Chris Ray and Martin Fobes of Motion Clubhouse Embrace the Sony BURANO As Their New Toolkit

Filmmaker Interview: Fobes and Ray’s Journey From Skateboarding to Motion Clubhouse

Founded in 2021, Motion Clubhouse specializes in all forms of video production. Fobes and Ray have worked with the likes of DC Shoes, JB Audio, and Disney before venturing into the podcast world, where they captured American neuroscientist Andrew Huberman and Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin. But that is only a sliver of what they have achieved.

"If you go to the Motion Clubhouse website, you don't know exactly what we specialize in," Ray said. "Because I think that with the things that we've shot, from skateboarding to a guy riding a motorcycle on a wave, we can shoot anything."

"We've filmed with Kelly Clarkson, we filmed with a ton of other musicians, we filmed interviews with high-level executives and top podcaster in the world. There's nothing that we can't do, and that's all because of the crew that we have."

Fobes and Ray bring not only versatility to any project they tackle, but an adaptable work ethic that was founded in the world of skateboarding — A DIY approach that makes them capable of capturing any project before them. 

"A lot of our work ethic ties back to skateboarding and that whole part of our lives," Fobes shared. "What we've been able to accomplish with skateboarders helped us develop this DIY approach. We'll just do whatever it takes to get it done, make it right, and make it the best it can be."

"Sometimes it's just Chris and I, we don't have a full team, but we still can run five cameras with autofocus and make everything look amazing.”

Before meeting at DC Shoes, where they worked as in-house videographers for half a decade, shooting branded content, shoe commercials, snowboarding, and motocross, Fobes and Ray thrived in the world of skateboarding. As Ray began his career shooting sponsored skaters in exchange for undiscovered locations perfect for kickflips and ollies, Fobes would watch those videos, learning from his future creative partner. 

"Long before I met Chris, I'd play his videos in my skate shop," Fobes said. "I would watch those videos and try to recreate that when I'm out with my friends."

"The only reason I got into filmmaking is because I had a crew of friends, and I was the only one who had a camera. So we would take turns filming each other. That's just part of that culture, part of that community."

Unlike the narrative or documentary world, where filmmakers only get a chance to film when a project comes along, Fobes and Chris would film every day, honing their skills in composition, editing, and camera movement.

"I didn't realize it until I left skating, the amount of reps that we got filming," Ray said. "We were so fortunate because most filmmakers I know who work in Hollywood, they only get to shoot if they're on a set and they have a crew and they have an actor or talent."

"Like, we can go in a schoolyard, jump a fence, no permit, film somebody try a trick a thousand times, and I'm getting to practice a thousand times, and I have nobody telling me what to do."

This practice paid off when the duo had the opportunity to work with some of the world's best skaters. While some tricks you could try a hundred times, other tricks were dangerous and you only get one shot. 

"We filmed Nyjah Huston, who's [one of the highest paid skateboarders in the world], and he will do it on his first try," Fobes said. "And so you have to be ready and you have to get it first try because some of these [tricks] are so hard they're not going to try it again. Skateboarding is interesting. It's like a boot camp for filmmaking."

With Motion Clubhouse, the idea wasn't just to go solo and tread their own path. It was also about embracing the passion. From action sports to intimate interviews, Fobes and Ray find creative joy in the people they work with, knowing that they can turn any project into a visual spectacle.

"It's passion and being really excited about what you do, no matter what it is, you know?" Ray said. "Obviously, filming some of the action sports stuff might visually look more exciting, but we've shot interviews that are mind-blowing."

Filmmaker Interview: Why Fobes and Ray Switched to the Sony BURANO

Between their time at DC Shoes and Motion Clubhouse, Fobes and Ray embraced many different camera brands to achieve their unique visual style. Before the switch to the Sony BURANO, the filmmakers captured their projects on the Canon C400. As they shot more and more, Fobes and Ray discovered a need that wasn't being met. Their versatility was an asset to their clients, but was being hampered by the usability and image quality of their current toolkit.

"Whenever I think about the switch to Sony, I think about when Martin and I got hired to shoot this horse event," Ray said. "We were the only Canon shooters there — we were shooting on the Canon C400 — and every single person there had a Sony. When we looked on social media, we saw our clips and theirs, and we were all shooting from the same angle. But their stuff looked better, and that was killing me."

"I was, like, 'How is it that like we have the same shots, but there's, to me, looked a million times better?'"

Switching to the BURANO offered the team versatility and unparalleled image quality that they could adapt to any shoot, allowing Fobes and Ray to embrace the skillset they forged in the skateboarding world to the fullest.

"Switching to Sony, and the BURANO specifically," Fobes said. "We can shoot action sports, commercial work, skateboarding, and we can still do that type of stuff, but then the next day, go interview Michael Dell, the founder of Dell Computers, and do a super dynamic sit-down interview. [The BURANO] does it all for us, and that's how we came to Sony."

"We're very run and gun because of our skateboarding background," Ray added. "We make things work for the talent in front of the camera. Obviously, you have situations where you want to light things and make it look a specific way, but we are also very like on the fly, and I don't think that will ever go away because we can just hold a camera and walk around New York with Huberman if we want all day long. So we need a reliable camera that's going to be good at the end of the day for all that."

The versatility of the BURANO was only one component of the switch. Fobes and Ray pride themselves on their imagery and composition, and the resolution and RAW capabilities of the BURANO now give the filmmakers a single toolkit to jump between run-and-gun street shoots, intimate interviews, commercials, and action sports without having to overcome technical limitations.

"It's amazing having the capability to do RAW when you need it," Fobes added. "That's perfect for when we do have a bigger commercial shoot, and we want to get the best of the best out of the camera if we need it."

"Or with everyday stuff, we can roll for three and a half hours on an interview with somebody and shoot the 6K oversampled 4K mode, and it's like amazing."

Filmmaker Interview: Why Switching to Sony Feels Like Coming Home

While Fobes and Ray defined their professional careers with different camera brands, their creative beginnings were sparked with a Sony camera in hand.

"The Sony VX1000 is a super old camcorder, but a legendary skate camera. That's what Chris used, and I had one growing up as well," Fobes shared. "And now we're back to Sony, but now it's like completely different."

"It feels like we're back home," Ray added. "I still have pictures of the Sony VX1000 on my wall because that's how iconic it was in skateboarding. So it feels right switching to the BURANO."

Apart from working with the Huberman Podcast, Motion Clubhouse is now capturing the David Senra Founders Podcast — launching September 28th, 2025 — interviewing high-profile executives like Michael Dell, the creator of Dell, Daniel Ek, the CEO of Spotify, and Todd Graves, CEO of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers.

To learn more about the Sony BURANO and the other cameras in the Sony Cinema Line, visit our Camera Comparison Chart.