Toast, as taken by MFF Judge JP
The 2014 Motorcycle Film Festival trailer is brought to us by Toastacia “Toast” Boyd. Based in Los Angeles, the multi-talented video artist has a knack for sounds, movement, rhythm, pace and texture. Between breaths Toast took a minute to talk to us.
Which came first: bikes or movies and how did they come together?
Well, they’ve both been in my life for a long time. My sister and I used to jump garbage cans on our BMX bikes as kids, playing at being Evel Knievel while pretending to shoot film through the eye of our Six Million Dollar Man doll! But those weren’t real motorcycles or real film. I guess in actuality, motorcycles came first. A few of us saved up our paper route money and went in together to buy a used YZ100…we kept it down by the river to hide it from our parents.
Whenever asked what I wanted for my birthday or Xmas, I begged relentlessly for the same three things: a motorcycle, a drum set, and a movie camera. I guess faced with the other options, a movie camera appealed to my parents most! Once I got my mitts on a Super 8 camera, I began to film everything I could afford, including Mad Max recreations and action sequences.
In the MFF 2014 trailer you worked with the Velvets MC. Who are they and how did you meet?
The Velvets are a bunch of cool chicks that made a pact with me to go out and to dirt bike more. It started as a dare and turned into a sisterhood! So we’ve organized into an MC so we can push each other even further – improve our skills and enjoy the thrills of riding, wrenching and rocking!
What’s the best part about making movies with other bikers?
The best part is how passionate bikers are… about where they’ve just come from and where they’re headed. Cool thing is, it’s not just the people, but the bikes too!
Is there a common thread between riding and making movies?
Oh yes, yes, yes! It’s easy to say they both take you on a journey blah blah blah… but it’s way more than that. I always try to make film slightly more sensory by using texture, motion, and focus so it’s not just a window you look through, but light and shadow that you move through… Kind of like the difference between driving a car past a dirt field with the windows rolled up versus being on a bike so you can smell that it’s actually a strawberry patch!
Rumor has it you used to be in a punk band. Wanna tell us about it and how it fits with filmmaking?
It’s true! I began played in bands as a much cheaper way to be creative… Compared to the cost of making films, definitely! I definitely find rhythm a valuable tool. Since I do a lot of in-camera editing, always having a song in my head helps me keep a sense of pace. I love cutting to music in the edit room too. It’s like collaborating with an old friend!
How did you get involved in making the MFF ’14 trailer?
I’m not sure! When the subject came up, I was under the impression that mine would be one of several. I’m pretty sure that if I had realized that it was to be the “official” trailer of the festival that I would have sweated it a lot more! It’s probably a good thing that I didn’t have any idea – so I kept it somewhat whimsical!
Why did you choose to film it in Super 8?
I love shooting film for its texture and graininess. I used Super 8 because it’s small and portable. You know, hidden easily if you have to throw it in your jacket and take off on your bike!
What were the best parts of making this trailer and most challenging, besides us rushing the hell out of you?
We all had such had a blast taking turns riding around on the police bike – that might have been the best part. That mechanical siren is seriously a piece of art! It runs off a drum on the rear wheel, so you can really get a lot of personality out of it by altering either your speed or the amount of pressure on the handlebar lever or both. It screams at higher speeds and then it mournfully wails as you pull to a stop…so cool! Of course, we scared the hell out of some school kids that were cutting class.
As for the challenging part, that was probably the tricky development scenario I got myself into… sometimes I do “over-experiment”!
Do you have a favorite moto movie?
It’s almost impossible to pick just one, but I do have a small collection of old Regular 8 films about hill climbs and scrambles that I bought at a yard sale. I have no idea who shot the film, who those daring riders are that are in it, or exactly when or where the footage is from. But every time I watch the reels, I notice another peculiarity. The footage is very raw, almost rapturous. It’s a heartfelt documentation by an amateur immersed in a historical moment. It’s completely inspiring.
What are you working on next?
I’m working with the amazing and inspiring Cris Sommer-Simmons. We’re putting together a film about her coast-to-coast journey on a 1915 Harley-Davidson during the 2010 Motorcycle Cannonball. The footage I shot was originally to be B-Roll for a bigger project, but since that film never transpired, we’re going to use the film we have to put together her story. Stay tuned!
If you need more Toast, head over to her website at www.toastola.com and you can find toastola on YouTube too.