Luke - Cai’s initial interview shoot was a bit of a shock. Matt & I were stunned by his honest and open approach. He didn’t hold back at all. We roughly wove together Cai’s and Leon’s clips just to get a narrative locked in place, but it quickly dawned on us that this film needed to be longer than we first thought, and we really needed more footage! So we quickly came up with an additional shot list and went back out.
Matthew - Along with the three days filming as a group, myself & Cai head on some solo missions to capture Drone footage, Gimbal shots walking his bike through the woods in the golden hour light and shooting photos along the way, keeping the mood and tone of the video in mind shooting slow movements and flowing drone movements. During this shoot, Cai told us about a close friend of his that recently took his own life and Cai wanted to talk about it but didn't yet know what to say.
Cai - Filming with the boys was an amazing experience that I've come away with two close friends with, I needed to be able to be comfortable talking about my experiences and they were great in making me feel at home, and like I could tell them anything. that's when I decided it would be an important element to discuss the passing of a close friend of mine in the video. To show the importance of getting help and the blindness or unsuspecting we sometimes have to what the people around us are going through, it was a hard process talking about it, especially with cameras pointing at you and I wanted to take it out of the video for a little while out of respect for my friend but changed my mind after watching the video without it, its an important message & I hope it makes a difference and can persuade someone to speak up and get help. At this time filming became a nice release, and we were having really good fun although we were filming a project with such depth.
Cai - There is a lot of stigma around men talking about their mental health, seeing it as a weakness, I have that competitive aspect to my personality, the tough guy act. Looking back I think you're in a weaker state like that. Leon would reassure me that talking about my problems and seeking help would be the real tough guy thing to do. When it got to the point that I decided I needed help, it got a lot easier from then. The tablets helped me get out of bed, get into a routine and become myself again.
Luke - When we began this project we wanted to try and break down the stigma behind talking about your mental health. I’ve had my own battles with mental health, so felt it was really important to break the film down and include some serious hard facts. Cai’s story is the driving factor here, but we wanted people to understand this affects many more people, more than most realise. Our hope was that somebody could watch this film, maybe recognize some of the emotions Cai talks about, and realise that they’re not on their own. There is help there for you.
Matthew - Working so closely with Cai on this project discussing and hearing him talk about the signs of depression & trouble with mental health shook me up. Cai's perspective really made me really think about the people close to me & how we can all be going through life on different paths but we can also cross over those paths to help one another continue forward. We hope you also have this reaction and are looking out for those around you.
Production - @Missing Media - A collaboration between Luke Chard & Matthew Davies We would like to thank Cai for his open & honest attitude to this project.
Cai would like to thank everyone for their continued support and especially - Leon Rosser, His Nan, Sister, Nephew, Close Friends.
Sponsors - Orbea Bicycles, Unite Components, Ride Fox UK, Saddleback UK, AMS All Mountain Style Protection, Mudhugger, MTB Strap on, Vittoria Tyres.
