With the inaugural season of Velocity’s “Naked Speed” now airing in re-runs, there’s a palpable sense of relaxation around these parts. Though a new season’s programs seem to pass by in a very hectic six-week flash, planning, producing, filming editing and later, completing all the post-production work it requires to crate a modern, high-definition TV series is a ton of work for a great many people. Those folks who have struggled for the better part of a year to make cable TV’s only motorcycle series a reality breath a well-deserved sigh of relief when the series has aired without a glitch. After more than 15 years in the TV industry, it’s still a sizeable mind-boggler to find hw little the general public understands about how much actual physical work is necessary t make a show like “Café Racer” or “Naked Speed,” a success. For example, people commonly approach my wife to ask about the show and one comment in particular makes us chuckle each time we think of it. A viewer entered her work office asking about “her husband’s motorcycle show” and had a pressing question; “when Mike’s on camera talking, who’s holding the camera?” he wanted to know. That was a strange one, as if the viewer imagined that I and I alone, was responsible for every single production element of the show, from filming interviews, lighting the individual sets, feeding the builders and, apparently, performing my own camera work. Another element of the two Velocity series that a great many punters imagine hat I handle is the al-important work of casting. While it’s flattering to ascertain the level of sheer, unbridled enthusiasm that viewers have for “Naked Speed” a great many assume that blagging a spot on a television series is as easy as approaching someone who works in the field and demanding one. Ah, if only this were true. Closer to the truth, obtaining a chance to appear on the show and building a motorcycle is a long, complex process that, like all professional media, has an intricate system of checks and balances in place to ensure everything goes smoothly. Instead, folks who have never built a custom streetbike in their lives call and e-mail daily asking- and too often demanding- a slot on the show. Some punters have asked whether they can get a shot at being on the series because they have a sexy, stripper girlfriend who always wanted to be famous, but there’s enough shows offering those kinds of people instant fame already….Then there’s the aftermarket parts suppliers who offer up their manufacturing sites, showrooms and even their family homes for location shots.
I wish it were quite that simple, but it’s not down to me but a decision made by the casting producers at Discovery Network who, in all but a few cases, decide whose smiling faces and greasy hands appear on the tube. There are others who are confused about the lag time between when the TV show airs and when it’s made. Often, when or crews are visiting a particular town, other custom builders we’ve met (and sometimes those we haven’t) will call ad ask why we can’t make a stop by their shop that same day or week to film their latest café build as well. It’s as if they image we’re some instant news team who can instantly change course to cover “breaking news” of anyone spinning a wrench nearby. Instead, we’re allocated time and money to cover a specific number of custom builds per season (typically 10 to 12) which have been screened, checked out and approved by people wearing expensive suits in towering offices somewhere far, far away. That may not sound very grass-roots and accessible, but TV never really was. That by no means is to suggest that we at CRM don’t want to hear about your latest custom builds- it’s the bread and butter of what we do and seeing what shadetree mechanics can create is what makes running custom motorbike magazine such a blast. But when it comes to “Naked Speed” well, don’t say we didn’t warn ya!