by John | Jul 29, 2012 | Class DVDS & Videos
When I visited the Virtual Active studios last fall they showed me the tricks they used to shoot very stable video, over very rocky or bumpy terrain.
But I couldn't tell you because I was sworn to secrecy.
Now they've lifted the veil on some of their techniques and the special technology they use to create the stunningly beautiful HD video for the ICG World Tour DVDs and MyRide+®
The first thought I had when I watched these videos was; “this looks like you're flying…they must have shot this from a helicopter or used some long wires .” But they don't. All the trail scenes are filmed by that big guy running with a “Steady Cam”. Trust me when I say that the gear he's carrying is really heavy – they told me has was a former college running back. They typically have a second person pushing the camera man from behind to help him maintain a steady speed… and keep him from running off a cliff 🙁
Near the end of the video you see the car-mount they use, with the camera man actually sitting on the front. There's a very good reason for this. Cyclists, as they enter a turn, will turn their head to look though/around the corner. You may have watched a virtual ride video where you are climbing a mountain. As the video moves through a switchback you end up looking straight into the mountain, instead of up the road. Road videos shot with a fixed camera (on the hood of the vehicle) create this effect as the camera pans across the corner unnaturally as the car rotates around the turn.
Virtual Active's solution to this is to place the cameraman sitting up front where can he can turn the camera, so the shot follows the turn, just like you would on your bike.
But there are times when it's not possible (or safe) to have someone strapped to the front, like a scene from The Road Warrior. At around the 2:13 point you can see the sophisticated remote control system they developed to allow the producer to “turn” the camera using a game controller, from the safety of the passenger seat.
It's a subtle detail, but it makes an enormous difference in whether you are truly engaged with the video or just distracted by it.
by John | Jul 27, 2012 | Music
Amy, the girls and I are watching the Opening Ceremonies. The playlist had some long forgotten British tunes that could work well in your class.
Of course no UK playlist would be complete without an old Bowie track from the greatest album of all time; David Bowie — The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. I got a little shiver when Starman launched a number of actors info the air 🙂
iTunes didn't have the playlist that I could find, but Spotify has what looks like the complete list.
2012 London Olympics – Opening Ceremony – www.soundofus.com
by John | Jul 27, 2012 | Music
With Amy away in Phoenix, hanging with her parents and sister's family, I get to share a favorite track. At first I thought I would share a track I heard (and Shazamed) during the credits of the movie Safe House – Jay Z — No Church In The Wild – Album Version (Edited) – but decided against it. A very powerful, angry track to be sure, but it's probably not appropriate for many of your students 🙁
So instead I decided to to find something light and happy. Miike Snow – The Wave (Flight Facilities Mix) seemed like just the ticket. I'm going to use this as my intro track in Monday's playlist. I'm playing a new video from Virtual Active – World Tour Northern Italy and I'll let you know how my class likes it.
Miike Snow — The Wave in Spotify
by John | Jul 25, 2012 | Member Spotlight
Kim Moody – Shannon Schweiger Photo
Kim Moody was our 4th place winner with her “The Gate” – Halloween Mixed Ride profile.
Because Kim's profile would be more appropriate later this Fall, I've decided to save it until them. I'm also going to ask her if we can record it so everyone can hear her presentation 🙂
But I still wanted you to know who she is, so I'm publishing her bio for you now.
Kim has been in the fitness arena for over 20 years and is an AFAA certified Group Exercise Instructor, a Turbo Kick certified instructor, and is also Schwinn and Mad Dogg Cycle certified. Kim holds a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education, which shows that teaching is her passion, both in the classroom and in the studio.
Just like a classroom teacher needs a lesson plan, each of Kim’s classes are planned out with great thought and detail. Kim believes that students connect more with a ride when they have a destination in mind, and she loves to incorporate cycling tours to actual sites in her plans. What would a ride be without a motivating coach and as much fun and entertainment as you can sprinkle in? Her planned ride, during the busy holiday shopping time this year, was a trip to Target with Kim dressed as “the Target Lady”. The members loved the reenactment of the Target commercials during recovery sections of the ride. Another fun holiday ride included a 56 mile bike trip down the Schuylkill River Trail in Pennsylvania to one of the largest malls in the United States, The King of Prussia Mall.
