Director's Commentary

It's taken something like 3 years, but Nate's Totally Dope Skate Video is finally here! It began as Nate asking me to help him shoot some video footage for his skate video after uni every now and then... then it became actually waking up to be in the city at 7 on a Saturday morning to get footage at Cannon Park before the regular bunch of adolescent skaters arrive to disrupt him from his concentration.

Before long I was helping him edit the footage, first into a short teaser, then a longer proper video, and now a full-fledged uber-video. And I mean uber-video. As of September 2004, I feel it is my best work to date.

I had sooo much fun making this video because the editing gave me a lot of freedom to tinker with new techniques I wanted to try. Also, I think Nate and I became much better friends because of this video as well. So that was a big plus.

When I was staying in Sydney, every few weeks would gather more and more footage and more tricks for me to use. Since moving back to Singapore, the supply of new footage slowed down a lot for many reasons. Nate and I have since graduated from uni and now we've got jobs to attend to... and even when he's got some time off it's not like it's easy for me to just head on over and meet him at Cannon Park for another skate mission with the different timezone thing... And he's been finding it hard to find someone to shoot the footage for him too.

So sad to say, I think Version 3 will be the last version of the skate video I can do for him, which is a shame cos each version has been getting better and better, and it'll only get better with more tricks and all. But I think I've maxed out my abilities on this latest version... subsequent versions will probably not be as nice and pretty, or will just feel the same as this one. I wish I was more creative, but I don't think I am. So I'll just have to leave this as it is.

I loved making this video... it was fun, it was exciting, and I learnt a lot about making videos from this experience. Not just skate videos, but videos in general. Like time and battery management, and shooting in places where you have to outsmart security guards and be ready to move off at a moment's notice if you see a uniform approaching. That kinda urgency makes you frame your shot more quickly and forces you to preplan what you intend to do. Also, it forces you to be more creative with your camera, from framing to movement and tracking because skate tricks are... well... skate tricks. If you don't vary the camera movement and framing, you'll end up with a whole lotta static shots that are boring as hell and all look the same.

And of course, working with someone as dedicated to his art and talented as Nate was a really great experience. Despite his goofiness and many bails in "Amy" (which are scripted and not a good representation of his skills), Nate really is a talented skater who will someday use his talents for the good of mankind! Watching him fall, hurt himself, and then getting back up to attempt the trick again with a sprained ankle is really inspirational in a sadistic sorta way. All of us should have a Nate to watch and be inspired by.

So what are you doing? Go out and make your own skate video, kids! Borrow daddy's expensive Sony camera, pawn your mother's wedding ring for a skateboard and sneak out of school to go skating at a carpark with a "Restricted Area" sign, then delete your brother's important work documents from the computer to make space for all the captured video footage. And remember, it takes more than big stair sets and nollie-triple-flips to make a good video. You gotta be creative, and make each trick, even if it's a simple 180 off a curb, visually interesting. It'll make editing that much easier later.