Through the Lens Summer Sessions 2016

Celebrating 5 years of bringing the best in locally produced short films to the people, this year wasn't going to be let down by the lack of the annual Queenstown Mountain Bike Festival. Calling on entrants to again produce a short film celebrating the summer lifestyle found here in the Southern Lakes, the standard again continued to impress and the audience were treated to an epic selection of local action. 

Long term stalwart and veteran of the competition in spite of his years, Scott Robb again proved himself to be a force to be reckoned with delivering a slick edit that got the audience pumped and showcasing exactly the reason why this competition exists in the first place. Growing alongside Scott ever since he entered his first edit in 2014, the opportunity to showcase the incredible local talent is what keeps us coming back for more. Scott has proven himself to be a master behind the lens and is helping the world see what incredible locations and talent exist in this mecca of the south. 

Take a look at Scott's winning entry below. 

Not to be outdone, DKT Edits and the team from Huss partnered up to produce another strong edit showcasing a raft of local pinners and epic southern scenery in a selection of the best Queenstown has to offer. Take a look at their edit, 'Desire' below.  

Rounding out the competition is another Through the Lens stalwart, Pete McGnarly (nee McInally) with his fitting tribute to the late, great Kelly McGarry. Our deepest respects go out to one of our biggest mountain biking icons and it was our deepest regret that he couldn't be be with us for this years show. Combining thanks to Kelly for his inspiration to all those he touched with an irreverent style that only Pete can pull off, take a look at his entry below. 

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of THrough the Lens, this year also saw the introduction of the Skyline MTB Photo Showdown which ran online in the weeks after the live show. With a massive reach and huge voter turnout, our congratulations go to Matt Wood for his winning entry. 

A big thanks to all those who took the time and effort to craft their entries for this years competition. To watch the rest of the great films from 2016 check out the Through the Lens Summer Sessions 2016 playlist on YouTube. 

Both the Summer Sessions and the Photo Showdown will be back in 2017 and hopefully part of a new and invigorated Queenstown bike fest celebration... Watch this space!!

Through the Lens: Summer Sessions 2015

Through the Lens Summer Sessions 2015

Back for 2015, this time with the support of industry heavyweights SRAM/RockShox headlining the act, the Summer Sessions again proved why they are becoming known as the hottest night out during the Queenstown Bike Festival. Continuing the recent trend of sell out shows, this year saw another great selection of films ranging from the hilarious to the hard charging.

Boasting over $4,000 in prizes including a Rock Shox Pike RCT3 fork and SRAM Guide RS brake set, a season pass from Skyline MTB, E-13 gear, cash and kit from Bikeaholic, Spoke magazine subscriptions, Huss kit and prizes from Select and Torpedo7, the action was hot and heavy in the race to win over the audience and claim the number 1 spot.

Asked to showcase their take on mountain biking, entrants had to package the action into a 3-7 minute clip including compulsory b-roll footage. With an audience vote choosing the winner it was soon clear from the vocal reactions that the crowd had 2 films in line for top honours.

Local high school student Scott Robb is becoming a veteran to the competition with a solid 2nd in the 2014 Summer Sessions and a 1st in the most recent Winter Sessions. This year saw him again put together a film worthy of DVD release and we don’t doubt that this kid has big things ahead. Unfortunately a Summer Sessions win again proved elusive with Scott coming an agonisingly close 2nd for the second year in a row.

Through the Lens Summer Sessions powered by SRAM/Rock Shox. Entry by Scott Robb, 2nd Place 2015 

First time entrants to the competition, Johanna Lundgren and friends stole the show and the audience vote with their sassy opening scene and non-stop girl on bike action. Proving that it’s not just the boys that can rip on a bike, ‘She’s Alright for a Girl’ showcased some of the best female riding in Queenstown and proves that you don’t have to be hitting 40ft senders and smashing trails at Mach 10 to make riding look fun.

Through the Lens Summer Sessions powered by SRAM/Rock Shox. Entry by Johanna Lundgren and Lucie Vodrazkova, 1st Place 2015 

The winners for 2015 Through the Lens Summer Sessions powered by SRAM/RockShox

To top the night off, last year’s winner Paul Rayner of Interrobang Motion Pictures showcased his recent work for Huss and the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club.

This is a Huss story, the people behind us and what we are about.

A massive thanks firstly goes to our amazing sponsors for helping make the event a reality and also to all those that made it along on the night for the show (and sorry to all those that missed out!). Many don't appreciate the effort that goes into putting together even a short edit so a HUGE thanks to all those willing to put their efforts up on the big screen, without whom we wouldn’t have a show!

We now look forward to the Winter Sessions in a couple of months time before looking forward to the 5th anniversary of the Summer Sessions in March 2016, rest assured we have big plans!! 

Through the Lens: Summer Sessions 20141

They say that the 3rd time’s a charm and as one of the hottest nights out during the Queenstown Bike Festival, 2014 proved that to be the case. From hard charging edits to parodies and complete mockeries of all things biking, showcasing the talents of short term visitors and long term locals alike, the Summer Sessions are where it all began. Back for 2014 and competing for over $3000 in cash and prizes this year saw the strongest field of entries yet.

With long term supporters The World Bar out of action the show was moved to their pop up bar, The Find. Vertigo Bikes threw down the cash, TomTom Productions provided the tech support and 7 hopeful filmers let it all hang out in order to prove to the audience that they deserved the top spot.

With the quality of entries really stepping up for 2014 it was always going to be a close battle but winner Paul Rayner proved that with enough sleepless nights magic can happen. Paul’s film showcases Queenstown for what it really is, not just a bikers paradise but a family of GC's.