“I was excited and proud to enter my Halloween Mixed Ride, THE GATE, in the ICI/PRO Contest because it was another ride that students really connected to, and the gory history behind the destination allowed so much room for imagery and creativity. Kim believes the “stage” is the meat of any ride, but MUSIC selections are the perfect mouth-watering sides. “Music is my mantra and the most critical element of a successful class. It is my driving force behind every plan, every cue, every intensity, cadence, and position change. Music creates an experience, not just a workout. It creates the energy force that connects instructor and class, and it greatly impacts the mood, feel, and attitude of the ride.”
Kim is originally from Kentucky, and uses her southern background in her classes by reserving the #10 spot on almost every playlist for a country song. She moved to Illinois with her husband and two children in 2007, and currently teaches cycling and kickboxing classes at Lifetime Fitness in Vernon Hills, IL.
“I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to use my educational background to teach cycling and fitness classes. I love to see people smiling, singing, feeling successful, but challenged, and confident and thankful that they made the choice to come to class that day. For those reasons, I will continue to put in the time to create a unique ride every chance I get.”
You can find Kim's presentation of “The Gate” Halloween Mixed Ride Audio PROfile here.
by John | Jul 22, 2012 | Instructor Training
I'm not aware of a more true statement than “you can't be half pregnant” – which is typically used to admonish someone who appears to be doing something half way, while expressing the desire for complete results. It's becoming clear to me that many Club / Studio Owners (and Instructors for that matter) think they can successfully be “half pregnant” when it comes to offering and/or teaching virtual Indoor Cycling classes.
Lots of businesses try to be “half pregnant” and I've worked for a number of them 🙁 It may be caused by a lack of capital, human resources or a simple failure of leadership. In any event, the business in question decides to begin dabbling in some new product or service offering, rather than fully commit the time and resources needed to be successful. It rarely works out well.
My taxidermy business is getting a little slow… I know what to do… I'll start making cheese!
Customers are smart. They'll see through (or are confused by) these halfhearted attempts at pretending to offer a service, when you really don't – or only do so at a very minimal level.
If you offer virtual ride videos in your studio [wlm_firstname], I'd like you to ask yourself this question; are my students truly engaged by the virtual ride videos I show, or do they simply act as another distraction in your studio?
There are two distinct components that affect whether your students are engaged by virtual rides or are only distracted by them…
- Does the studio layout/design minimize distractions, while focusing your student's attention on the video?
- Does your teaching/coaching engage your student's in the video?
This post is getting long, so I'm only going to focus on the layout/design question for now.
I've been frustrated for years by one of the Life Time Fitness studios where I teach. Don't get me wrong, these studios are beautiful and are a real joy to teach in. I use virtual rides in most of my classes. But because of how studio is laid out, the video screens compete for attention with the multiple distractions shown here:
Many of our participants come to our classes looking for a mental break from the real world. They're inundated with thousands of visual images every day. Now consider the participant who's riding with me in this studio and all the different competing images she needs to ignore to stay focused on any-one-thing:
1) The basketball game being played outside the studio.
2) Me – the Instructor up front.
3) The clock
4) The actual video screen
5) The refection of the cute guy in the front row
6) The endless stream of people walking to adjacent studios
7) The reflection, of an endless stream of people walking to adjacent studios
Another studio where I teach has a similar problem, except it isn't the side wall that's glass, it's the back wall. I'm frequently competing for the attention of my (male) student's with the reflection of some attractive gal, doing bent-over-rows, on the gym floor outside the studio.
Now compare that studio with this Virgin Active studio in London:
Can you see how captivating it would be to have one large screen, with no mirrors and placing the Instructor off to the side? This studio becomes more like a theater. Calm, with no unwelcome distractions. With its dominate screen and black borders (no mirrors) riders can immerse themselves in the visuals, while you provide the additional context and coaching of a compelling virtual ride, that all will enjoy.
My point here is that if you're considering adding virtual cycling video capability to your studio, don't try to be “half pregnant”. Consider the space you have to work with and decide if it really makes sense to add video, without some major changes. As tempting as it may seem, adding a couple of flat screen TVs, to an existing studio with mirrored walls, may not create the effect you were hoping for.
