Weaving a Mother-Daughter Mountain Biking Story Through a Fairy-Tale Landscape

The new e-assist bike from Specialized - the Kids Turbo Levo SL -  is an amazing tool for getting kids confident on bikes from an earlier age, and bringing families together in the great outdoors. Taking this sentiment well and truly to heart, gnarly bay’s director Lindsey Hagen worked with the bicycle company to tell the story of a mother and a daughter, exploring the Austrian Alpine landscape as the child gets older and more proficient on two wheels - with a little electric-powered boost.

Following the parent and child dynamic in several stages of life, and with an array of stunning mountainous backdrops, the film features a genuine mum-daughter duo, and explores the youngster’s blossoming love for mountain biking as Specialized’s e-bikes spark her passion for the sport. From learning on a balance bike as a toddler to ripping it down berms on a flowy single track, the spot follows every stage of development - and does so with elegant, cinematic camerawork in some of Europe’s most scenic countryside.

LBB’s Ben Conway spoke with Lindsey to discuss how the project came about, the joys and challenges of working with an authentic, non-actor cast, and how the team captured the “Hansel and Gretel-esque mountainscape” of Austria’s Navis Valley. 

LBB> How did this project come about? Have you worked with Specialized before? 

Lindsey> This project came to me by means of the global brand design team for the mountain bike category at Specialized. Makenzie Brown, the art director of the department, was gearing up for the launch of the new Kids Turbo Levo SL e-assist mountain bike and developed beautiful creative for how she envisioned this piece coming to life. I had never worked with Specialized before and I had never directed something in the narrative space, so it was an exciting and nerve-wracking challenge, but I had such an amazing team including Specialized’s art director, and I worked very closely throughout to bring her vision to fruition. 

LBB> The film features a real-life mother and daughter - how important was this from a director’s perspective? And how was the casting process generally?

Lindsey> The mother-daughter duo was paramount to capturing the authenticity and ease we see on screen. Maria, the mother, is a sponsored Specialized ambassador in Innsbruck [Austria] and her daughter Lily is a vivacious, spit-fire young woman who’s also a confident rider and an absolute joy to work with. Maria guides many mountain bike trips in the region so she was an amazing resource when it came to selecting our filming locations. The route we filmed Maria and Lily riding together was actually a stretch of trail Maria had always wanted to share with Lily, and the e-assist Kids Turbo Levo SL enabled us to orchestrate this meaningful mother-daughter bonding experience in real time.

Our ‘teen’ Lily was also a local Specialized rider named Paula - a phenomenal rider who also had a pre-existing relationship with Maria - so with some red hair dye, we had the makings for a very authentic relationship on camera.

Our toddler on the other hand was a first-time actor - it took us hours and many tears just to get the small riding scene you see. Luckily, Maria is a seasoned mother and sprung into action teaching our youngest talent how to enjoy some time on two wheels in the Austrian Alpine. All in all, what you see on camera really came down to Maria’s experience and expertise as a wonderful mother and leader in the local mountain bike community.

LBB> The scenery is astonishing -  what were some of the most fulfilling moments of filming there? And equally - what were some challenges the terrain posed?

Lindsey> When Makenzie shared her vision with me, she desired a ‘Hansel and Gretel-esque’ mountainscape. We toyed with the Italian Alps and Switzerland and ultimately landed on Austria, in the Navis Valley. Much of this decision came down to proximity to our talent, access to bikes in Innsbruck and hut availability. Maria, our key talent, had guided many trips in this region and logistically this was the best location to execute our story. We also shot at Sölden bike park which was about an hour and a half from Navis - this is where you see Paula’s downhill flow segment. 

One of the biggest hurdles we faced with filming locations was private land - much of the Navis Valley is populated by farmers and certain trails and roads were simply inaccessible. We had to get creative with workarounds - filming in Sölden for a day was one of those and it was amazing to visit their bike park - highly recommend the visit for anyone wanting to experience some downhill terrain in Austria.

Hands down the most fulfilling aspect of filming at this location was getting to location scout the entire valley on e-bikes. It was the highlight of my trip and during our shoot days, we actually slept at our filming location and the family who owned the cabin made the most incredible meals and schnapps, they were such wonderful, kind hosts and they made our visit so memorable.