GCs - Paul Rayner - 1st Place 2014 Summer Sessions

Following close behind with a solid second place, Scott Robb and his riding crew certainly impressed the crowd, especially considering they’re all still in high school! A well deserved second place for their entry, From the Shadows.

From the Shadows - Scott Robb - 2nd place 2014 Summer Sessions

Not to be outdone, Lawrence Simpson of LCS Visual came a narrow 3rd with his docudrama Edward Masters: The Spirit of Enduro rounding out the podium. With Eddy’s strong training regime I’m sure we can expect big things from him in this year’s Enduro World Series!

The Spirit of Enduro - Lawrence Simpson - 3rd Place 2014 Summer Sessions

Back once again and proving that age knows no boundaries, Pete McInally reprised his role as the wholly inappropriate, Pete McGnarly and with all the buzz and the hype over enduro at the moment it’s refreshing to see that not everyone has sold out yet. Long time crowd favourite the Huck Wizard also returned with his views on the current state of mountain biking.

Once again the house was packed, proving again that Through the Lens has firmly established itself as the mountain bike film showcase here in Queenstown. We couldn't do it without our sponsors though and a big shout has to go out to all the great support they've given. The awesome boys at Vertigo Bikes, the crew and hosts at The Find, TomTom Productions, Queenstown Bike Taxis, e13 bike components, Huss clothing, Skyline and Spoke magazine, we couldn't have done it without you so many many thanks!!! 

To the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club and all the trail builders, a massive thanks for all the work you do giving us the trails to make these films on... You Rock!! Start planning those edits for next year because Through the Lens will most certainly be back in 2015 and bigger and badder than ever. For those not here in Queenstown, do yourself a favour and pack your bags, book your ticket and do something about it.. Booyah!

Through the Lens - Summer Sessions 2013

Mid week of the 2013 Queenstown Bike Festival saw the return of the popular Through the Lens film competition. From humble beginnings in 2012, Through the Lens returned as a showcase of mountain biking here in the Southern Lakes of New Zealand. This year hosts The World Bar were offering up a cold hard $1000 for first place and subsequently the action was always going to be tight to take home the top spot. The bar was packed on the night and with 10 entries vying for top spot the crowd were treated to a spectacle of creativity, riding and in many cases, just down right ridiculousness. 
 

Everyone involved stepped it up with some great edits and some even better riding. With the audience voting for their favourite film on the night it came right down to the wire between returning crowd favourites from 2012, the Kelly McGarry inspired Pete McGnarly and huck to flat specialist, the Huck Wizard. With only 20 votes separating the winner from runner up, Pete McGnarly managed to sneak in and take the win and the briefcase full of cash. 

Pete McGnarly - Deva Stinks (WINNER)

Pete and his winnings along with his muse, Kelly McGarry

Creating a legend that even spawned it's own t-shirt run, the follow up to the popular 'Huck Wizard' from 2012...

Si and Pang - Huck Wizard 2 (RUNNER UP)

Coming in with a solid 3rd place was Kevin Triboulat and his take on the Queenstown bike scene below.

Kevin Triboulat - Through the Lens (THIRD)

Honorable mentions also go out to Callum and his unique take on the film concept. Definitely something different and we're hoping to see more like this in the future!

Callum Wood (HONOURABLE MENTION)

Todd from Perfect Line also managed to film and edit his entry in the final 2 days before submissions were due and managed to put together this...

Todd - Perfect Line TV

Big thanks to recent visitors to town, Anthill Films and Trek Bikes for kindly donated this 2013 Trek Remedy 8 to the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club who raffled it off to raise money for trail building and maintenance.

Selling out again in only it's second year, Through the Lens has firmly established itself as the mountain bike film showcase here in Queenstown. We couldn't do it without our sponsors though and a big shout has to go out to all the great support they've given. The World Bar, Skyline, Vertigo Bikes, R&R Sport, Select, Fat Badgers Pizza Bar, Kashi from Black Seal with the Urge and CSixx goodies, we couldn't have done it without you so many many thanks!!! To the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club and all the trail builders, a massive thanks for all the work you do giving us the trails to make these films on... You Rock!!

Start planning those edits for next year because Through the Lens will most certainly be back in 2014 and bigger and badder than ever. For those not here in Queenstown, do yourself a favour and pack your bags, book your ticket and do something about it.. Booyah!

Through the Lens - The Beginning

On April 3rd a jam packed World Bar played host to Queenstown's First Annual Mountain Bike Film Festival. 

Local filmmakers were asked to produce a video edit up to 7 minutes in length, shot exclusively in the Southern Lakes area of New Zealand. The final edits to make the cut were s mixture of funny, epic, and even super weird, featuring some well known local shredders as well as first time filmers just having a laugh. 

Taking home the big win was JonTV with his beautifully shot edit featuring Kelly McGarry and packed with banger shots all the way through, leaving Ginger Si and Pangs to take the Runner Up spot with their hilarious effort Huck Wizard. 

Jon TV - Through the Lens 2012 (WINNER)

The evening was a great success, with what seemed like every biker in Queenstown at the screening and raised over $500 for the QMTBC to go towards future developments. 

Congratulations to all those who made it through the toil to get their edits completed on time. While the films may only last a couple of minutes, they're often the result of hours upon hours of hard work. 

The first edition of Through the Lens showed us that there was certainly demand for a good night of home grown content and you can rest assured that the things will only get bigger from here!

Take a look at some of the other great entries below...

Ginger Si and Pang - Huck Wizard (RUNNER UP)

SheGNARnigans Queenstown

Bob, Indri & Nat - Fooking Epic (BEST LIFESTYLE)

Pete McGnarly - Lycra Goes Bad