They Know About Al Town

Who knows about Al Town?? Well, Leo Romero knows about it if you have forgotten. I remember a couple of weeks back, somebody posted a Ad from Thrasher Magazine that had some Pro climbing out of Al Town, it was the buzz for the day but I forget who it was or which company. Maybe it was the same one that posted this Video at Transworld that has quite a lot of Al Town with in its compilations.



Pretty snazzy little film didn't you think. Well played and professionally done. Best yet, it had many Memphis street locations. To bad no one hit the wall ride Cheezburger, well, at least no footage we saw. I want to know when somebody is going to put Kanis in their film.

Then there is Dustin Dollin and the first Epicly Later'd. Not a whole lot of skating in this video but I was captivated from beginning to end never the less, it was mostly about the videographers fascination with Dustin's ability to skate Drunk.  Interesting guy that Dustin and he likes regular libations a lot.



And actually my journey was backwards. I started with this rather lengthy, crapply shot video of Dustin meeting up with the Gonz in Paris. They just skate around to a few spots and go have a drink. Then I started finding other videos, anyway, there you go. Just fun Stuff.


Well I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. All this makes me wish I could just travel around and film skating and write about it. Dam, wouldn't it be nice waking up in Barcelona, having some fresh coffee, some top-pas and then go skate. Yep, dream big!!

NEW Luchaskate Zine

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You Hate Lil Wayne

I was perusing the Interwebs the other day and checked in on the Team Pain web site. If you do not know who Team Pain is, well they arguably build the best skate parks in the United States and a few in Europe. Team Pain's attention to detail, quality, gnar factor and over all flow goes with out saying.   The site contains a News section and had a interview from MTV with Lil Wayne this last Tuesday. The interview takes place in New Orleans inside Lil Wayne's private indoor skate park that Team Pain built. So I thought it would be funny to post it on one of my friends (he lives in the swamp down there) time lines on that blue white colored site and ask if he ever skated that junt.



Well, you might have watched the whole thing, maybe you need to go back, but there is a little discussion on the Hating of Lil Wayne. Then on top of that my friend who lives in the swamp down in Orleans tells me he hates that @%& and that he shot himself in the chest to get street cred!!  When Wayne was asked (@4:54) what he thought about the haters, FWC (Fuk Wheezy Campaign) his response was he did not care, he gunna keep doing what he is doing.  Then I found this skate video with the guy with kookey ass eyes. I mean the eyes!! WTF

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So that got me to thinking that I did not know enough about the fella and whether he deserved all the hate that all these pranksters have been throwing around. This last guy, Hopsin, seems like a decent guy who hates on LW because he is a famous rapper (He passed Elvis Presley as the male with the most entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with 109 songs as of September 27, 2012), lets say so famous that his casual hobbies get lime light in the media. So he is not the greatest skater in the world although is one of the most popular Billboard Pop Icons since Elvis.  Then you read his history, the where he came from and what he did. Its impressive and unimpressive at times but over all impressive. I can 't say that I am a huge fan but I find no reason to not go skate his Team Pain skate park. I am sure wikipedia does not tell all of the story. And he did not shoot himself for street cred, no, he accidently shot himself in the chest when he was 12.  People just want to hate and he makes it easy sometimes but he does not seem to care. The guy sounds like he smokes to much weed, he donates huge money to charities, he gets skate parks built and wants to help progress the sport of skateboarding. Yeah, real bad guy. An ass sometimes like in the next clip, but what ever haters. Here is thread that explains it well in my opinion. 

Music News

Enough of that, all I can think about is making this at some point over the weekend. Its either this garbage or Nachos. This is a Belgium style treat with sausages, broiled potato, chili, onions  ketchup and mayonnaise all mixed together for a agonizing night of heart burn because you washed it all down with horrible tasting American BUSCH Beer. A don't know, all depends but if you plan on coming to my house this weekend make sure you bring a bag of potatoes, stock up on Bratwurst and steal your parents condiments (ketchup/Mayonnaise).

Oh wait, I almost for got to leave you with my November signature, Can you guess what it is with out spoiling my fun?? yep, videos for days...Oh wait, sorry this may take a while, I mean look for Gonz and all but I decided what the hell, its the whole Krood3D vid. Remember to applaud after its over, its that good.  - Hollar!! 

