Project Overview: Bike Bus Documentary

Hello! If you’ve come to this page, we probably met on the bike bus, and I told you about the documentary film I’m making. Below is more info about the project.

Goals and Objectives

The film is an attempt to capture the joy of riding bikes with friends, and the conversations and connections that happen as kids pedal their way through the city.

I’m approaching this as a “slice of life” documentary, which means there won’t be formal interviews, or people explaining why bike buses are important. Instead, I’m trying to capture the everyday stuff: kids talking about school, books, what they had for breakfast, something they saw along the way, or just complete nonsense.

Rather than interviewing kids afterward about those conversations, I want to actually capture them as they happen. That's why, with permission from parents (and kids), I'd like to put small wireless microphones on riders and then just let them ride. There's nothing anyone is supposed to say or do; it’s more like two kids talking about Calvin and Hobbes (which happened recently), or two kids making plans for recess while pedaling side by side, or maybe months from now, a someone who was nervous on their first ride finds themselves reassuring another first-timer: “This was my first bike bus too!” It’s these kinds of tiny, unscripted moments I want to collect and eventually weave together. The end product will be kind of like an album.

A Long-Term Project

Capturing moments like that takes time. I have two mics and there can be 50 kids in a bike bus. I need to be riding alongside them with the camera pointed in the right direction, everything needs to be working and in focus—and then people have to be not self-conscious and actually talk to their friends. Most days this does not happen, and that is completely fine. This is the reality of documentary filmmaking!

I'll be riding with bike buses regularly, getting to know families and seeing what we find. My last feature documentary took three and a half years to film. The more ordinary rides I'm around for, the more everyone can forget about the camera—and that's usually when the best documentary moments happen.

Participation and Consent

I'm a professional documentary filmmaker and take consent seriously. Participation is completely optional; being part of the bike bus does not mean being part of the film. I may occasionally share non-identifying images from bike bus rides, but I won’t post identifiable footage of your child without your permission. If you do want to participate in this film project, when the film is eventually being assembled, I'll show you any material I'm considering using in which your kid is identifiable. You will see and approve everything before anything is posted or included in the film. If there's something you're not comfortable with, it won’t go in. I'm not looking to embarrass kids or catch anyone doing something “bad.” I'm interested in the funny, sweet, completely ordinary interactions that happen when kids ride through their city together. That said, you do not need a reason to say no. Please do not hesitate to talk to me, or ask me anything you’d like.

Thank you!

cyrus@tahdigpictures.com