The third and final film in the “Bike” trilogy. A documentary of Hilde and my, somewhat foolish, bicycle trip from Minneapolis to Kalamazoo, Michigan. “Bike Trip” continues the story of the two characters from “Bike Race” in their life immediately after the events of that film. I used the same designs and animation style that I had developed in “Bike Race,” though I drew with a Cintiq now rather than with pencil and paper. Anna Taberko joined the project initially to assist with my character animation. But it quickly became clear that her psychedelic tranformations were much more interesting than my own, so she took over the fun part of the animation. Emily Fritze designed and executed the color/texture addition to the character animation. It’s always a pleasure to work with my former MCAD students.
Paul Creager, who curates the Square Lake Film and Music Festival, had the idea of presenting the “Bike Trilogy” live in August, 2018. I extracted Dave King’s original drum performances from the soundtracks of the three films and he improvised live to a projection. Dave’s playing so much these days, in so many different contexts, that he brought tremendous confidence to the event, re-visiting some of the ideas he’d created the first time around and reinterpreting certain aspects of his contribution. It was a great way to see and hear the trilogy presented.
Though Schroeder has been making short films for 20+ years now, I only recently discovered his work with the wonderful Marcel, King of Tervuren. With a strong eye (or is it ear?) for a story and a distinct style, his work is truly charming, utterly engagement and impossible not to enjoy. It’s a proud moment for us here at Short of the Week that we get to premiere the final part of Tom’s Bike trilogy and we look forward to seeing what comes next from the talented filmmaker.
Rob Munday, Short of the Week
But rich layers beyond the spontaneous charm of it all are revealed when you learn more about the production. The film represents the third in a trilogy of animation-and-drums collaborations between Schroeder and King. Each is done in a similar improvised style, and each explores different stages and shades of love via biking stories. The first, Bike Ride (2000), traces the story of one of Schroeder’s high school art students who embarked on a 50-mile (80 km) odyssey to see his girlfriend – only to be dumped shortly after arriving. The second, Bike Race (2010), recalls Schroeder and de Roover’s own meeting and courtship, which was born of a love triangle between drinking and biking buddies. And Bike Trip is, in Schroeder’s words, a ‘resolution of the three’, representing the middle-aged life he and de Roover now enjoy together. In that sense, it concludes a story of partnership and evolution – between Schroeder and de Roover, and between Schroeder and King.
Another theme that lingers just below the surface of Bike Trip is human kindness. At every turn, the chronically unprepared pair are ushered along by strangers who ask nothing in return. Fellow cyclers provide helpful tips for easing the journey. Friendly homeowners invite them to camp on their property. When they finally arrive at Bell’s only to realise the business is in the process of relocating, a bartender at a brewery across the street takes them in with welcoming arms (and taps), even capping their pilgrimage with a prized bottle of barley wine. ‘It was a very stupid idea, but it was one of the best experiences of my life’, Schroeder said at a live screening of the Bike Trilogy in 2018. ‘It gives you faith in humanity.’
Adam D’Arpino, Psyche Film