Creating great videos of your ride-outs part one: forward planning

No matter your experience level, if you want to record your ride-outs this handy guide is a great place to start

As told to James Gill

Motorcycle videography is not really about cameras or drones or clever transitions. At least, not at first. For filmmaker and Harley^® rider Ryan “Fitzy” Fitzsimmons, everything starts with a simple idea: make people feel what’s like to be on that bike, on that road, on that day.

This article pulls together his advice and turns it into a practical, detailed guide you can actually use. Whether you’re filming with a GoPro on your helmet or a bag full of gear, the principles are the same.

In this first part, we focus on preparing to capture the footage you want – look out for part two for Fitzy’s tips on filming your content, so that you can get the best shots to work with before the edit.

Story first: why your video needs a spine
The story is the most important part of any video. More important than camera specs, more important than fancy editing. You can have a top-end camera, use smooth, clever edits, and select the perfect music choices, but if there’s no story people will lose interest. Having a story doesn’t mean you need an epic film script, just that your video has a shape and a purpose, so that the viewer feels like they are going somewhere – not just watching random clips of a motorcycle moving forward.

Think of a story as the journey from A to B, a particular mood or feeling you want to share, or a small moment that meant something to you. If you ignore the story, you end up with pure “bike wallpaper”: technically fine, but forgettable.

Emotion over literal storytelling
When you hear “tell a story,” you might imagine a very literal, linear sequence: first this happened, than that happened, then this twist, then the ending. However, Fitzy’s approach is much closer to how a song works: a song doesn’t describe every stop of an event, instead it gives you a mood, an emotional arc and a sense of something. He considers how he wants the viewer to feel – whether that’s the calm or “Zen” of a long ride, the weight and rumble of a big Harley, or the sense of the open road, weather and freedom. So, rather than explain, “I put my boots on, I got on the bike, I turned left, then right, then I arrived,” he focusses on what it felt like to ride on that road on that day. That shift – from literal to emotional – is huge, especially for short, social media-style videos where attention span is brutal.

How to build a story around a weekend ride
Imagine this situation: you and two friends are riding at the weekend. You’re meeint here, riding there, maybe stopping for a coffee along the way. You want to film it. How do you turn that into a story-driven video, rather than a random collection of clips? Fitzy suggests two basic approaches:

• Planned narrative. You can pre-plan by mapping out the route, deciding on the key beats (meet up, setting off, best section of the road, views, arrival etc.), and think loosely about what you want to capture at each stage. This can work well, but it’s fragile. If the day doesn’t go to plan, your “script” can fall apart and you might feel disappointed.
• Documentary style. This is Fitzy’s preferred approach, in which you press record, ride and respond to the day as it happens. If he hits a particularly nice road or view, he might pull over, attach the camera to a new spot, grab a few alternative angles (like wheel shots, or rider-facing shots), or maybe launch the drone if it’s safe and makes sense. Only afterwards, when it comes to the edit, does he decide if he’s telling the whole journey or just one part that really stands out.

Both approaches work. His main point is that you don’t need a rigid storyboard. You just need to stay aware of how the day feels and capture enough varied material that you can shape a story later.

Experimentation, learning and finding your own rhythm
Although Fitzy did study filmmaking, he’s very open that most of his growth came from trial and error – so don’t be afraid to keep practicing to improve! A lot can be learnt from YouTube tutorials too and you’ll come to understand what suits you and your subject matter best. “Don’t wait until you know everything – try things, make mistakes, adjust,” says Fitzy. “There is not rigid rulebook. You’ll discover which angles you naturally gravitate towards, find a pacing and music style that feels like you and refine the look that makes your videos stand out.”

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