Fast Forward > Ben Green
Seeing as Ben has now been added to the FFWD family, I thought it would be a decent idea to find out a little more about him…
Name: Ben Green
Age: 23
Location: South London
I have been riding for: 12 years
My top riders are: Gav Shortall, Max Wood, Dan Boiski, Joss Fenn (there are to many to mention…)
My favourite place to ride would have to be: LDN
The place I most want to visit would be: Japan
If I didn’t ride, I’d probably: be in a band playing drums
If I had the choice between flying to a big contest a long way away, and a weekend roadtrip, I’d go for: obviously a weekend roadtrip
The 5 things to make a good day for me are: sunshine, bikes, new street spots, filming, fit girls (in that order)
In 10 years time I: i’ll be a millionaire
My camera setup is: Canon 5DmkII, Canon 15mm fisheye @ f2.8, Canon 24-105 @ f.4.0, Manfrotto tripod with fluid head & a Glidecam 400 pro
My top video/photographers are: Ricky Adam (photographer) & Joe Cox (videographer)
..Their work stands out for me because: it is the standard that everyone aim’s to achieve
I prefer video over photo because: i just love moving image!
The number one rule of video is: Mike King quote - ”only in doubt should you get the fish out”
In my edits, I try to: represent the rider as best I can
Print or online, I’d have to say: they both have their place
3 things that I find tedious in web videos nowadays are: an intro over 30 seconds long, curb sessions & brakes
My favourite video I’ve shot is: Genesis
The last video I’ve shot was: Southside
The next video I’m looking forward to shooting is: going to be street riding filmed entirely at night…
If I could film with only 3 riders, for 3 hours, at one spot, they’d be: Ed, Vinnie & Bob
A video stands out for me when: the right mix of music, video composition and graphics blend seamlessly and represent a rider.
I can’t wait for someone to do an edit with: the camera’s they shot the intro to the ‘Lakai Fully Flared’ on.
Thanks/shout outs: Anyone who rides a bmx
Tell us about your two favourite videos, firstly, one you’ve shot, and one that just sticks in your mind:
One More Brew:
I was asked to film a section for ‘One More Brew’ during the Winter of 2008. I had already been filming during the summer and had about 2-mins of usable clips in the bank before I had even started. The hard part came when I had to go out and get new footage, I basically had 2-months to get about 3-mins worth of usable footage. Filming during November and December is no easy feat and was really hard work but we did manage to get some great clips. Coincidently Nigel Sylvester had recently put out an edit advertising his new shop ‘Format’. They had a simple but effective set-up which was to film him riding a white block at night all lit up by lights. Boiski, Boi & myself thought this looked like fun so set about making something of a similar vain, the results of which can be seen HERE
Van Homan: Criminal Mischief 2001 :
What can be said that hasn’t already been said about this video-part. I was 15 years old when this video dropped and had been riding for just over 4 years. A good friend had brought Criminal Mischief on VHS from our local bike shop and I remember watching it for the first time and being completely overwhelmed and inspired to go ride my bike. Van Homan has been and still is one of the most influential riders tout there. The filming is spot-on and of a good quality considering it was filmed during the early naughties. The music is epic and only a few people could pull off this song with such conviction. This video encapsulates everything that BMX is and should be about. For me it’s about personal achievements not competitions placings or sponsorship deals etc. There have been times when I have felt like giving up but as soon as I hear that song or get a glimpse of this video-part I realise why I love riding. Thank-you Van Homan & everyone involved in creating this video because you have inspired a whole generation to ride & keep on riding.
Watch this space for much more to come from Ben.
