Behind the Scenes: Big Bear Mountain

• Josh Sauer

Have you ever looked at a video and wondered: how did they get that shot? In a world filled with constant content, so many of the excellent photos and videos we see daily are taken for granted. We all see the outcomes of a well-placed camera, but have you ever wondered what it took to get it there?

As Dollywood edged closer and closer to unveiling Big Bear Mountain, the PR team was faced with a tall task: How can we showcase a ride that covers three-quarters of a mile? With such a large footprint, no single shot could ever cover it all, unless the camera was attached to the ride vehicle, so …

Rigging 101

You’re only as good as who you surround yourself with, and Dollywood took that to heart when hiring a production company for the ride reveal. Alpha and Omega productions spent multiple days with the ride vehicle and various engineers before they began mounting two high-resolution cameras on the lead train.

It took 27 pipes, 52 cusp restraints, 13 rods, and countless nuts and bolts, but the team managed to set up a dual-mount directly to the front ride vehicle. Ned’s ride was even more tricked out with the substantial rig and still managed to hit that top speed of 48 mph.

We were able to operate the attraction at full capacity with both front-facing and rear-facing POV.

The Power of the Internet

Now that the heavy lifting was done, we had to make sure there were people out there ready to hear all about Big Bear Mountain.

Of course, interest was easy to find from various news stations and media (duh, it’s a super cool new rollercoaster). And thanks to the almighty powers of the internet, these groups didn’t even have to come in person to experience the ride.

Ride, Ride Again

On Thursday, May 11 before the ride was open to the public, more than two dozen news stations across the country picked up the broadcast to showcase Dollywood’s newest attraction to their viewers. These TV audiences were able to get a full feel for the ride’s three launches, two tunnel dives and 23 airtime moments.

Sharing the message with many stations required a few individuals to “take one for the team” and ride Big Bear Mountain multiple times that day. After hours of begging, I was finally able to convince them to let me do it!