LunchTIME!!

Nomadic Chowder Eater!!

I love chowder, how can you not like a milk base soup that contains what ever you can throw at it, usually seafood and vegetables. Serve it with thick slices of bread and probably some brandy. Afterward I sit in my big warm chair and sip Hamms from a can while watching reruns of Chips. Hmmm..... Then there is a Nomad. I talked about people who leave the glorious south and go up to the "Northwest" to live, skate and act weird. Sometimes they don't make it and find them selves living out of a box because Denver caught their fancy. But these are transplants not necessarily nomads, unless you are really living out of a box then you got props. The true nomad is sort of homeless, or suppose to be. Anyway, I watched this yesterday and my mind was blown. I mean what in the hell, I have seen extreme wing suiting before by Dean Potter but this is taking it to a new level.

Speaking of the true nomad, this next film puts it perfectly. Your a Nomad when all you got is your skateboard, a six pack and your weed. Don't forget you will need a driver's license, a vehicle and probably gas money, other than that.....

Where is part One you ask?? Its right here butt diggers!

Another day, another dollar. Another Gonzales video, he just never gets old to me.

Catch and Release with rare Gonz footage

I got this new Camera, the Canon Vixia HFS100. I really wanted its younger brother, the HF G10, but a shortage of funds made me go with the other. We will see how she performs in the coming weeks. The Canon line of camcorders get rave reviews and special operating points in low light conditions. Good operation in low light, high to medium quality optics and we should be good. This camera has no hard drive, SD cards only, no big deal. Its really amazing when you put a 32g hard drive on a camera how the price jumps up. So I have to keep up with SD storage, cool with me. Better than MiniDV tapes since I can hold 60 Gigs in the palm of my hand.

So speaking of Cameras and Filming, I can't stand it... So I found another film of Kevin Kolwaski shot up in that place they keep calling the Northwest, like its special or something. I am not bagging on them up there, apparently they have tons more shit to skate and that's all on them. That's why people move out of the South, because the skating is not as good. Not enough parks or DIY, pfff!! Its understandable but stuff is happening here in the South, we just tend to move at a slower pace when it comes to getting things done. The cost of living is cheap, so we save our money and spend it on gas to get to stuff to skate. Just wait, we gunna have to film some southern style trip that will surprise you at what we have found in our backyard here in some of the rebel states. Its what defines the South geographically. We don't carry around rebel flags, drive pick up trucks and stare down minorities. Hell no, we are a minority that gets the stare downs. Anyway, there is some sick ass shit around here but you have to drive to get to it.

So I was watching this Kolwaski vid.... Notice that while it is a decent film the camera quality stands out for me on this one. That is not to say that they were not doing the best with what they had at the time. Believe me, you have to know the limitations of your equipment to get the most of it. All the skating is very good in this vid, the shots, the editing and choreography. Look:


Then fast forward two years and I think the Camera Quality improves. Here is a film shot by the same guy, Nomadic Story Teller, which has elemental similarities of the previous film but the picture quality improves his shooting style immensely.



Of course I am not going to leave you just hanging like that. No really, this is not some skateboard video review site, I am just amusing my self and trying to learn how to shoot good video. Decent equipment, clean lenses, good camera work and and then I have a ton of good guys ready to skate. Can't wait to shoot some more footage that I want to post. We will have something soon. But until then always enjoy a little Gonz on me. But this is a special treat, I found a video of Gonz at his own art opening. The Video work is horrid, I mean its a mockery of photography but what you catch is amazing. What does Mark Gonzales do in is art opening, well look for your self, its freaking amazing.

Emericans and Memphis Threat

Ok Emericans, I was doodling on around the Interwebs while I was peeling my tangerine but only after I had finished by Sunday Report Card. There was this little video that was delightful yet inspiring. I was not even looking for this young guy but the old guy Tom Knox. What do you know, there is a young version of Tom Knox ripping the streets of London by way of Tube. It reeks of the elements a solid skate video has with in its dark and stinky under tones. From beginning to ending the short video was indicative of what short people in my organization are trying to capture.



