Danny MacAskill’s new video inspired by childhood

WITH a colossal copy of a Dandy annual, a vast Rubik’s Cube, and a scattering of playing cards, pencils that dwarf all around them, it could easily pass for the playroom of a giant’s children.

Danny MacAskill jumps over a Red Bull F1 car during the Imaginate filming in Glasgow

But in the latest instalment of a daredevil career which has enthralled millions the world over, the celebrated Scots stunt cyclist Danny MacAskill has turned to childhood daydreams for his new film.

The 27-year-old, whose videos have attracted tens of millions of views online, designed the “nostalgic” set featuring life size toys under a shroud of secrecy in Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall.

Some two years in the making, a film documenting his gravity-defying circuit of the unique course will be premiered this weekend in Edinburgh.

Picture: submitted

The former bike technician from Skye became an overnight YouTube sensation four years ago, when five minute video of him performing stunt at various locations across the capital went viral, eventually garnering more than 32 million hits.

He has since released several equally popular videos, starred in a Volkswagen commercial, and displayed his talents as a stuntman in the Hollywood thriller, Premium Rush.

Now, with the release of his fourth film, entitled Imaginate, the trials cyclist told The Scotsman the course was inspired by memories of playing at his home in Dunvegan, pretending he was performing on a bike.

Taking a step back from real life locations that featured in his previous films, he hopes the feature will allow fans to “enter his mind” and inspire a new generation of riders.

Picture: submitted

“I was given a blank canvas by my sponsors, Red Bull, to do whatever I wanted, and the concept that occurred to me was a childhood dream, of performing stunts on some of the toys I played with,” he explained. “I used to be quite a daydreamer in primary school, and I was inspired by nostalgia, from the cartoons I used to watch as a kid.

“I wanted to come up with something completely different and build a giant set in an indoor environment. A lot of the riding was made up as I went along, but I had a clear idea of the props and obstacles I wanted to use, like the big toy tank and Formula One car.”

Directed by Stu Thomson, the film begins with an actor portraying the young MacAskill at home, lost in play, before seguing into an unrecognisable Kelvin Hall, where the cyclist performs jumps, flips, and somersaults using giant paper clips, dice, building blocks, as well as more traditional obstacles like loop rides.

The set even includes a large-scale Twister game, and toy soldiers appear to come to life, performing their own tricks. Many of the props were designed by MacAskill’s friends at Vision Ramps, a bespoke design firm in Edinburgh.

MacAskill, who now lives in the capital, added: “It was a real challenge to turn the idea into life and make it work, as well as keeping the whole project under wraps given we were filming it in somewhere as busy as Glasgow.

“It took a lot of man hours to design and construct the set, and I had to step up and perform once everything was in place, but it was an incredibly fun and challenging thing to do, and hopefully it will encourage young people who see it to ride.

Asked if he intended to make another film on such a vast indoor set, or return to the great outdoors for his next venture, he added: “I think I learned a lot from indoor riding, and I would storyboard a ride in the future. But I think for the moment I’ll look at more street riding and outdoors.

The film will receive its Scottish premiere at 8pm this Saturday at the Ross Band Stand in Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens. The event, which is free and non-ticketed, will also feature an audience Q&A session with MacAskill.