What’s the biggest change from skateboard videos in the 80s compared to skateboard videos now?
Todays videos typically follow a formula, where back in the 80s the videos were trying to find that formula. That approach made them naturally far more creative. Each video had its own look and feel. A lot of the videos now you could just stick any company logo on the front of them—well, within reason—because the formula is so similar. I don’t mean to bag on the skate videos of today, there are a lot out there that I do enjoy. I have seen a shift lately… in the way companies present them. Like the new Zero video… a few pros had parts and the rest of the team had a few tricks but it was a quicker video. Videos have a tendency to get boring after about twenty minutes and you become desensitized to it.
If they’re long, by the end, you’ve seen so many hammers that they don’t have much impact. Kids don’t have the attention span they used to… they’re clicking through YouTube and they want this short, instant satisfaction. They want to see their favorite pros and ams and that’s it. We did it as kids, where we fast-forwarded through certain parts to get to our favorite skaters, and kids want that instant satisfaction. They want to see who they like.
I think companies are starting to get that the epic skateboard video formula of the 90s isn’t working anymore.
Maybe a lot of the companies are trying to give kids what they think they want but sometimes they miss the mark. It almost seems like skateboard companies have lost touch with their audience in some way.
Is the full-length skateboard video even a viable project any more, for companies?
I don’t really feel like I’m engaged enough to know what it’s doing or what it does. Personally, the average skateboard video doesn’t hold my attention any more. So I just wanted to do something different. And that’s what keeps me engaged in skateboarding. The approach of most videos is so similar that it’s only natural that the results end up fairly similar.
Do you feel like the internet killed skateboard videos or just opened up and leveled the playing field?
No, I think the internet thing might be the savior of the skate video. There are a lot of videos we get to see that at one time we wouldn’t have be able to. Now just because you have the equipment and the pro team doesn’t mean you’re going to make an interesting video. These days, any YouTube kid with a great idea has a real chance to compete. I’m all for that. The internet allows me to make something in my spare time for fun that people get to see. I don’t have to worry about making copies of videos and selling or distributing them. And for the first time, I can make something that will be seen everywhere and not just in Dayton and the surrounding areas.
In the late 90s, with the advancement of desktop video editing, it seemed like filmers were coming out of the woodwork. Do you think filming is as popular now as it has been in the past ten years?
It seems about the same. Even though it is really easier to produce videos these days, it is still a lot of work. Kids seem to jump into it but few really stick with it. There probably are more and it’s cool that there are people making independent videos with nobody backing them like the very early days. They’re doing it because they love it. I get more stoked on the local videos to a degree because they have some sort of vision… they don’t have to worry about answering to sales for anything so there’s more room for creativity within it. Typically, they come off as more fun and more genuine than some of the videos we’ve been seeing.
Baker kind of capture that feeling. They look like they’re having fun when their videos come out and they’re not taking it too seriously, even though the skateboarding is serious.
Do you consider yourself more of a filmer or an editor? Is there a clear-cut distinction or is it all the same thing when it comes to skateboarding?
For Absorb I am both, but I really enjoy the editing process. The filming process itself can kinda suck. The editing part is when the project really takes on its life. I think it is where you can be truly creative. I like filming; it can be creative at times. You find new angles and you can capture something that just happens. The reason I say it’s harder is because a lot of the time you’re waiting for something to happen and you don’t know when it’ll happen or if it’ll happen. There’s a lot of uncertainty with filming. You’re never really sure what you have until it’s in front of you to see whether it works or not. The filming side for me can be more nerve-wracking. That goes for more than just skateboard videos. That goes for when I’m working on any film project.
What’s the ultimate goal for the Absorb series? Is there a planned direction as you move forward?
There’s no clear-cut direction of where it’s going to go but I do know how it will end. It’s always going to be what it is… whatever clips of interest I get will end up in the episodes. But there is a plan for a finale, when that day comes, to put it to rest.
I know you mostly film with a point-and-shoot digital camera. What are the advantages to this as opposed to what was once the standard, fairly large video equipment?
Well, I like that it is small and can fit in my pocket, so I can always have it on me. I am able to pull it out in any situation, like in a department store, where people would freak if I broke out a big camera. It seems that people don’t take it serious which is great. Also since the camera is so small people are more relaxed when in front of it. Some people think I am taking a picture half the time when I am actually filming.
What’s the biggest advancement to skateboard videos and filming in the past 10 years?
The Canon Powershot, although I don’t think everyone would agree.
Will there be a time when you go back through the episodes and make a longer ‘best of’ or does that not fit into the vision of what you’re doing with Absorb?
I’ve been putting some thought into making a DVD but it seems a little early at this point. I’m not sure. I like how they are online. Someday they may end up on a DVD. I’ve been asked for them but it’s on the back-burner right now. I’m more interested in just making new episodes.
