banerjek

The uni is developing promotional materials to snag prospective students. It will have a bike theme, and they want to show students tooling around on exotic bikes. They thought my highracer was cool, so they asked me if they could use it. I said OK.

Their method is to shoot with the subject balancing against a blank wall in a studio and then photoshop in a scene so it looks like you're cruising around campus. So far so good. But that's where they started getting out of their element.

I can't believe anyone would need OCP hints from me, but these guys did. Fortunately, my ride confused them enough that they were willing to take suggestions on how to pose the bike (drive side out with leg extended, chain on big ring on front and middle in back, valve stems in 6 o'clock position, etc) -- all of this was news to them.

They stuck a skinny young kid in jeans and flip flops on my bike. He was scared of my clipless pedals (I offered my shoes) and no one was concerned by my comments that no one would ride that way. But they also didn't want eye, hand, or head protection, the lack of reality is consistent.

They assure me the shots look great. I am curious to see what my poor bike will look like in the final product because anything I imagine is either surreal or too crazy even to call Freddish. I'm just thankful not to be in the pics myself (too old -- there was never any chance of that).

bigfred 

Let's here it for fabrication over reality! You'll have to post the photos when you get to see them. I'll be really curious to see how they turn out. (And, yes, you have to admire their unwillingness to use any form of protection, even a helmet:-()

banerjek

Reality probably wouldn't have been a very good idea in this case. Showing hung over ragbags riding pieces of crap doesn't have the same cache as some cool kid with pink hair on a machine no one recognizes.

Presuming my bike isn't too embarrassed, I may post some pics.

Having said that, fixies are common, and they did take a pic of one kid on one. The student in the pic actually rides one -- though they're showing him on a custom built one built and owned by one of my friends.

rollin

You are the OCP consultant to the Uni??

Does the graduation gown look anything like this?

Fat Boy

Brandi to the rescue?

banerjek

They photographed a number of other bikes at the same time as mine. Truth be told, they were pretty interesting. However, I definitely had the most OCP sensibilities of anyone in the room by far.

This is not a role I am accustomed to playing, but academia is an especially Freddish environment.