 |  Click here to check out four of Mike McQueen's BMX video samples. |
Portrait: Jerry Wolford
Getting a job creating videos is a pretty sweet gig, especially when it involves BMX. Mike McQueen has been involved in the BMX film business for years doing video and graphic work for tons of companies, including Vital BMX. When not capturing BMX in HD, Mike also holds down real world film jobs doing work for TV stations and newspaper Websites. We asked Mike a bunch of questions of what it’s like to film for a living, and he also came through with some great BMX videos to show you where he’s coming from. (You can also click here to see one of his videos from outside the BMX world.)
What got you interested in video in the first place?
When I first started riding I mostly rode with older guys, like Hal Brindley, Mike Noonan, Chris Hargraves, Leigh Ramsdell, and Jason Morton. Most of those guys had been in BMX for years and they always gave me the older videos to watch, like old S&M videos, Homeless videos, Useless videos, and stuff like that. It was awesome seeing those videos. At that same time I was taking some classes in high school that gave me access to some video editing equipment. Nothing fancy, just VCR-to-VCR stuff, but later they got a non-linear edit station with Adobe Premiere so that opened a lot of doors for me. I saved up some money working at Subway and printing T-shirts and bought a Hi-8 camera and just started filming from then on.
When you started out filming, what kind of equipment were you using, cameras and editing?
At first it was mostly just messing around with deck-to-deck editing, but then I started using Adobe Premiere. I did a few video projects on Premiere—it was a good learning tool. Once I got further in college I got a Mac and started using Final Cut Pro. Camera-wise I started out with a Sony Hi-8, and then upgraded to a single chip Mini DV camera. After getting a lot of experience with that stuff I stepped up to a three-chip Mini DV camera, a Sony TRV-900.
 | Click here to see a sample of Mike's work. |
At what point did you start to think that working in videos was something you would like to do for a living?
I can't really point to exact time where that happened. I had always been filming for little projects here and there. I majored in like four different things in college, so I guess it wasn't until about six or seven years ago that I got really serious with video.
Can you give us a rundown of you professional BMX videographer career? Videos you worked on in the past?
I've been a contributor for a lot of different BMX companies in the past. Mutiny, Allied, Useless, UGP, Demolition, Shine, 411 Video Magazine, Props, Hoffman Bikes, Profile Racing, FBM, Ride BMX, Faction, DK, Kink, Square One, Mirraco, Shook, Felt Bikes, Bell, of course Vital BMX, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some others as well.
Did you have a goal to film BMX full-time for a living? How realistic is that today?
I don't think I really ever had a goal to film BMX for a living. I guess I was doing that for a while, but I was living with my mom and not really having any bills, so it made it a lot easier. It’s something that’s really fun to do, but it’s hard to make a living doing it. When I was younger it was fun traveling, having few responsibilities, and living by the skin of my teeth. But once I started doing commercial stuff, I knew at that moment that BMX was kept for fun, and I'm 100% happy with that. As far as making a living in BMX today, it is possible. You definitely have to live within your means and work really hard, but who wouldn't want to do it? It’s definitely an awesome time, just filming, traveling, and hanging out with friends.
What is your formal education in video?
I took many video-related classes during my advancement in education, but my degree is in Digital Effects and Animation. The school I attended had a film program as well. I took some of the film classes while taking the animation stuff, so I was one of the few students that "crossed the line" between production and post production.
 | Click here to see a sample of Mike's work. |
What mainstream video jobs have you have you had or do now? What types of projects interest you outside of BMX?
As far as mainstream stuff goes, I guess bigger BMX projects I've been in on would be stuff like Mirraco, Target, Hoffman Bikes, Props, and stuff like that. As far as projects outside of BMX, it’s kind of a broad subject matter. I occasionally do weddings. Sometimes they can be really fun, other times they can suck really bad. But it’s not too bad, and the pay is pretty good. Last weekend I TD'd (technical
director) a live high school band competition. Who knows what will come up next? Currently I work as the video producer for News-Record.com. I've been here just shy of three weeks. It’s the newspaper of Greensboro, North Carolina, owned by Landmark Communications (owner of The Weather Channel). Before here, I worked as a promotions producer for a CW TV station. It was good to get broadcast experience. I juggled a lot of roles there and stayed stressed out pretty badly most the time, but it was a good experience. I always got random free goodies, which was a plus, but the 50-hour workweeks and last minute shenanigans got a bit hectic after a while. This new job will let me experiment with a vast array of video-related projects, so it’s a lot better than just doing 10, 15, and 30-second promo spots all the time. Apart from having my full time job, I do other freelance video and graphic work on the side. Each project is always different; some good, some not so good. But just meeting new people, working with awesome people, learning new stuff—it’s always a good time.
