Making the Cut: Danny Daycare
Our collective at Cut Media has grown quite a bit over the years with new projects and ideas. We’re proud to work with such a vast selection of global brands to deliver campaigns of all varieties. Throughout our growth, one thing has remained a constant in both friendship and collaboration… the one and only Danny MacAskill!
Since our founder, Stu Thomson, filmed with Danny for his first ever ‘DVD’ (remember them?), they’ve been inextricably linked by their work. ‘Big films’ like Industrial Revolutions, Imaginate, The Ridge and Wee Day Out were all a combination of creativity, motivation, hard work and, of course, Danny’s phenomenal talent.
Amongst all of the film work, Stu also became a parent and got his 2 year old daughter Daisy a bike trailer. It was around then that a little idea sparked… One that would snowball into possibly our favourite Cut Media passion project ever!
It started as a bit of a laugh - wondering what Danny could ride with a bike trailer on - but we soon realised that both the trailer and Danny were capable of much more than we expected! Before we go any further, we’d like to reinforce that at no point was Daisy in the trailer when Danny was doing ‘stunts’; she was never in harm's way, and we are definitely not suggesting it’s a good idea to try and backflip with a 2-year-old in tow! Like many of Danny’s films, the phrase ‘don’t try this at home’ will apply. The film also has no brand supporting it, no budget and no media spend. You could call it an experiment to see if the good old ‘viral video’ is still a thing. In reality, it’s a bit of fun and hopefully makes you smile!
At the start of filming, Danny took a while to get used to riding with the trailer, but over time, each shoot seemed to step up a level. It began with a few little jumps, then they got bigger, then he dabbled with a bit of trials. We filmed the shots with Daisy in the trailer when Mum or Dad were out riding.
And how could we forget that famous scene from The Ridge!? With the help of Skye Adventure and some friends, we dragged the trailer up to the Inaccessible Pinnacle’s 986m summit. Once again, the Isle of Skye blessed us with the most beautiful weather and a perfect day in the mountains!
Just when we thought the film had come to a perfect conclusion, Danny had yet another trick up his sleeve. Fresh from the memory of his Wee Day Out barrel roll, Danny decided he could give it a shot with the trailer attached. He took a few trips to Unit 23 skatepark’s foam pit, and with a little bit of engineering from the Vision Ramps boys, we were good to go. And there we were, with Danny and the Daisy Doll hitting a 9ft take-off time after time, sending the trailer upside down to land the barrel roll. Three days (yes, three days!) later, he landed it.
Every film we create with Danny always shows his determination and endless pursuit of creative riding. It’s what sets him apart. Daycare is a bit of fun, with no one driving it other than ourselves, and we’re all so proud of it! We’ve been on a fair bit of a journey with Danny over the last decade, and long may it continue.