From the start, they cleverly introduce where the chappy is from with suttle visual hints of this and that to set the stage for the London based shredder.  The shots are dived into 3 to 5 second clips, he might do a half dozen of these and then they switch to a 15 second run where good old Tom does a speedy run of different objects only ending in some dramatic stair set or something interesting. They use a wide angle lenses on some shots and then the fish-eye in others. They had the fish-eye partially framing the shots although I like to see the framing less. Maybe they could not get the shot if they zoomed out partially to eliminate the circular hue at the edges of the picture. The camera angles were spot on, the saturation from shot to shot was crisp, the white balance of each shot was warm and even. I really like how they filmed him jumping a stair set as they followed but then they also filmed the opposite angle from the bottom of the stairs. It makes for a nice shot. So you see a formula through out the short film of 4 second clip after four second clip then onto a 25 to 35 second clip of something longer. You could see how they panned some of their shots down into the ground or away from the skater which makes for a nice transition into the next clip. They were also very cognizant of how interesting the surrounding architecture or landscaping was with in the longer shots to round it out. Finally credits roll. The credits were as good as each of its parts. So I was not looking for this at all but I always love to get some good education. I mean, its  Team Emerica with Blueprint, would you expect any less?? Just check out Blueprint's list of achievements.

Then I wanted to give a big shout out to Memphis Threat and Ian Lemmonds. This past weekend I had the chance to catch up with Ian while he attacked the wall at the Midtown Skateboard Shop  with wheat paste and posters. It was violent at first but ended up looking as professional as it gets.

Ian makes some fantastic shirts. Great gift ideas for Christmas, Hanukkah, Birthdays or just any old occasion. What?? You were gunna go tot he Gap and spend $25 on a new shirt, stop yourself and go here and order something worthwhile.

WAIT!!!!!!!! Back to what I was orginally talking about, the Real Tom Knox. Just so you know he skates a 9.75 wide board and yes, he is doing those tricks.




Did you enjoy that?? I did, not sure about you. Then there is the always the parting shot of you know who by now, or if you don't, you will in just a few.

Gumby Strikes Again

You remember, Saturday Night Live, a TV Series, those little bendable play toys. For some reason when I was a kid I thought Gumby on SNL was so funny. As I watch it today I am not sure how I thought it was that funny, maybe I just liked the costume.

So enough of Gumby.

A new Rufus Promo was released the other day. Check it out. You will have to click on the F'Ning link because somebody who uploaded it turned off the embedding feature. http://youtu.be/piBUlpXeZ48 Nice job, another lesson learned. See if you don't let people embed your video to their site then your video gets seen a lot less. HMMM, was that the first thing wrong with the video, NO!!

Now that I am pissed because I could not embed the thing here lets see.... Most of this is my fault since I shot most of the footage although Skybaby did the editing.First the Camera Picture quality is only 720p which looks ok on your phone but not so much on my computer screen. I can't imagine what it would look like on my TV at home. Light is a big issue with this camera, huge amounts of light noise when it comes to dimmer lighting. Even during the day during cloud coverage it was noisy. At night, no way, those shots were not great due to ineffective light sensors on the camera.

The other thing wrong was a bit of unease in a lot of the shots, that is, there was shakiness coming from holding the camera. Part of it is the operator and part of it is the camera/ Lenses/angle. There are shots when Skyler is moving with the subject and a bit of shakey seems normal because it is like you are following the skaters movements which works fine. Then on the other hand there are times when i am stationary and its just shaky shaky shaky. Maybe a bipod or tripod for some shots.

Next I was not always impressed with the composition of shots, an editing and camera operator issue. Needs Vantage points that are more interesting. More attention needs to be paid to panning out of a camera shot. What was with the black screen pans/transitions between clips. Pan the camera down into the ground or up or out then just cut straight to the next clip next time. Having the fish-eye frame is good for some shots but not all, especially not good when filming a run in the bowl. There is a lot to learn about making good videos. Look here is another Kevin Kolwaski part that is indicative of a pretty good film. These guys have their shit together.




This is not a rant, I helped produce the video, my name is on it. I have just been studying a bit and its what I am learning. Its part equipment and part technique that will make future videos better. We need to look at the limitations of our equipment and get the best out what we got. It takes planning and patience at this point.