You are known for doing great motion graphics; how important do you feel graphics are to an overall project?
Well thanks for that comment [laughs]. I still consider myself a student of motion graphics, but being that my degree is in graphics, I was basically taught that it’s one of the most important things for post-production. It’s something that needs to be well thought out and not half-assed. But it seems that a lot of people don't really appreciate what really goes into graphics. It’s not a quick process, especially 3-D. 3-D is something I've continued to pursue even after being out of school. There is just so much to learn and explore with it. And once you sit and try to create something in 3-D, it makes you really appreciate what goes into feature films and effects.
 | Click here to see a sample of Mike's work. |
How much do you get to ride these days, and how much do you film BMX now?
I probably film BMX more than I actually ride these days. I try to be on my bike once or twice a week, whether it’s cruising the ‘hood with my wife, a quick session at the local park, or riding downtown Winston-Salem. It’s a good relaxing thing to do after working all the time. When you have a full-time job and a half-hour commute to work it really changes how your life works.
When you're filming BMX now, what gear are you using? And what type of gear do you use on the job?
Actually I pretty much use the same gear for both. I've been trying to incorporate a more professional approach to filming BMX. It’s nice to see people using 35mm lens adapters, Steady-cams, jibs, dolly's, lights, generators and the like in BMX. We're definitely stepping up the game production-wise. I love to see the stuff that people like Joe Simon, Will Stroud, and Chad Shackelford are doing in BMX. Gear-wise, I use Panasonic DVX-100a and HVX-200 cameras, MacBook Pro and PowerMac G4 computers. I use Final Cut for editing, Adobe CS3, Maya, and Cinema 4d for graphics. Work-wise it’s pretty much the same but a different camera: Canon A1,
PowerMac G5, Final Cut, and CS3.
What advice would you give to kids coming up today who are thinking about some type of video career for their future?
When I first started filming, the resources weren't widely available as they are today. Use the Internet to its fullest potential. There is a large amount of knowledge just sitting out there for free. Visit sites like dvxuser.com, skateperception.com, dvinfo.net, and of course Google. Grab online tutorials and magazines, and if you have the chance to go to school for film—or anything for that matter—do it. Don't be the kid who just goes to class and that’s it. Expand and work with other students, because you're only going to get out what you put in.
Where do you see the future of BMX videos headed?
Production-wise, it’s going to get a lot better. With the coming of HD cameras, and especially with them getting cheaper and better, I see a lot more HD [coming]. As far as the whole Web video vs. DVD thing, that’s a weird subject. I really hate it for someone to spend a lot of time, money, and effort on a banger video, put it on DVD, and then see it get ripped to the Internet. I'll admit, I'm as guilty as the next guy for watching Google and YouTube, but for me that’s just going to tease me and make me want to have the video to watch at home on my TV. But promotion-wise, I love watching web videos. When I'm doing a long render at work, I'll check out Vital and see what’s going on. Or I'll download a bunch to my computer and watch them later that evening. I really like the stuff that companies like Levi's®, Mirraco, Mosh, and others are doing with Web videos, especially being able to download them for iPod or right at full resolution. So people take note: make good videos, support the video makers, and have fun.
 | Click here to see a sample of Mike's work. |
Anyone you would like to thank?
My video career has come a long way. I never really thought I'd see myself where I am today. I definitely owe a lot to many people. My wife April and our families, Will Stroud and his family, Matthew B Moore, Tom Domer, all the Pimpske and Mindset crew, all the companies I've worked with, everyone I've filmed with, everyone who has welcomed me to their homes, all the people I grew up with, and especially Hal Brindely and Jason Morton.
