One of the best parts of film making is the possibility of opening a door into any subject or universe, live in that world for a time, experiencing it, observing it thoroughly and then carving that experience into a film which will last forever.

Every film we make takes us on a unique journey. We have to learn about our subject, about the place where the story is set, about the craft we are filming. We have to become experts on every detail that makes the film.

When we decided to make a film about a daredevil motorcyclist that rode the Globe of Death we had no idea where that door would lead us. When you start to research for a film project it always feels a little daunting. You have no idea what to expect, if there is even a film to be made or not.

We knew the subject would look stunning visually so we wanted to find a thread, a story which would bind it all together.

Most of the Globe of Death teams come from South America, originally we even thought about the possibility of shooting there but we came across Lucius and his team in the UK and it seemed promising. We only needed to find the story.

We first met Lucius in a coffee shop in London. He had just prepped for one of his shows and was having a break before going on. We introduced ourselves and got chatting about his craft. He has an incredible calm rhythm. Walks slowly, speaks with confidence, as if he isn’t going anywhere. As if he is where he should be. At first our chat was quite superficial, he told us he has being riding in the Globe for over 40 years and that he believes in hard work, safety first and that he has come a long way from when he started.

As we chatted he kept mentioning how safety was his number one priority. He has witnessed teams that take too many risks, and his main responsibilities was the safety of his team mates and keeping them injury free.

When you watch someone riding the Globe of Death you can see it is a dangerous sport, but you can’t fathom how dangerous it can actually be unless you have been inside one.

Lucius seemed very cautious for a daredevil. We knew there was something that had made him become that way, that perhaps he has seen or lived through events that changed how he performs, aware of the extent of the dangers he exposes himself, his riders and his wife to every night (she is also part of the act).

We asked “So how many accidents have you had in your life?”

He replied “I don’t know, too many.”

“How many bones have you broken?”

He laughed; “All of them”

It sounded like there was a story waiting to be told.

‘Globe of Death’ was premiered on Nowness and also chosen as a Vimeo Staff Pick. You can watch it by clicking here.