LBB> How was the location scouting process? Where did you enjoy shooting most and why?

Lindsey> The art director, our producer, myself, and Maria (all female) e-biked the entire Navis Valley to scout our locations, it was my favourite scout day to date. And for Sölden, they allowed us exclusive access to the top of the mountain so we had the bike park to ourselves. We had an interesting run-in with a herd of cows!

For our first product integration with the toddler, featuring the Hotwalk [balance bike], we filmed right out the back door - as many toddlers learn to ride close to home. As we transitioned to the Riprock [kids mountain bike] we saw Lily gaining confidence and expanding her horizons. She begins joining her mum on smaller adventures close to home, meets the neighbouring farmer, and still needs a boost now and again from mom. Up-levelling to our hero product, the Turbo Levo SL Kids bike - our longest segment and where the perspective changes - Lily is leading the way and we are seeing the world from her perspective. Her confidence excels here as she is able to not only keep up with mom but ultimately surpasses her - bringing our adventure to new heights, finishing on a scenic ridgeline vista. 

In our final segment, our teenager Lily is out exploring on her own, riding the most technical and flowing terrain from morning to night, featuring the Turbo Levo SL.

All locations were chosen not only for their technical aspects, but also how they related to this sense of home and growing up as a more confident rider, as well as the natural light for our intended time of day. I love that this film starts and ends at home. This location, close to home in the Navis Valley, was my favourite. The views were incredible and the sounds of cowbells in the distance and the smell of amazing Austrian homemade cuisine were a delight for the senses. 

LBB> The actors (and crew!) must have gotten tired doing so much exercise in the hills - what was it like directing while on the move? 

Lindsey> These were exhausting shoot days, lots of gear shlepping, inclement weather and constant adjusting of the schedule. We had one covid scare and also the limitations of working with young talent. Maria and Lily for the most part were so excited about the opportunity to go on this special mother-daughter trip, [so] level-setting and discussing expectations for each day was really important. We always made sure Lily understood what the plan was for the day and she even got to call ‘action!’ on a few occasions. It was fun working to empower her throughout the whole process and this approach helped her feel much more confident on screen. We also were sure to pack lots of chocolate and sweets for our longer bike segments, which was helpful for the entire team.

LBB> What was your equipment set-up for this shoot like?

Lindsey> For the most part, we shot handheld which made for a more intimate, natural feel. We used the slider on a few occasions to help achieve that storybook allure, a drone for an expansive reveal that aligned with the story arc, and some locked-off repeat shots to help depict that passing of time. We shot with the Alexa Mini LF, and landed on Iron Glass lenses which are a set of rehoused Russian spherical lenses. This was a decision by our cinematographer Harrison Mendel in the interest of maintaining our storybook look and feel - he nailed it.

LBB> Did you work closely with the editor? What was the direction of the edit?

Lindsey> I worked very closely with the editor, who also happens to be my partner. This project was all storyboarded and we shot intentional transitions between ‘chapters’ so we had a strong outline in place from the jump. I think the biggest challenge, working with non-actors, was using our discretion for the best take and leaning into what felt most authentic. 

Music and pacing played such an important role in the final cut. My intention was to have momentum build as our rider grows up and develops more confidence, but also have moments to breathe and have tenderness between the mother and daughter to help our viewer melt in. The editor on this project, Chris Naum, also primarily shoots, so there was an innate knowledge of how to best utilise the moments we captured, and he takes a very intuitive approach to his work. The edit was really a breeze.

LBB> What is the shot or moment from the production that will stay with you forever?

Lindsey> Gosh, so many amazing takeaways. I loved watching Paula rip in the bike park, it was fun watching a confident rider do so many takes and just nail it. I got to push my comfort level in a lot of ways with this production - it was my first narrative project, with full hair, make-up, props, and an art department budget. 

I loved the mind game of continuity! I loved that I got to work with such a wonderful mother-daughter combo! And I had the joy of working alongside Harrison Mendel, a super-talented cinematographer who has a strong reputation in this space. He taught me a lot and was so easy to work with. 

And this was the first set I’d worked on that was majority female-led - that’s something I’m really proud of. It was female leadership at Specialized that sought me out for this job and we had such a solid working relationship. We were able to really build off of one another in a healthy, productive way that made for a wonderful experience and a finished product we’re very happy with.