Global Brands Get Behind Fresh Cuts 48 Hour Film Challenge

The Challenge saw the Fresh Cuts trainees being tested to their creative limits as they were split into two teams, provided with a written brief, backed up by a video call from representatives from global brands FOCUS and Cannondale. The challenge; to interpret the brief provided, craft a storyline, film, edit and deliver back to the clients, in 48 hours!

Filmed in various locations across the Tweed Valley, Scotland, watching these teams hustle against the clock was something else!

The brief from Cannondale was to create content to promote the Moterra SL e-MTB. , with two specific options to consider. Dial It In - Create a compelling, informative and entertaining piece focusing on the range of adjustments that Moterra SL affords the rider.

OR

Take inspiration from the original launch campaign by Cut Media and play on the SL theme. Sketchy Lines morphed into Steezy Lines and with the help of local shredder, Ben Hood, Team Cannondale were able to capture the capabilities of the bike and its capacity for steeze. The final product, delivered within 48 hours, not only met the brief but far exceeded expectations.

Focus were looking for a dynamic social media campaign capturing the joy of e-MTB's. Featuring a Hero Video with two friends, Ben and Olly, spending a day riding their e-MTBs, lapping the trails from sunrise to sunset. Showcasing the fun, adventure, and ease of using e-MTBs, highlighting the companionship between Ben and Olly from morning until evening and fitting in with the Focus brand 'ride together' ethos.

Team Focus nailed the brief and ingeniously decided to integrate GFX to display ride metrics like climbs achieved and battery life, complete with hi-fives!

Focus were were blown away by how the team had captured the essence of their brand.

It's no coincidence that we advocate for and strive to get programmes like these off the ground. Yes, the benefits to the paid trainees involved are clear to see and (we hope) have the potential to be life changing, but on a strategic level, programmes like Fresh Cuts can have a greater impact.

We are responsible for overseeing the Scottish Mountain Bike Strategy 2023-2025 ( MTB Strategy) and delivering many of the actions within it.

This programme is just one of the many areas of our work that helps Scotland achieve its strategic aim for Scotland to be recognised as the ‘European Leader in Mountain Biking’, as detailed in the MTB strategy. The growth of Scottish MTB media companies and the increased level of promotion emanating from Scotland will help reach the aim that Scotland’s MTB economy will be worth £258m GVA per annum by 2025.

From a tourism and screen tourism perspective, the MTB strategy recognises that after the success of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, global eyes will remain on Scotland. It is important that we continue to inspire and work to promote Scotland as the best place in the world to visit and ride.

This programme will support this aim by developing the skills required to produce compelling, authentic and creative content that we will use to showcase the amazing and accessible mountain biking infrastructure that Scottish people and visitors to Scotland can access.

The seven Fresh Cuts creatives are currently working on, with the support of Cut Media, individual films capturing the following briefs:-

Scotland, Wild Winter Adventures. A film by Innes Graham Inspiring campaign aimed at experienced mountain bikers. Encouraging them to travel to Scotland during the winter to enjoy the challenges and adventure of riding during the winter months. The campaign will inspire and embrace the sense of wildness and show the challenges that riding bikes in Scotland in winter brings.

Urban Delights - A film by Aimi Kenyon Fun campaign to bring attention to the number and quality of urban trails and pump tracks across Scotland. In Scotland we have the second highest number of pump tracks of any country in Europe and when combined with urban trails we have fantastic range of facilities to get people riding close to home.

Love Where You Ride - A film by Sean Green Following consultation with mountain bikers and land managers across the UK, the UK Trail Project found many places where mountain biking exists in harmony with nature and other users of the shared land. To help trail access and development, we want to spread the learning points from these sites to other riders across the community.

Mountain Bike Leadership - A film by Ben Davies Aspirational, inspirational and inclusive campaign to encourage more people into mountain bike leadership.

One Year to Go! - A film by Murdo MacGillivary A year to go until the 2026 Commonwealth Games. A film to mark this exciting milestone.

DMBinS Work Across the Scottish Borders - A film by Ross La Trobe A spotlight on the unique work packages and broad ranging work that DMBinS does in the Scottish Borders to improve the MTB Ecosystem: covering the key elements of Trails, Events, Business-Community-Education.

Aberdeenshire - A film by Calum McBain An exciting film to showcase some of the adventures and experiences found across Aberdeenshire taking in a selection of the unique and diverse landscapes, riding opportunities and communities that make it Scotland’s MTB Destination of the Year.

With these films and the potential reach of the 48Hr Brand Challenge, we hope that many more eyes indeed will fall on Scotland as a global mountain bike destination.

An industry showcase/exhibition/celebration of the programme and the body of the work created by the cohort, is being held in Glasgow on the 27th March 2025. Expected attendees to be Scottish Government, MTB brands and media companies and wider broadcast and film production companies.

The seven aspiring creatives will introduce their film projects and provide a first hand insight into their experience of the programme.

This evening will also see key individuals in the project, explain the background to the project, highlight the successes of and explain the potential gains to Scotland's internationally successful screen and content creation industry by continuing to fund programmes such as this.

It is hope that highlighting the successes and potential of the programme, will foster increased collaboration and shared understanding for the potential of ‘crossover’ work between branded content developers and ‘traditional’ TV and film productions, while ensuring a coherent pathway for entry into the MTB and adventure film industry.

A full evaluation of the programme will take place.