You work almost entirely with athletes who are at the top of their game. Are there any unusual considerations you have to be aware of when in these situations?

Cam: Everyone is different. We typically are shooting current Champions or contenders. It so happens that Champions are focused on their tasks at hand, so sometimes that gets in the way of what it really takes to do something. It’s time consuming and everyone has to be committed. If you have a subject that is down and understands what is at stake overall then magic is possible. The guys that are willing to do whatever it takes to make it the best are the ones who get exceptional content. It’s a win–win for everyone involved, including them when it comes time for their contract re–negotiations with their sponsors being their poster child or most used or viewed athlete on their roster.

Clay: Not really. Everyone is generally ready to give it what it takes to get great footage. You definitely need to remind yourself that pretty much everyone we shoot these days is a top racer and is getting paid to race, not necessarily do tons of filming. If the athlete isn’t stoked then you’re pretty much f–ked. The athlete is everything. It’s a complete respect thing. The best shoots are when the collective mentality between the athlete and myself is “you kill it at riding, we kill it at filming…let’s create the radest stuff anyone’s ever seen”. That’s when you really get amazing footage.

Clay: Ideas and inspiration come from everywhere. Other films, photography, music, magazines. I think we make sure that we’re always continually pushing the limits of our work by always trying to better ourselves. With every project you do you learn so much and are able to bring that new knowledge to the next project… each is really a progression of the last one.

Clay: Looking back on The Atherton Project I think it was a huge success. It really opened the door for me within Red Bull and was an amazing project to widen and expand the family’s fan base. The biggest accomplishment for me during the three year run was when the show got on Fuel TV, prior to The Atherton Project, a show about mountain biking had never been on the network. To get the sport of mountain biking into an area like Fuel TV where it had never really been before was a huge accomplishment for me. After Red Bull decided not to do it again, I made the Four By Three series last year. I was super proud of it and feel it’s probably my best ever work. I wanted to do something that was more cinematic after The Atherton Project. It was a super hard decision to make but I’ve decided not to do Four By Three again to spend more time focusing on existing projects and new opportunities. This is the not the end of me working with the Atherton’s or anything like that, I just wanted to take a year off to recharge and take advantage of some doors that have opened up for me. I’ve got some ideas for projects with them… I love working with the Atherton’s and hope to keep filming them for years to come.

Clay: I definitely don’t see myself going to every World Cup like I used to, but I’m stoked to keep shooting them as long as we shoot them in a different way each time. I’d be stoked to shoot a World Cup with 20 plus cameras, and everyone mic’d up and really get behind the scenes. Bottom line is, if a project is new and exciting, I’m stoked.

John: Yes, I will be stepping away from World Cup racing. It’s not that I don’t love filming at the races but it can feel a bit stale at times. They can be tough to film and I didn’t feel like I was growing in my filmmaking. I haven’t actually gone to many in the last few years and I think this helped in our last film from Ft William. I went into the first World Cup of this year excited and ready to work hard and I think our film from that race turned out awesome and gave viewers a different perspective on the event.

Clay: It definitely forces you to better yourself. I’d like to see more track variety on the World Cup circuit but the classics are classics. There’s a reason we go back every year to tracks like Ft. William. Looking back, shooting the same venues over the years has definitely helped me become the cinematographer that I am today. Every summer, its given me a subject coming down the hill at me every 30 seconds. My style has been honed by shooting racing. You never put the camera down and you’re constantly perfecting a certain shot.

Clay: The sport is the biggest it has ever been since I have been involved. I think its thriving and its super cool to see. It’s a way bigger sport than when I started in 2004 and I think its gonna keep growing. Its more competitive, more fans, the coverage is better than ever. It’s growing and I’m proud of the sport.

John:

Clay: I think WBD will be an important film simply because it’s Steve’s story. He’s the most legendary mountain bike racer of all time and he has an amazing story. To get the opportunity to tell that story is quite special. It is a project unlike any other I’ve worked on. It’s definitely a way different process than anything else. It’s the first project I’ve worked on that is really 100% story based. This is the first project I’ve ever done where story has been the ultimate priority. I really want you to be able to watch the film and know nothing about Steve Peat or the sport and leave watching the film stoked on Peaty and the sport in general. It’s an ambitious project and has kept me awake at night thinking of the best ways to approach it, but it’s such an amazing story.

Cam: I see us working on a lot more commercials where we can follow a more definitive shooting schedule and being able to take on fresh challenges weekly. I can still see us doing some film work but it will be based on our passions and our personal fingerprints we want to leave on subjects or genres.

Clay: I see Metis creating amazing commercial campaigns and short films. I see us continuing to develop and refine our style. I want people to be able to view our work and instantly know that it’s ours. I would love for people to get psyched on a commercial or short film simply because they knew we did it. I want people to always be surprised and inspired by our work.

John: I see big things for us. It’s exciting to see how much we’ve grown in just the last year and I’m stoked on what the future holds. I think we can all agree that we will be moving into different sports, continuing to push ourselves.