Unsung

A look at the "Unsung" heroes that gives Unbound it’s character. The focus will be on documenting 3 people as they live their lives in the days leading up to, during and after the event.

Storyboard

The Heroes

  • Mechanic // A seasoned and dedicated technical wizard, road warrior and athlete whisperer. Supporting a well known Shimano contender.

  • Linda Guerrette - Photographer // Would anyone know this race exists without someone relentlessly chasing the riders and capturing them in all their glory? Prefer someone that is good at catching emotion, not afraid to get dirty and hustle, and has some charm/charisma in front of the camera.

  • Michelle Duffy - Event Organizer // Race organizers take a lot of risk and little glory, and this hero could be anyone that works for or with the race organizers directly, the athlete services manager is our focus here.

Story

  • Opening // The story starts out with a short burst of hard hitting race footage as a tease . . . the mass start, the speed, the agony, the glory. There is a narrator waxing poetically about the epicness of the event and the rigors of racing it.

  • Heroes // From the opening sequence, we transition to the first hero and go back days before the event as they are preparing. Following their travels through race day and getting an intimate view of all the work that goes into their profession/passion. In this way, we move through each hero.

  • Closing // The closing segment brings the narrator back and talks about how "it takes a village" with a lot of emotion . . . people hugging, crying, smiling, high fives, etc. We’ll have short inspirational snippets of the most introspective moments from each hero.

Treatment

  • Opening // Fast race focused cuts of high action and intensity, lots of fast b roll transitions with water splashing, landscapes whizzing by, grit, crashes (?). POV camera from 1 or more racers. Feature Shimano sponsored racer, supported by hero mechanic. Upbeat music, with resonant, smooth voiceover. 20-30 seconds.

  • Hero Spotlights // The pace slows and the shots are closer to the subjects. We get intimate with the details of each person’s profession, how they prepare, what they hope and expect to happen, and their movements on race day. Each hero will also have a sit down interview, good lighting, with an interesting backdrop. The sounds will be muted background music, ambient noises and voiceover from the sit down interview. Include POV footage from each hero, old photos/video as relevant. 60-90 seconds each.

  • Closing // Wide shots and landscapes mixed with the emotional highlights. Cinematic music pumps up the emotion and the narration builds to an optimistic climax inspiring us to build our own future together. The United in Gravel campaign video is a excellent reference for the treatment of this segment. 20-30 seconds.

  • Color // Striving for Classic Chrome, with muted blacks, yet saturated colors and not too contrasting. Illustration colors will borrow from the United in Gravel artwork.

  • Character Transitions // Moving from the opening sequence to the first hero, the racer comes into the checkpoint, our mechanic tunes up their bike, makes sure they have water and then pushes them back into the race. Right at that moment, the screen freezes and illustration takes over to transition into the mechanic’s story. The transition might feature the person’s name and title “Chris Mathis, Mechanic”. Once we tell the mechanic’s story, then we use the same transition to the next hero. In this way, each hero will interact with another in some way to facilitate the transition. For instance, maybe the mechanic gets a plate of hot food from the server . . . and then we transition to that hero. Here is a quick sample from Chris McNally:

Shoot Schedule

Monday, May 27

  • Arrive Kansas City, pick up rental vehicle, shopping

Tuesday, May 28

  • Sunrise: B-roll golden hour shots

  • 9am: interview setup . . . location TBD

  • 10:00: interview with Michelle Duffy

  • 12:30: Lunch

  • 1:30: Wattie interview or pre-race footage

  • Sunset: B-roll golden hour shots

Wednesday, May 29

  • Sunrise: B-roll golden hour shots

  • 9am: interview setup . . . location TBD

  • 10:00: interview with Linda Guerrette

  • 12:30: Lunch

  • 1:30: Wattie interview or pre-race footage

  • 6pm: Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame ceremony?

  • Sunset: B-roll golden hour shots

Thursday, May 30

  • pre-race footage, course scouting, etc

Friday, May 31

  • pre-race footage, course scouting, etc

Saturday, June 1 - Raceday

Details

Dates: Location shooting Monday, May 27 - Saturday, June 1

Location: Emporia

Filmmaker/producer/camera: Robin Sansom

Assistant Camera: Traece Craig

Cast: TBD

Deliverables

Videos:

  • Feature Edit: 5-7 minutes (16:9 landscape) for YouTube/Vimeo

  • Social Posts: 1 minute (9:16 portrait) Instagram, Facebook . . . 1x overall, 1x for each hero

  • Social Stories: 15-20 seconds (9:16 portrait) . . . 3x teasers

  • Deliver by July 15