a brief glance issue_35 by a brief glance skateboardmag

issue _35

a brief glance

CHIMA PRO

U NRIVAL E D D U RAC AP™ D U RABIL ITY W ITH RE SPONSIVE U L TRAC U SH™ L ITE C U SHIONING

V A N S . COM/ C HIMA

WELCOME TO ISSUE

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Daniel PANNEMANN Fast plant in Hannover / Germany_

Photo // Friedjof Feye.

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EDITORIAL // 35

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NOTHING TO DECLARE THIS TIME, SORRY, WE ARE OUT SKATING. [ your friends at a brief glance ]

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CONTENTS // 35 Fragments. Eniz Fazliov / Simply Superlative. CinecittĂ On Wheels / Murder Skateboarding. Casper Brooker / Interview. Places / Thailand. Belgrade, Zagreb, Ljubljana,

Book / Where We Com a brief glance

Budapest / A train ride through the Balkans.

me From. a brief glance

EDITOR and CONCEPT_ Davide Biondani.

(davide@abriefglance.com) ASSOCIATE EDITOR_ Guido Bendotti.

(guido@abriefglance.com) ASSISTANT EDITOR_ Andrew Zolin. TRANSLATIONS_ Jonathan Levin. PHOTOGRAPHERS_

Leo Sharp, Jonathan Mehring, DVL, Fred Mortagne, Craig Dodds, Brian Gaberman, Marcello Guardigli, Davide Biondani, Friedjof Feye, Marcel Veldman

Giulia Romano, Alexey Lapin, Kev Metallier, Switn, Vittorio Brisigotti, Enea Auberson, Robert Christ. CONTRIBUTORS_

Nick Jensen, Mario Torre, Francesco Paolo Chielli,

Jerome Campbell, Mark Baines, Tom Knox, Dallas,

Kirill Korobkov, Niall Neeson, GIuliano Berarducci DESIGN_

Fake Donkey Lab.

GET ALL THE INFOS at: info@abriefglance.com

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FRAGMENTS

Matteo Franceschin, Kickflip wallride Photo_ Vittorio Brisigotti Rimini, Italy.

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FRAGMENTS

Jarne Verbruggen, Ollie Photo_ Kévin Mètallier Tahiti.

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FRAGMENTS

Dennis Gallicchio, Fakie fs kickflip into the bank Photo_ Enea Auberson St. Gottard, Switzerland.

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Maurice Brรถxkes, Fs noseslide Photo_Robert Christ Krefeld, Germany.

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FRAGMENTS

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SIMPLY SUPERLATIVE.

eniz

fazliov

Interview / Guido Bendotti Photography / Davide Biondani.

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Bluntslide through the kink.

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What should I say about Eniz? I’m not sure there is much to say about him actually... I’ve known him for 7 years or more. He’s not really that interesting, he’s really quite boring in all reality. The thing that makes him so boring is that he really just skates, chills with friends, has a couple beers and that’s that. He’s never trying to be something or someone he is not, which these days is rare I would say. He’s so damn real he would rather say nothing than give a shit about all that pointless shit that’s going on. His skating speaks for itself and that’s all you need to know about him. Dallas

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I Know that you’re part Macedonian. Can we claim that you’re the best Macedonian skater ever? Ehehe! Yeah, I was born in Macedonia (Skopje) on the 16th of August 1987, and lived there till I was 5 years old. My family decided to move to Finland because there was some war going on in Yugoslavia, but not in the area where we lived. I don’t think I’m the best Macedonian skater. There is always somebody who has a better style or a bigger ollie. There is not one

But then in 1998 during spring time we moved to the capital, Helsinki. So I went to a new school and met new people. Luckily the first guy I met was a skater and his brother had an extra complete that I bought from him. Since then I have always skated and I do not regret it. For the first few years I just skated with some friends behind the supermarket, there was a little skatepark that we built. In 2002 I entered my first real contest (Finnish

best skater you know what I mean?

championship) and got second place. That is when I got my first real sponsor, Emerica. My team manager back then was a filmer so it was really easy to go and film with him, and I got to know all the Finnish legends who I still skate with.

I know, but I’ve never met another Macedonian skater, and anyways, you’re pretty good, hehehe. Have you ever skated there? What is the skate scene in Macedonia like? I used to go there every summer with my family on holidays, but I never really skated there. The last time I was there I just walked around the city and saw some skaters and some really nice spots. I don’t know much about the skate scene out there. Next time I go I’ll definitely bring my board and go skate around!! Can we talk a little about your early start in skateboarding? How did you start skating, and how did you grow up in skateboarding? For the first 7 years we lived in this small city called Vaasa, and there I was just tripping on Finland, about how nice and safe some countries can be, and tried to learn Finnish and make some friends.

I know you skated some vert as well during your early years. I have never really skated vert man, hahaha!! But every time I get the chance to skate vert I just roll back and forth and do some basic tricks, but never with knee pads really. Wow. Somebody lied to me, ha ha ha! Do you remember your first sponsors and how you progressed till now? Like I said my first sponsor was Emerica, then I got on Volcom in 2004, and around 2006 both companies started to pay me a little. Now 10 years later they’re still paying and flying me around the world. I’m so thankful and lucky for this!!! I also ride for this stupid board company called FRANK, Lamina skateshop, and Destructo trucks.

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Fs wallride. a brief glance

Do you remember your first trips around Europe? And what about the first time you ever thought, “maybe I can make a living just from skateboarding.” I think my first real trip was with the Emerica Europe team to Tenerife. I can’t really remember what year it was though. I lived with my mom till I was 25 years old, so before that I had never thought about it! But now that I’ve been living with my girlfriend for over 3 years and have to pay rent and all the

Have you ever tried skating and building a career out in California? I have been there a few times with both my sponsors and I like to go there, but I can’t imagine living there, the way they skate there, like driving so much and sitting in the car for so long... I’m not used to that. I like to push around or ride my bike from one spot to another.

bills it’s different... I haven’t had a real job for 8 years I guess. I’m still tripping on that!

speech ever, “These are the cocksucker awards.” Do you think you can do better than this? Ha ha ha! I’m not the biggest fan of this award/ exposition shit. You know, too many free beers and then you have to speak in front of 1000 people and that’s how I felt there, I guess. We don’t really have to talk about this, hahaha! I really think there can’t be a best skater because there is always somebody that can skate better than you. I like your approach, but you’re a strong, opinionated person and a pretty loyal skater.

You skated for the Habitat global team, but it seems like you never skated in the US a lot. Have you always preferred Europe for skateboarding? I used to ride for this Finnish company called Happy Hour Skateboards (still the best company out there) Then when Arto Saari got on Alien Workshop he e-mailed me and my friend Simo Mäkelä and asked us if we were interested in riding for Alien. Back then it was really hard for me to leave Happy Hour because they were my best friends. But I was like, “fuck!” You can’t say no if Arto Saari is asking you to ride for it. Well... if Arto is callin’... So me and Simo both started to ride for Alien, and they payed us a couple hundred euros every month for like 3 years, which was sick, but we never got to do any trips or anything like that.

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At the BESA Awards you gave the best

Can we talk a little about the current state of skateboarding? What do you like and what don’t you like in skateboarding? I love skateboarding, but I don’t like it when someone tells you that you have to film or take this photo or do this contest. You know, just grab your board, go out there and see what happens. You can’t really plan skating. I don’t really know if it’s my roots or what, but I’ve always liked to do stuff my own way. It doesn’t matter what it is, whether it is skating, cooking

What’s your take on European skateboarding? Is there something we shouldn’t do, and something we must do in order to evolve more? We have everything here! Lots of cool skateboard brands (except for shoe brands). Awesome spots, good food, nice people, and lots of nature, but if you only wanna skate for the money, then you should not be involved in the business side of things. I might be wrong but that’s just my opinion as a skateboarder. You’ve always skated for Emerica, and I think some big corporate companies have tried to “steal you.” Why have you chosen to refuse to make more money for skateboarding? What I’ve always liked since I started skating, were all these real shoe companies like, ès, DVS, Emerica, DC... I never really cared much about these companies that entered the skate business after skating became big again! So what’s your take on the “nonskateboard” companies that invest in skateboarding? Like energy drink sponsors and stuff like that... Keep skateboarding to skateboarders, don’t let it get into the wrong hands. Why ride for Frank? And why should somebody not ride a Frank board? Because it’s the most unorganized board brand and nothing too serious. And you should always support small and new upcoming brands.

Dallas has to renegotiate your contract, asking you to get more followers on instagram! Ha ha ha... He never told me that, fuck him anyway! Just kidding, love him. How’s Dallas as a boss? He’s not my boss! He is my good friend. You’re a pretty down to earth guy. You don’t have crazy outfits and big cars. What do you think about the “fashion side” of skateboarding? You know, from Muska to Dylan, the young skaters try to emulate “the look.” But you’ve basically always got the same outfit. Why don’t you invest in your image? Hahaha... I don’t wanna diss anybody, if you wanna follow fashion trends trying to look good on a skateboard that’s fine, everybody’s got their own thing. When I watch a new video part or somebody skating a park, I wanna have that feeling that I wanna skate immediately, you know? And that’s what I want to give back to people who like to watch my stuff. What do you think about this 90s skateboarding comeback, with shaped boards and all that? Anyone can skate whatever shape board, as long as it feels right and good, just to remind you, it’s 2016.

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Feeble grind.

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Switch crooks.

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Bs smith grind at the end of a line.

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In your videoparts you skate mainly street, but I know you can kill it on miniramps and bowls. I’ve seen you and you’re great on transition. When can we expect to see a bowl part from you? The reason I can skate trannies a little bit is because of the long-ass winters here in Finland. At the indoor park there are lots of trannies and one bowl, and I have been skating that park since 2001. Maybe when I get older and can’t skate street so much, then I’ll skate more bowls, even though we don’t really have that many proper bowls here in Helsinki. There’s a lot of hype in skateboarding, big companies supporting contests and skaters, there’s millions of skateboarders around the world that buy decks and shoes, but everybody seems pretty broke. Skater-owned companies are struggling. What’s your opinion on this issue? Where’s the money for you pro skaters? We can only blame those companies that have nothing to do with skateboarding. You all know who these companies are! I know that’s business, but the only way we can fix this is to not buy those brands. Do you need to travel to get footage, or do you prefer to skate in your city? I travel quite a lot with my sponsors and we film all the time more or less, but I really like filming back home with my homies... VX stuff, and make videos with the SLP Crew. What’s your perfect set up? Every time I change my trucks or wheels I feel like I don’t know how to skate for the following 10 days, so I really like old stuff, except old boards. Are there any different shoe colors other than the black one? Whatever they send me. Black and white is pretty easy and simple. Thank you Eniz... now let’s go get some beer!

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Switch ollie into the bank.

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Photography and words_Davide Biondani.

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ON WHEELS

a Murder Skateboarding project.

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During the first decade of the new millennium the trend in skate videos was to film the hardest tricks at the biggest spots, whereas the tendency nowadays is to combine skateboarding with a concept that is both creative and interesting. The Murder guys really hit the jackpot this time, and by teaming up with a longtime friend who used to skate at the end of the 80s and who now works in the film industry, that is, real films and large productions, they produced a really special project! The mind behind it is the Italian director, Inti Carboni, who momentarily lacking a time machine, was looking for a place to film for 24 hours in Ancient Rome, in the Medieval town of Assisi, and in the 1930s Broadway. Impossible? But this place really does exist and is called

So at the end of the last summer the Murder

Cinecittà. The famous movie studios in Rome,

team traveled to Rome, and after a brief tour

also known as “The Dream Factory” where

through the streets of the Italian capital, was

some of the most important films in history

sucked into this time warp where for a week

have been produced: Gangs of New York, Mis-

all that existed were film studios, prop scenery

sion Impossible III, The Life Aquatic, Once upon

from famous films, lights and huge floodlights,

a Time in America, just to name a few.

videocameras, and obviously skateboarding. We were lucky to be part of such a special project, and just the fact of being allowed access to and being able to shoot in locations where film directors such as Federico Fellini, Francis Ford Coppola, Sergio Leone, and Martin Scorsese shot their films was for me such a unique feeling. Also, having the chance to witness how the movie industry actually operates was really both fascinating and interesting.

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The appointment was on the set every morning at 6:00, which meant waking up at 5:00. After a quick briefing we then moved to the chosen movie set, proceeded with the preparation of the equipment, and then began shooting. The crew was composed of about 15 people, each with a specific role: the director, his assistants, propmen, and light technicians... A situation that was exactly the opposite of what we’re used to while filming skateboarding, where a skater goes to a spot with a filmer that manages 3 videocams all by himself, cleans the spot, prepares, motivates, assists, prays... and then maybe even gets criticized by the skater because he’s too slow setting everything up. One of the things that struck me most was the absolute motivation and professionalism of the staff who worked non-stop and without ever wasting one minute. We shot on four different sets, the first and most impressive of which, was that of Ancient Rome. A perfect life-sized reproduction of streets, squares, and buildings, all absolutely faithful to the original.The material the buildings and pavements were made of was a mixture of plastic, resin, and cement, on which just pushing your skateboard was a challenge. Surely not the ideal condition to skate a rail down a set of stairs. The second set was the Cathedral of Assisi, probably the most difficult spot to skate, with an impracticable runup and an even worse landing. Just like the 1930s Broadway set with a rail in front of a classic NY home that really gave the boys a hard time because there was no runup.

The last set was an actual film studio where a skateable obstacle was built, and a series of lights and gigantic floodlights were set up, with smoke for special effects. Other photos more tied to the narrative part of the story were shot in the subway, where the adventure of this group of skaters takes off, leading them inside the film studios’ magical world. The final result consists of the photos in this article and especially a 4-minute long short film called Cinecittà On Wheels, a small journey between reality and fantasy, where time and space blend, allowing us to see Cinecittà from a completely different perspective. This was a fascinating project, a marriage between filmmaking and skateboarding, excellently and successfully produced, definitely not to be taken for granted considering the modus operandi and unwritten rules of the skateboarding world that had to fit the requirements and complexities of film-producing. The director’s professionalism, together with the motivation of all the people and the dedication of all the skaters involved made for an ambitious and successful project. Congratulations to all who took part in this fantastic adventure, especially the guys from Murder Skateboarding that believed in the project and once again proved that nothing is impossible.

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NicolĂ˛ Bromo // Fs feeble. a brief glance

Inti Carboni [ director ]

Hi Inti, how did the idea for this video and the collaboration with Murder Skateboarding come about? Giulio Repetto of Murder Skateboarding and I have been friends for over 25 years. We met as young skate punks in the 1980s, hung out at hardcore shows, met at various skate spots and contests all over Europe. Two years ago we started talking about doing a skateboarding video. The first idea we came up with was a video filled with special effects: flames, guns, and explosions! He came down to Rome to see what was available at the Corridori SF/X workshop, and while we were being shown the original guns from the Sergio Leone spaghetti western movies, he asked me if he could visit Cinecittà. I walked him around the film studios, and we decided it could have been an interesting backdrop for a skateboarding film. It took quite a long prep time to develop the project, and it was all done while I was in between film jobs. Once we got a solid outline, through the gracious help of the Roma Lazio Film Commission, we met with the C.E.O. of Cinecittà Studios who really liked our approach, and gave us full support for the project. Murder Skateboarding teamed up with Kinethica and ZeroSix Productions to make this film happen. How long have you been working as a film director, and what are the most important productions you’ve worked on? I started working in films 20 years ago. I was really young! I have been working as a

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First Assistant Director on both Italian and international productions. Some of the films that have a special place in my memory are Daylight, The Legend Of 1900, U-571, Gangs Of New York, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, Mission: Impossible III, Angels & Demons, 007: Spectre – most of them filmed at the Cinecittà Studios! Over the last few years I started producing and directing, and this skateboarding video is my latest work as a director. What is the story and concept behind Cinecittà On Wheels? Rome is a beautiful, diverse city. Within a 30-minute long subway ride, among big residential buildings and the ancient Roman ruins of the Appian Way, you can enter the ‘The Dream Factory’, as Fellini used to call it. At the Cinecittà Studios, some of the oldest and most active film studios in the world, people work to create magic. I have seen them creating 19th century New York City from scratch, submerged submarines, snow covered squares, and underwater landscapes. Its beautiful 1930s rationalist architecture, the huge standing film sets, and their fantastic film museum became the best backdrop for the project. Skateboarders are very curious, creative types. Every surface, every architecture they encounter inspires new tricks and lines. I wanted to portray them discovering the magic of filmmaking, and the opportunity came about among these bizarre locations.

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Jacopo Picozza // Fs nosegrind overcrooks.

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You’re used to working on large productions where there are as many as 300 people on the set, where the daily budget can easily exceed 2 million euros, and where everything is programmed in a very precise manner. What was working with skateboarding like? Filmmaking is the most expensive art form. Every minute, every day has a huge price and a lot of people involved, so obviously directors and producers plan every project thoroughly, using their means to be as cost-effective as possible. That said, in carefully planned shootings, there always has to be a margin for creativity: a lot is in the hands of unpredictable elements like the changing weather, an actor’s perfomance, or the artist’s inspiration. I knew that working with skateboarders was going to be challenging and therefore we planned the shooting carefully so that we could give them enough creative freedom, while mantaining light continuity and availability of the locations.

Ninety nine percent of skateboard videos are filmed by one filmer handling three videocams; he finds the locations, studies the concept for the video, buys, transports, mounts and dismounts the lights by himself; acts as driver, financier, psychologist, and also cooks for the skaters; he edits and finds the soundtrack for the video... and it may take 2 years to film a 25-minute video that nobody will ever pay him for. What effect does this have on you, knowing the hard work behind a skate video? I admire the work of these filmmakers. Moving image as an art form is completely changing its format and pipeline of work in the 21st century. Hopefully these kids will become the Kurosawas or Fellinis of their time. Some of them, like Spike Jonze, already have. If you read the biographies of some of the greatest directors, you will see how far they went and what they had to endure to get their films done. It’s on a different scale, maybe, but not so different after all.

In skateboarding, it is not uncommon for a skater to take one week to shoot just one trick, and there are guys that travel across the world just to skate one spot. You jokingly described skateboarding as a “fisherman’s job”... for the patience and dedication involved. As an “insider,” what do you think about this, is it pure insanity? I think that this is the beauty of skateboarding. An anarchist approach to a sport. You need a lot of dedication and patience to film it. Now that I think of it, more than fishing, filming skateboarders is more similar to doing a National Geographic documentary in the wild: sometimes it’s more about just being able to be there and capturing that magical, unique moment in time, space, and light.

Witnessing how a film production works was really interesting and I noticed that the whole crew was super motivated to work on this project... Most film crews are made of incredibly motivated individuals. They work in all types of weather, terrain, and nations. A military type of organization with a humanistic approach. The people I asked to be involved in the project were not only experienced professionals, but people I have had a real close relationship with. Also several rental companies helped out: Panalight, Low Costume, Nori, Corridori SF/X, Rocchetti & Rocchetti, Cut+Editing and many more were involved. Together we have worked on a lot of features, and they were really intrigued with doing a skateboarding film.

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The Cinecittà Studios have been the location of some of the most famous and colossal productions in the history of filmmaking. In the 1950s and 1960s Rome was crawling with the most important movie stars in the world. What is movie production like today, and most importantly, what is the position of Cinecittà in a world that moves so quickly, where the things of tomorrow are already old? Being able to see some old videocameras and editing workstations that are as large as an automobile had a certain effect on me... a mix of admiration and distant memories. But on the other hand Cinecittà still has the largest studio in Europe which is the size of a soccer field... Never before have there been so many moving images being filmed and seen. We live in a very visual society, and the means to watch films have multiplied. Technology runs very quickly, every year new tools are invented and new possibilities are introduced into the trade. Most of the things you have seen are part of Cinecittà’s museum, whereas the gear we use on films is constantly changing. Over the last couple of years, thanks to the tax breaks given by the Italian government, many more films have been produced on location in Italy. The Cinecittà Studios are still one of the biggest film complexes in Europe. The Teatro 5, favoured by Federico Fellini, is still bigger than the 007 soundstage at Pinewood, and the construction team at Cinecittà is second to none in creating that movie magic. I think the challenge more than on the technical or the artistic level, is on the creative one. Italian production designers, make up

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artists, costume designers, and film crews work all over the world in most of the biggest films being made, while only a few screenwriters and directors are at par with the high standards of the international film community. You used to skate in the late 80s, what are your impressions about modern skateboarding? I started skateboarding in the late 80s, and was really involved in the scene. I used to write for XXX skateboard mag and travel to contests all the time. When I got involved with films, that became my main occupation. I kept in touch a bit throughout the years through some friends like Giulio from Murder Skateboarding, and working on Cinecittà On Wheels was the chance to dive back into that scene. I was glad to see that skateboarding was able to keep that free-spirit attitude, and that kids still think outside the box. What was shocking is how the sport has evolved in pushing the boundaries of the tricks being performed and the locations being used, but that same evolution has not been matched by a technical evolution of the gear being used.

Are you satisfied with how the project came out? I know you already have new projects in mind... I am very happy with the results we achieved. As every director, I wish I had had more time and more money to make it! Time and money are never enough! I loved working on this project and I want to make more skateboarding films. This is just the beginning!

Jonathan Levin // Pop shove-it.

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Paolo Maneglia // Kickflip.

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Jacopo Picozza_ [ skateboarder ]

What was skateboarding with a crew of 15 people like? Some people get all worked up just filming with a friend, I can imagine what it’s like with 15 people staring at you, expecting you to land the trick within 2 minutes... ha ha. It was a new and stimulating experience, I lived it positively. I won’t hide the fact that it was really stressful due to the timing, and we didn’t stray from the timetable for any reason whatsoever (just like in a real movie). I think that only with this type of attitude can great projects come to life. You already had some experience in movies and commercials, what were they about and what differences did you notice between them and this project? My experiences in film production had nothing to do with skateboarding, it was mostly commercials and extras. Instead, mixing skateboarding with filmmaking was something new to me, an arduous and delicate challenge, because we’re talking here about two worlds that are completely different when it comes to modus operandi and filming.

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What was more difficult to endure, the infinite waiting times between takes, or the unskateable spots? While shooting the scenes there was a whole movie crew behind us, and often, even though we were ready to skate the spot, we had to wait for them to set up the cameras and props. Extremely long times for us skaters. Skateboard filmers have a faster and more synthetic approach. The spots were practically non-existent, they were created out of thin air (thanks Posta). The runups and flatground were and still are awful. For example, the flatground of Ancient Rome was made of fake, unskateable blocks of stone.

The appointment at 6 AM every morning was not bad either, which meant waking up at 5, all week long... haha. Waking up at 5 was a real challenge for us skaters involved in the project. Going on set with eyes closed and mind still in bed each morning was a constant.

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Jacopo Picozza // Hurricane. a brief glance

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Tell us the funnest, and the most interesting thing about this project... A funny anecdote was probably when Inti, the director, fell while trying to push on a skateboard. Instead, the most interesting thing was noticing that the world of skateboard filming is very slowly moving towards a cleaner and more “cinematographic” attitude. In my opinion in fact, the analogies between a production such as this one and that of a tour or skate video tend to be increasing. Some of the most important films in the history of filmmaking were shot at Cinecittà, it must have been incredibly fascinating to spend a whole week filming in those studios? It was a unique experience, and I thank Inti and Murder from my heart for making this project come true. Would you like to work in film production? Yes, I’ve always considered it a fascinating world. When is your new signature pant coming out, the JP 2? This is something you must ask the bosses at Murder, if it were up to me I’d produce new ones right away, they’re perfect to skate in..

Nicolò Bromo // Fs smith grind.

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Giulio Repetto [ Owner of Murder Skateboarding ]

Giulio, how did you come up with the idea for this project at Cinecittà? Producing something at the movie studios like that is not a small matter... nor easy to carry out, especially for a small skateboard company! Well, it wasn’t all about me. It was a spontaneous thing. I met Inti back in the 80s when we both were involved in the hardcore punk scene. We have always been in touch, and over the years often talked about doing something together but have always been busy with our different lives. Last year we finally took the time to work on this project seriously. I guess you could say I’m a bit fatalistic, I think this movie had to happen and it did. It wasn’t easy, we couldn’t make it without the priceless help from many friends and a large effort on our part, and could we ever afford to miss a chance to shoot a skateboard movie in Cinecittà? Hell no! What was the most complicated part of organizing something like this, and how long did you work on it beforehand? I guess it took one year to develop the whole project. There was some bureaucracy first, then various meetings, location checks, technical solutions to be considered, and a crew to put together. I guess the hardest part for me was

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logistics. I acted as a link between the skaters’ world and that of the “adults.” There were about a dozen of us coming and going on different days, some from foreign countries, and all with individual needs. There were flights to book, places to stay at, and problems to solve, basically a bunch of things to do. An immeasurable Mirco “Posta” helped me to fix the spots and helped with everything else we needed. If there’s a lesson we learned from the hardcore days, it must be how to solve problems without the appropriate means. Good friends and creativity are the most powerful weapons in these kinds of situations: this is the philosophy Inti and I share. Also, a little bit of craziness always helps! In the end, the actual days of filming were less than ten. What was being inside one of the most important studios in the history of filmmaking with a 15-person crew working on your brand’s project like? Definitely exciting, I loved seeing how it works behind the scenes. It was great to see how all those involved took care of the project from the beginning. And of course I’m very happy we were the first skateboard team to film there.

How many guys from the team were involved? By the way, they were very professional and motivated despite having to wake up at 5 in the morning and shoot at 6... all week long... You know what it means to wake a bunch of young skaters up at 5 am... you’re lucky if they send you to hell. But not this time. There was such a positive feeling in the air that pushed everyone in the same direction. Honestly, I was surprised by their commitment and I’m forever thankful to them for helping me out with everything. The spots in Cinecittà aren’t easy to ride, the rough pavement and tight timing

do not allow many tries to land a trick. I guess they did their best in such a situation. There were seven of them, and some could only stay two days, others longer. Are you satisfied with the result and the project in general? What’s boiling in the pot for the new year? How could I not be satisfied? I couldn’t ask more for my riders and my company. The older I grow, the more I realize that the fun is in the making. Once the work is over, I’m the type of guy that ends up thinking, “what now?”

Filippo Baronello // Bs nose grind.

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NicolĂ˛ Bromo // Bs smith grind.

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Asia Lanzi // Fs boardslide.

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Jacopo Picozza // Fs smith grind to kickflip out.

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Casper Brooker Portrait_ Henry Kingsford. Sequence_Leo Sharp. Intro_Tom Knox. Interview_Guido Bendotti.

I’ve known Casper for about a decade now, from when he was a tiny kid who wore leggings and loved skateboarding. He still has that same obsession but has grown by about a metre, started wearing trousers, just about learnt how to switch ollie and had filled out a bit to say the least ha ha. As a fellow Londoner who just skates most days, I’ve had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with him recently. In between filming for ‘Vase’ most of our time involved talking about his switch tres, how much he loves AVE and drinking pints. He’s an absolute sweetheart and I love him to bits. You’ll be seeing a lot more of this talented lad. (Tom Knox).

Hi Casper, how are you? Where are you now? I am good thank you, I’m sitting at Eat right next to Southbank. You’re originally from London right? When and how did you start skating? Yeah, I come from just outside of London. I started skating when I was 9 or 10. Me and my brother got skateboards and just messed around outside our house, there was a metal mini ramp pretty close to our house. It kind of just went from there. You’ve skated at Southbank a lot and you’ve been an active part of the “Long Live Southbank” movement. How’s that place now, and how has the neighborhood changed over the years?

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Yep, I’ve skated Southbank quite a fair bit. It always goes through phases you know? Right now it’s not so great, loads of little shitheads not skating and starting trouble and giving it a bad reputation. With the new blocks it’s changing back to how it was though, and those kids are actually starting to skate again instead of just trying to be little rude boys. It goes through phases all the time though man, it’s still great. One of your early sponsors was Heroin skateboards. It’s pretty much a HC company with great skaters and a lot of “core” soul. How was it being 13 years old and skating with people like FOS? Yeah man, it was rad growing up skating with FOS, he was a big influence on me and really took me under his wing, which I’ll always appreciate.

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We watched some of your videos when you were very young. What embarrasses you more, the pink wheels or the melon to flat jumping out of transitions? Ha ha! I’m not really that embarrassed of those things. I was young, everyone looks and does stupid things when they’re young, just unfortunately for me my youth was pretty heavily documented. I regret the skin-tight jeans much more. I wish I could still do melons to flat, I can barely grab my board anymore!

Last week in Berlin, Isle won the “Company of the Year” award, Vase won the “European Video of the Year”, Tom Knox won “Videopart of the Year,” and Jacob Harris got the videographer award… basically Isle won in every category in which it was nominee… Did you expect all that? It should be very motivating... Yeah, it’s amazing! I had a feeling we would win video of the year, but all the others... it was great!! Jake and Tom deserve those awards. I was so stoked for them, they’re great!

After you left Heroin the brand started being distributed in the States by Baker

Awards apart, what is skating for Isle like, and what was filming your part for Vase

Boyz Dist. and it’s doing quite well. Did you ever, at any point in time regret your choice? It was actually getting distributed there while I was riding for it. I don’t regret it at all, my influences changed and I wasn’t the same kid as I was when I was first on the team, you know? I needed change because I wasn’t into skating bright green boards, I think that stuff is super sick but it’s not what I’m into anymore. Fos knew I was just getting older and changing so there was never any bad blood either, which was cool. A few weeks later Paul Shier asked you to ride for Isle, a new small brand with lots of style… and owned by skaters. What went through your mind? Yeah, I was so stoked that he asked me, I was really into the fact that a majority of the riders lived in London. I would feel more a part of a team. I was the only one who was on Heroin skateboards in London for a long time and I felt a little on my own a lot of the time. Also, I love Nick’s skating and knew Knox really well from when I was younger, it just seemed like the right move. It took a little bit of time for the company to get a face, but those things take time and now it’s got a strong presence!

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like? When you go out filming do you study your line beforehand, or do you get inspired by the spot and eventually film something? Skating for Isle is great, we are super good friends and hang out all the time, it stokes me out. Filming for Vase was sick, I didn’t really concentrate on it for a long time because I was kind of in a strange place with skating. I got really motivated at the end and just managed to film a part which I’m so happy I did. I would’ve been so upset if I didn’t film a part. It went in waves, sometimes I would think about things to film but a lot was spontaneous. Do you prefer to stay in your comfort zone or do you need to travel to new spots to get inspired? I like to travel around but London is sick if you can get on a roll. Before skating for Nike you were on Emerica and you went on tour with Heath Kirchart and Andrew Reynolds that I know is one of your fav skaters. How was being on tour with them like, and what are your best memories from that experience? It was crazy, a dream come true to be honest with you. Just skating with those guys was sick. I saw Heath do a backside flip on flat, that was the best memory.

Beyond your look, over the years you have changed your set-up as well. How has it evolved, and is there something that should never be missing on your board or shoes, something superstitious? Ha ha! Not really, I’ve skated size 8.5 since I was like 15. I went down to 8.38 a few times. I’ve always ridden big boards and big wheels. I guess the biggest change has been the brand and the colours, ha ha. I mean I used to do crazy grip tape jobs and have bright colours... also, I don’t ride red top ply boards... they’re cursed. We heard that you don’t feel comfortable skating contests, but you have participated in some important ones. How was the experience, and why don’t you like them? I never used to like them, but they’re ok now. I’ve done ok in some of the big ones, I just need to feel right on that day. I used to be way more of a tweaker and suffer with anxiety much more than I do now.

Who were your favorite skaters back in the days, and who inspires you today as a skateboarder? It used to be Reynolds and all the Baker/ Pissdrunx guys. Now its Heath, A.V.E, Donovon Piscopo, Bobby Worrest, Vincent Touzery, Tom Knox, and Alex Olson. You skate really fast and do a lot of lines, over the years your skating has evolved from big tricks to more flowing lines, how did that happen? Is it the natural evolution of skateboarding’s trends, or is it better to save legs for a longer career? Ha ha! I was inspired by a lot of different dudes at that time, also every fucking dude in America can do a 360 lipslide down a 15 stair rail. I’m not gonna be able to do that sort of stuff. I like more interesting “bangers” if you wanna call them that, I don’t want backside 50-50 a handrail that some one can easily flip back lip. It’s more interesting and fun to film fast lines

and incorporate “bangers” in with that. Trends in skating chop and change, there’s things I like and things I don’t. I don’t want to see someone do two powerslides next to a car and a 360 revert after and call that a “line,” but I do want to see A.V.E do a switch flip manual on a curb at the start of a line, if that makes any sense. Different strokes for different folks. What was growing up in London as a skateboarder like? Why do you think London is the place to be right now? Being a local, have you noticed this or is it all the same to you? London is sick, it’s not for everyone. Sometimes I get so sick of it and just want to move away for a year but now I would miss it too much. It’s kind of the same for me now, and I can understand why people think it’s the place to be, but I guess coming from here it’s all very familiar. London is very expensive, do you make a living out of your skateboarding or do you have a regular job? I can get by with just skating at the moment. I was working at Slam City Skates but had to stop because I was traveling too much. I do bits and bobs here and there to get a little extra cash to help, but skating is my main income. London is very expensive! What’s next for you? What are your plans for 2016? I’m going to film a part with Jacob for Nike, travel as much as possible, and try to skate some competitions in the summer.

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Bluntslide kickflip out.

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PLACES_Thailand.

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Photography_Giulia Romano.

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PLACES_Thailand.

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BELGRADE, ZAGREB, LJUBLJANA and BUDAPEST.

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A TRAIN RIDE TROUGH THE BALKANS

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Skateboarding helps you make new friends and see new places. I know you’ve already heard this too many times but these words are almighty because they are true. Tours with no obligations are always the best. You don’t have a schedule, and you don’t need to go to demos, you just skate and explore places. Why did a few Russians together with two Germans and one Brit go to the Balkans last November? Because you don’t see those places in skateboarding magazines too often and those countries have their own style. That’s already good enough for a good adventure, but if you add warm weather, cheap food, and some wine, then mix it with picturesque train rides, the result is a perfect story to remember.

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Photography_Alexey Lapin Words_Kirill Korobkov.

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Moggins, bs powerslide _Belgrade.

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It is hard to explain how we got together for this trip. We were as different as chalk is from cheese. The whole idea for the trip was proposed by the Russians. Some of them had been to the Balkans before so we wanted to see some old friends. That was how Moggins got invited. We also wanted to see some new faces and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how Daniel Pannemann and Danny Sommerfeld joined the crew. About a month before the trip our photographer Alexey Lapin met them in Germany. The Russian skate squad consisted of Denis Yuzefovich and Yura Renov. Behind the lens, the team had 4 more people including myself. We went to Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Hungary. We did one stop in each country (the capital cities only) and traveled by train. I like places that got lost in time. I think Serbia is one of them. It feels like they are still a couple decades behind Western Europe. Up to now the Yugoslavian heritage has been strong. The way older people look or the way street life is organized - everything reminds me of the past. Serbian people have a strong sense of national identity. They feel good about their culture and Slavic roots. The Serbs use both Cyrillic and Latin alphabets, but local patriots like to underline that the Cyrillic is the main one. Belgrade has two different faces. The old town is similar to many cities in Eastern Europe but the outskirts are full of brutal-looking concrete blocks of apartments that seem to be the local interpretation of ghetto areas. According to the billboards the city is about to begin a big development campaign. Investors from the Middle East want to rebuild the whole waterfront of the Sava River. Time will tell if they will be successful.

Daniel Pannemann, ollie_Ljubljana.

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Denis Yuzefovich, bs nosebluntslide_Budapest.

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Amazing natural light is another good reason to go to the Balkans in late autumn. It is really sunny almost every afternoon but because people still burn wood in stoves there is a thin mist in the air almost all the time. Everything looks really beautiful and mysterious. Nature takes one last warm breath before winter. Croatia and Slovenia are closer to the European standards of architecture and urban planning. You can notice more AustroHungarian or even Italian influence. During the Yugoslavian days, Croatia and especially Slovenia were the western border of the Socialist Bloc, and I guess now they are the most Westernized countries in the Balkans. The Croatian capital Zagreb is a big city with all kinds of things. Zagreb has its own strong skate community with a couple DIY projects and good knowledge of the street spots. The city center is a bit too nice but the outskirts have plenty of rough options to skate. Ljubljana is like a fairy-tale. It’s one of those places with gingerbread houses, old toy-like towns and cute little rivers that seem like they came to life from a postcard. The Slovenian capital is a really good destination for a romantic vacation but is also almost too beautiful to skate. The trip came to an end in Budapest. Hungary doesn’t really relate to the Balkans but it is right above it and anyway it’s in Southeastern Europe. Budapest is a charming city with a long history. For some reason it has been overlooked by the skateboarding community for a long time, and has just started getting recognition. The Hungarian scene isn’t too big but they have several different generations of skaters with different approaches.

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Yura Renov, wallride melon_Belgrade.

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There were different options for transportation between these countries, but every single time we chose to travel by train. There is something old-school about traveling by train and it fits the Balkans. Most of the trains were classic, but it was even better this way for the experience. I think those long rides helped us to get along with each other better. You have plenty of time for talks and stories, and the more beers you have the better it goes. Russian guys Yura and Denis, who suffered from a language barrier at the beginning, were pretty fluent with the rest of the crew by the end of the trip, and Moggins also picked up a few new Russian words. The sceneries outside of the window were another great thing about the train rides. Traveling by ground transport is always spectacular and it also gives you a better idea of the country. The train from Ljubljana to Budapest was one of the most scenic train rides weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever taken. Numerous bridges, viaducts, mountains with grass valleys, small villages, and rivers marked the route. We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really scout for the spots before the trip, but what we skated didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t disappoint us at all. You can find spots everywhere, and the less you know about the country the more interesting it is to skate it. Skateboarding will get you everything you need.

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Danny Sommerfeld, bs tailslide_Zagreb.

Denis Yuzefovich, bluntslide_Ljubljana.

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Yura Renov, polejam fs 180_Belgrade.

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Moggins, bs nosepick _Budapest.

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BOOK_

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Interview with Lucas Fiederling about the making of his superb videoâ&#x20AC;&#x153;Where We Come Fromâ&#x20AC;? and about the release of the brand new WWCF book.

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Hi Lucas, the Where We Come From video came out last year, so you’ve already experienced the satisfaction of having done the premieres, what does it feel like now to have both the book and the DVD in your hands? Ok, now you have to sell them, but could this be like the final chapter of the WWCF adventure? Oh, I certainly hope it’s done after this, but it ain’t. It’s never done! I’m working on a re-edit for Redbull’s TV Channel, we made a bit more of a documentary-style film with some voice-

You worked on this project for four years and the people involved are great skateboarders but also really nice guys, how was working with them? Can you describe each skater in a few words? Man, they are all either people that I call my very good friends or they turned into that. Axel and Phil I probably knew the least when we started filming, and now they are definitely family for me. Everyone in this film is. The only problem is that for the past year I’ve been stuck editing the film while they continue

overs that’s easier to grasp for a mainstream audience.

to go on tours, now I feel like the girlfriend that’s being left alone at home, haha. In a few words... well I’ve known Pfanner for a long time and he’s hands down one of the best human beings I’ve met on this planet. Eniz, man, people that don’t know him might think he’s the quiet type or some shit, but it’s not exactly so. He’ll be the last one partying and then wake you up with pancakes and coffee in the morning brought to your bed, and the first to kick you out of the house to go skate and film some shit. Phil is the super-powerhouse, always hyped to hook up the next trip. Never lazy - I think he is actually the only person in my life whom I told to stop the stupid line because it’s not worth it and move on to another spot because I was so over it. Well, of course we later realized the line would’ve been pretty cool - and during the next line we tried, I took a gnarly downhill slam almost destroying my fisheye, managing to save it with my head. Karma I guess. Niklas is one of my best homies, it seems like ever since I have had something to do with skateboarding, Niklas has always been around, from both skating for DVS/Lakai back in the days to the Cleptomanicx video project, to the Birdsnake tour to this.

And how was working on the book? How will you distribute it? To be honest I don’t think I did that much work on the book - I came up with the plan and had some ideas, and wanted to do something with all the amazing photos we had. I of course, gave my input and advice throughout the process - but the actual work on the book was done by my good friend Lars Greiwe. Fuck, he even scanned all my negatives while I was out in Brasil on my first vacation in years, skating some miniramps. He knows what he’s doing too, and even though I paid him pretty shitty, he committed everything he had to the point where he almost got fired from his actual job as a tattooer. Lars is the man! Distribution is back on me though - I had the 1000 books shipped to my flat, stored them in my girls room, and started gluing the 1000 DVDs onto the last page of each book. Then the whole ordering and shipping logistics started, and it was fun in a way to do something completely different for 2 weeks, but being on the phone with Japanese customs and all that shit - thank you, never again!

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Lucas Fiederling. Photo DVL.

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Chris Pfanner, bs 180. Photo DVL.

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Sahara desert. Photo Switn.

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I was not a huge Axel fan before I met him. I thought he was just some annoying contest kid - then we met on a Volcom trip to Mallorca. That was the first time I saw him skate street in front of my eyes and he shut me up pretty quickly. Turns out he’s a pretty amazing person in general, and I feel very honored to call him my friend, even though he’s still just 21... 22? Fuck, I don’t know. I was already working on this film when we celebrated his 18th birthday, crazy. Willow, man I was such a fan of his years ago when his insane puzzle part dropped, and now I’m sharing a part with him and have

in order to help you out. He might feel that, and let you know eventually, but he won’t stop till the job is done. What a legend that guy, on and off the board.

traveled around the globe together. I mean, he also now lives in the area where I grew up and he’s just a normal skate buddy from around the block - but then sometimes it hits me and I’m like, “FUCK!” This is the guy that has one of my favorite styles on the planet when he skates! Marty I met back when I worked for Matix and we went on a tour together. Since then we’ve stayed in touch, and I eventually went to visit him in LA and AZ where I used to go skydiving. Then I also met with him for sessions until we finally started filming for this project. I was so hyped when he agreed to film a part - I watched his part in Filmbot files when I was a kid and I used to get boards from Magee (Blueprint), and somehow my attention towards his skating was always up there. It’s just something special to him, nobody looks like that when skating. That basically goes for everyone in this video though, and is probably the only thing I had in mind while putting the cast together, aside from the fact that I wanted to travel with my good friends. Samu I met on a trip to Cyprus in 2010, and he is probably one of the people I feel like I can count on the most on this planet. Like, if you have Samu as a friend and you need something, you better be careful, the guy is gonna break himself in two

organize the footage, do my taxes, and all the kinda things you don’t need to be in a good mood to get done. Then when it happened on tour I could count on the boys to give me the right push, talk, or just a hit in the head to get back on track.

Working on a project like this you need lots of motivation, was there ever a moment where you felt you had lost it? Well yeah, sure. You have trouble in your life that brings you down, and then it’s hard to see a point in what you’re doing. I guess everyone goes through that, especially if you are trying to create. I used those “down times” to

How has your approach to filming changed over the past 4 years? Have you noticed any differences in the way you filmed during the first year compared to the last one? Closer. Closer. Clooooser! My filming didn’t change much besides from that, I guess. Obviously, if I read through my notes and ideas for the edit and structure of the film over the 4 years I see a different person there. I know it’s always hard, but if you had to pick the 3 best tricks/clips of the video which would they be? Timelapses of us around the campfire with the nomads in the Sahara (in Phil’s part), Marty’s truck breaking after we had been to the spot for countless days trying to get the trick, with everything going wrong every time, and Pfanner’s gap to 50-50, since it’s probably the gnarliest thing I’ve ever filmed.

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Best and worst moments of the making of WWCF? Having a mission that gives you a bigger sense for traveling around the globe with your homies was definitely the best. All the millions of tasks revolving around turning the footage into a film eating me up, while the boys continued to live the same lifestyle I had lived with them for 4 years was probably the worst thing. But I got to skate a lot of miniramps and shit in that time, so it wasn’t that bad after all. Yours is an independent project, but the amount of work involved and the destinations you went to are more than

you can find in most big-brand videos, financially it sounds like suicide, how did you deal with this aspect? My dad left me some money, I was in a time of my life where somehow it came down to 2 options - use it to go study film or do another independent skate video. In the end I feel like I got both out of it now - the film school was definitely included in the making of all this, from sound editing, to producing, to editing, to DVD authoring, to making a book, to

Axel & Phil. Photo Lucas Fiederling.

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clearing music rights - everything was on a way more professional level than the last videos I did. At least that’s how it felt to me. How do you see the future of skateboarding videos in general, and of independent productions? From your point of view, what’s the secret to stand out in the ocean of clips that invades the web every day? I don’t know, standing out usually means making something different - what most people nowadays refer to as “getting the most clicks.” It’s something you can achieve by following your own visions and ideas, not listening to others too much, nor caring about what people might think about the end result – and also by doing something that’s easier to access for the majority of people, the mainstream if you want. I guess the true goal is to combine those two - but I haven’t found out how that works yet. Does skateboarding owe you any money? Nah, definitely not. I owe skateboarding everything.

Phil, Lucas, Niklas & Axel in NYC. Photo Switn.

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