October 7, 2019
Supernatural

I returned home from Madison, Wisconsin, with all the footage I had captured while working at the 2019 CrossFit Games. That year was different than any other because for the first time, we weren’t shooting the Games to tell a story. We didn’t have to focus on any specific athletes or who was wearing the leader’s jersey. We were documenting the Games so that others could utilize the footage for their own content. All the footage in “Supernatural” was available to news outlets, content creators, and storytellers around the globe. 

In essence, what I wanted to do was create a montage of some of my favorite shots—a highlight reel of sorts. I sat down, went through all the footage, and pulled shots I thought were interesting and dynamic. As I went through the footage, it was challenging to avoid clips that would tell the story of the Games, or focus on big names like Mat Fraser and Tia-Clair Toomey. When I was finished, I had a timeline of clips that totaled a hair more than 32 minutes in length. 

The next step was finding music. I listened to a lot of tracks before settling on “Supernatural.” Finding the right music track is always a challenge and it can be incredibly frustrating. When I heard “Supernatural,” it felt like the perfect fit. The feats Games athletes accomplish is truly supernatural. 

The music track dictated the length of the video. I had to cut 32 minutes down to about 4:15. A lot of footage was left on the cutting-room floor. In the final video, you see a simple edit showcasing the best shots I captured at the 2019 CrossFit Games. 

—Torin Simpson 

Torin Simpson is an impressively bearded, Emmy award winning filmmaker and founder of BeardGod® Media House.