRMTB: Speaking of BMX’ers will you be working with Harrison Boyce from Defgrip on any of your packaging in the future?

Clay: Um, yeah Harrison is a good friend of mine and he didn’t actually do the packaging for the Tipping Point, someone else did, but Harrisons the kinda guy that you know, will always be in the rolodex. He’s such an amazing designer. Definitely he is the guy to turn to if you want to do something outside the box and really good.

NSRMTB: Is there one particular rider thats fun to work with or easiest to work with?

Clay: Its weird cause its like, doing this for quite a lot of years a lot of these riders have become, like my good friends so its not really one. Once youre actually in the field shooting its…but to answer your question I’d say, in terms of like a guy like say Brendan Fairclough is pretty hard to beat in terms of like style on the on the bike. But all the top guys, I mean, Gee and Sam and Peaty they’re all good to work with you know.

NSRMTB: Is it just Mountain bikes that you shoot? You ever shot any Moto or BMX, anything like that?

Clay: I’ve done a bit of kind of Moto, bit of BMX but right now the MTB stuff just takes up all my time all year round. Its definitely something I would like to get into and with the kinda two other guys I have working for me now hopefully that will allow me to do some Moto stuff and some BMX stuff.

NSRMTB: Have you ever been hit by a bike while filming?

Clay: Um, have I…I’ve had some injuries on the zip line, cable cam stuff but nothing too serious.

NSRMTB: When I reviewed the Tipping Point I mentioned it felt like the MTB version of the Great Outdoors Motocross videos by Troy Adamitis. How far off was I?

Clay: Pretty close. I was definitely pretty inspired by those films. Thats something you know like before there was always like the Earthed series and before that Sprung that kind of documented the racing but there was never a filmmaker that really, you know did the documentary style with the interviews and dramatic music and all that. So Great Outdoors was definitely a huge inspiration for what I do and I think, its pretty easy to tell if you watch both.

NSRMTB: Who do you think will the man to beat in 2010?

Clay: Ummm oh I think you gotta look at Sam Hill, I mean he just won the World Cup series. The cool thing about this sport right now is that its not like, a couple of years ago I think everybody was looking at Sam as, you know he’s almost unstoppable on some tracks which I still think, and Sam proved he’s the best in the world, he won the WC series. But I think its a very level playing field right now we’re in an exciting time for the sport you know we got guys like Sam and Gee and Peatys world champ now. Those are the top guys and you also have this kind of new talent like Brendan Fairclough and Sam Blenkinsop and these guys really putting the pressure on the top 4, top 5 guys. I’m more next year excited to see what a guy like Brendan Fairclough can do you know, he’s proved he can have a few podiums. Who knows you know.

NSRMTB: So Steve Peats win was pretty crazy and you were obviously there filming it. Ever thought of maybe making a documentary about how long it took him and the path leading up to his amazing win?

Clay: Thats kinda one of the projects thats in the pipe work with this new company.

NSRMTB: I’m pretty on the ball here!

Clay: Yeah you pretty much called it so expect it. Expect it next year sometime. We’ve actually been working with Steve on it for…maybe 6 months to a year now. So it should be pretty cool.

NSRMTB: You have shot all around the world, different locations from South Africa to Brazil. You must have some pretty shady stories?

Clay: Tryin to think of…its usually we’re, I dunno in terms of shady stories.

NSRMTB: A friend of mine was just filming in Barcelona and he just got all his camera stuff jacked, he turned his head for a second and it was gone.

Clay: Its more like just camera stuff. I’ve gone through 3 cameras this year alone. I get em repaired but 3 kinda, they get dropped. Its like when you shoot everyday and your always traveling they’re gonna break. So I dunno, shady in that way I guess. But everyone around the scene is super cool we tend to, I dunno…doesn’t get too shady.

NSRMTB: What are some websites that hit up on daily basis? Anything for inspiration or news, design stuff like that?

Clay: I think in terms of Mountain bike world right now VitalMTB is kinda a step ahead of everybody else which, Shawn Spomer and Swen Martin. In terms of design stuff like Defgrip like you said is really good, thats cool cause its kinda BMX and the design thing. Crailtap, Skateboard website. Um I’m trying to think of a..its I dunno I tend to just look at all sorts of stuff. But a lot of like where I get…I’m the biggest fan of action sports. I bet I watch more action sports than anybody else in the world, you know so. Definitely um, to all the aspiring filmmakers out there you know, watch stuff outside of Mountain biking and not stuff outside the sports. Watch other documentaries and feature films.

NSRMTB: Coming back to the Great Outdoors and Troy Adamitis I don’t think he can even ride a dirt bike so he has an outside perspective, yet that one that works.

Clay: Yeah I mean its definitely, its good like too you say Troy Adamitis doesn’t ride and its good to step back you know and I’ve realized that now. You get so involved in this sport and it just becomes your life and its good to step back and check out other sports, other films and its good for the head, good creatively.

NSRMTB: Have you ever seen Yeah Right the Spike Jones skate video?

Clay: Yeah its awesome! Spike Jones is coming out with Where The Wild Things, his latest feature so I cant wait to check that out.

NSRMTB: I don’t think he has done anything since Being John Malkevich?

Clay: Adaptation? Was that his last movie? I think his last feature was like 2003 which was when Yeah Right came out. Even skate videos like Fully Flared, thats amazing. I definitely respect Spike Jones. I think if you talk to any action sports, anyone, you know the dudes just a creative genius. I’m sure Where The Wild Things are will be different.

NSRMTB: Most people don’t know he started out on a bicycle as well (BMX) and most people think he is a skater.

Clay: Yeah its rad. Specially the way the sport is going if you look at, I don’t know any kids that grow up and say “I want to play Baseball or soccer”. They want to ride BMX and they want to Skateboard or Mountain Bike. Action sports are, well it is the future and its only going to grow and grow and grow. I guess its a good place to be in.

NSRMTB: So for the videographers out there can you breakdown what equipment you use and editing software?

Clay: I use a Sony PMW-EX1 camera, used that for the Tipping Point and then all the new stuff. Final Cut Pro to edit. I don’t really mess around with lens adaptors or anything like that just cause I am always, you know when you are at a race you don’t want to be messing around. So the camera is good cause its relatively small and the image is pretty nuts.

NSRMTB: Its kind of a corny question, but what is one thing that nobody knows about Clay Porter?

Clay: That no one knows about Clay Porter…one thing that very few people know when I was 17 I got arrested for building a dual slalom course by my house.

Tags: clay porter, tipping point

This entry was posted on Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 1:25 pm and is filed under Interviews, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.