ESPN Skateboarding

There is a lot to be said for the independent videos that have come out of the East Coast. Growing up, Eastern Exposure was on constant repeat. There is no secret that the Atlantic coast is littered with skaters who bring a different feel to skating—one, which, for me, conjures up the image of moist autumn leaves beside a curb warming in the mid day sunlight. For as cheesy as that sounds, there's a warmth for—a closeness to—skating that is self-generated, whereas, on the West Coast, the heat's there and so people go skate. That's not to say that there isn't any passion to skating on the West Coast. There is and I like both coasts equally, but the two are just different. On the other hand, there seem to be so many distractions in bustling cities, like New York or Philly. Recently, it's hard not to get the feeling that a lot of skaters get lost in the distractions of city living, like Max Fish or finding the illest new collabo sneakers. Thankfully, Chris Mulhern and all sorts of other filmers have documented the sessions, shining more and more light on the underground rippers who have kept the freezing winter days and nights warm. The following clips are exclusives from his years of filming, which along with others will soon make up his independent video This Time Tomorrow. Be sure to check out his website, chroniclesofhern.com as well.—Joshua Brooks

You started filming your friends when you were attending Temple in Philly. Are you in film school?
I studied film while at Temple, but I graduated about 2 years ago. I decided to major in Film and Media Arts because I always enjoyed filming skating and working with cameras. Once I started editing and using programs like Final Cut, I was just hooked. I knew I wanted to do this sort of thing, whether it involved skateboarding or not.

Have you done any other non-skate-related films?
I have done a few none skate related projects, but most of those were for school. I did a project on San Francisco where I mixed old archival footage with my own Super 8. The goal was to create a tour of the city, contrasting old and new. I've done a few short documentary style projects as well. Documentary is something that I definitely want to pursue in the future.

How has filming skating helped in making those?
When you film skateboarding, you're using your camera on a daily basis. You learn so much about lighting, and how your camera reacts to it. Setting exposure, white balance, shutter speed, etc. is something that you can't teach in a classroom. The only way to truly understand it is to be out there filming and using your camera. That's the only way to see what works and what doesn't.

What are some of your influences?
After studying media arts, actual film as opposed to digital has influenced my projects. I would love to shoot more 16mm and Super 8 but it's just so expensive. I try to incorporate as much as possible into my work but it's hard. A comparable substitute though is shooting 24p, which still has that film look.

The East Coast seems to have a strong tradition of independent videos with under-the-radar skaters. Is that by choice or necessity?
I think it's a little of both. So many great skateboarders are on the East coast, but they often go unnoticed because they're not living in Southern California. I feel it's important to showcase some of the talent over here, because if you don't, who will? It just seems to me that skateboarders on the East coast have more heart and dedication. It takes a lot of motivation to go out skating on a 25 degree night. No matter the temperature though, I always find kids out skating on those bitter cold nights in Philadelphia. I just couldn't imagine a kid from California being able to handle that.

Are you influenced or do you work with any of the other filmers from the East Coast—Josh Stewart, RB Umali, etc.? Or, do you operate completely independent from them?
I'm influenced by tons of other filmers, and it definitely shows in my work. I've been helping Josh Stewart film for his next Static video, and so much of my footage has been gathered while on filming trips for him. I'm a huge fan of everything Joe Castrucci has done as well. His graphics and visual effects are by far the best I've seen. I want my video to have a similar feel to a Habitat or Static video, and I think this promo shows that.

You just completed your new video, This Time Tomorrow. Who does the video feature?
The video is actually not done yet, I just finished up a promo for it. I'm trying to wrap it up by the end of this Summer and have it in stores by Fall 2009. The video will have full parts from Devon Connell, Jimmy McDonald, Curtis Rapp, Dave Caddo, along with London's Rory Milanes, Steph Morgan and Lucien Clarke.

How did you decide on the crew you wanted to feature in the video? Or, did it just happen?
It basically just happened. I don't have some enormous budget, so I need to pick people who I can film with pretty regularly. Devon Connell, Jimmy McDonald, Curtis Rapp and Dave Caddo all live in the Philadelphia/NY area so I'm able to go skating with them all the time. As for the Brits, that happened on a trip to London I did for Josh Stewart back in the Fall of 2007. I went over there for 2 months to film with some guys for Static 4, and in the process met Rory, Steph and Lucien. They would come skating with us almost every day and we just started getting loads of footage. None of them were filming for anything at the time so they were down to do parts. The 3 of them came over to Philadelphia last Spring for a month and we spent some time filming in Boston and NY as well.

How long did it take to film?
As of now, I have been filming for about 2 and a half years. By the time it's all said and done, it will be just over 3 years of traveling and gathering footage.

How would you judge the progression of skateboarding in the East Coast, since you started filming?
I've seen skateboarding on the East coast change a lot, especially in Philadelphia. When I began school at Temple, you could still skate Love Park and it had not been renovated. You would always find yourself stuck there, just trying to film the hardest lines you could think of. About a year later, it was shut down and it caused us to look for new places to skate. A lot of the pros just moved away, but my friends and I didn't have that option. In a way, it was a good thing because it made the skateboarding coming out of Philly much more creative. At the time, it was pretty devastating, but in the end, it really helped skating in the city change and progress.

My friends and I have always been huge fans of Dave Caddo, who is not necessarily a huge name in skating. It seems like there are handfuls of skaters like him on the east coast. In your opinion, who are some of the most underrated skaters on the East coast?
Yea there are tons of them. Jimmy McDonald, who is just starting to get recognition now, is amazing. I went to school with him for years at Temple and just watched him take skating to a whole another level. The same goes for Devon Connell. He's been so good for so long, and I feel like people just don't even notice. I just tried to pick guys for this video who need to be seen. Their skating needs to be recognized. Without independent films, I just don't know if that would happen.

What projects do you have coming up—skating or non-skating?
Right now all my energy is going towards finishing this video and having it turn out well. It will most likely be my last independent skate video, because they just take so much time, effort and money nowadays. I would love to keep doing this but it's just become too difficult.

If there's anything you want to show in your videos about the East Coast scene or the kind of underground skating you film, what would it be?
My whole goal with this video is to show night skating, which is one of my personal favorites. Nothing beats a sick line with the camera light, and I feel like this is something that lacks in most videos today. I want to show a group of people who love skating, and just want to do it all day and all night. I'm hoping that at least half this video will be night footage, which in my opinion, truly represents the East Coast.

Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted