WIRED TO WIN: Surviving the Tour de France

With more than 20 large-format films under his belt, Myles Connolly knew that the impossibility of filming extra takes would make his job on Wired to Win much more difficult. But as someone who hasn’t missed a Tour de France in 20 years, he told the cinematographer, when he heard about this IMAX project, "I’ve got to find a way on board!”

Myles was introduced to cycling as a teenager when he happened to catch the Paris–Roubaix race on television. The race is known as “the Hell of the North,” and he recalls “being incredulous that people did this. They wore flimsy Lycra shorts and a jersey, they didn’t wear helmets, and you could really see them and their suffering.” He ended up getting a bike and becoming a fan of European cycling, “because for me it had the raw human drama that traditional American sports lacked.”

In the middle of it all

He got the job on Wired to Win (and a taste of what he was in for) after a four-day presentation by the IMAX team turned into a three-month stay in Europe. “We couldn’t slide the race schedule, so we had to cram the pre-production work into a hectic four-and-a-half weeks,” Myles explains. During pre-production, the schedules, budgets, crew, and equipment are put in place. “For something on this scale, it can be as grand as signing deals with all the cyclists down to planning what car will pick up the director at 7:15 a.m. on Day 5 of the race. It’s very much like a military campaign because it comes together from all these disconnected pieces.” If things are done right, the process flows pretty smoothly, but, as he points out, “in this project we’re a very small cog in the very big machine that is the Tour de France—which waits for no man. It was very interesting but also rather daunting.”

“As the line producer, I really want to see the team come back with the best material and as much of the original shot list as humanly possible,” Myles explains. He sets the budget; establishes the shooting and overall project schedules (working closely with Daniel Ferguson, the first assistant director); serves as the liaison between the core production team (the director, cinematographer, and first assistant director), the talent (in this case, the cyclists), and the other departments (like wardrobe, art, and sound); and deals with “the rest of the world” (people like the executive producers and corporate sponsors). Oh, yes, and whatever else it takes to keep the gears greased, catastrophes at bay, and the goal in sight.

The tallest order yet

If pre-production was hectic, production was even more so. Managing four multinational camera teams under a relentless timetable turned out to be even harder than working on the IMAX film Everest, where there was only one camera crew and one mountain to contend with. “Typically, you get rehearsals, shoot a bunch of takes, and move on when everybody’s happy. At the Tour you show up, set up the camera, fight off people trying to set up in front of you or steal your equipment, and hear the helicopters coming.” When that minute’s over and the cyclists have passed, the teams pack up and drive as much as 350 kilometers to the next hotel. No second chances. And sporting events follow no script. As Myles says, “You set yourself up and hope for opportunities to fall into line so that you’ll be there to capitalize on them. Also, that if something unexpected happens, you can catch it.”

Fortunately, the production process was relatively short, in this case taking up about two months of a two-and-a-half-year process. Myles’ favorite stage is post-production, when elements like music, sound effects, and voiceovers are added. “It’s really where the movie is put together and shaped, and it’s my favorite part because it’s very creative,” he explains. “It’s a puzzle, and you have to put it together so that the viewer will get the most out of it.”

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