QS Film School — An Intro To Modern Skate Videos With Plots

In Boogie Nights, Paul Thomas Anderson’s film about the porn industry of the 70s and 80s, Burt Reynolds’ Jack Horner gives a fateful speech admonishing the advent of home video: “I have a stable of actors and actresses. They’re professionals. They’re not a bunch of fucking amateurs. They’re proven in the box office. They get people in theaters, where films should be seen, and they know how to fuck.”

It is not hard to imagine similar tirades (maybe with a few words switched out) occurring in Powell-Peralta boardrooms as the 80s were coming to a close, and skateboarding was around the corner from a crash. Skate videos of the decade were refined and narrative-driven, and for good reason. There were only like, six tricks invented at the time, so they had to fill up those other 53 minutes in an hour-long skate video with story, personality shots and other shit.

But what would come after skateboarding’s believed-to-be demise was a rebirth. Videos like Snuff, Video Days, Tim & Henry’s Pack of Lies, and Questionable were unrepentant in their progression — they were too busy inventing modern skateboarding in front of your eyes to worry about the extracurricular malarky from the Animal Chin days. New faces and a camera thrown in a backpack was the name of the game. The old mode was dead. But for how long?

Skateboarding draws many parallels to pornography, but one of the most curious ones is an incessant need to add narrative to something that nobody watches for the story. As we will soon learn, plots returned to skate videos as quickly as they went.

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Run, Skate, Chill, Run, Skate, Chill

kalis stevie sixth sense

“I think it’s kinda fun when the cops come.”

For two dudes who probably don’t get a chance to skate with each other like they used to, Kalis and Stevie remain inseparable in mind. While filming Parental Advisory, Kalis was probably at J. Kwon or in Chicago while Stevie was in Barcelona or Shenzhen, but seeing one on a skateboard is still synonymous with the other. It might be due to a childhood spent burning a hole through their respective sections in The Sixth Sense, The Reason, and Anthology after 1,000 viewings. Try finding someone that doesn’t know the “big ledges, little ledges” bit by heart. It’s the highlight from dozens of cheesy Transworld voiceovers — well, that and “Some handrails? Oh shit.

Though they don’t skate a single spot together here, we mashed them together with some inspiration drawn from the aforementioned classic videos. No telling when either of them is going to have another section out, but a small, shared part in whatever the next DGK project is would be nice ;)

Alternate YouTube Link

Mondayyyyy Links (Feat. Future)

rihanna qs laptop

Stance Socks’ newest teamrider.

We will temporarily be closing up our webstore this week. There are mostly mediums left with a few white larges and XLs. Cruisers are almost gone too. It will be back in the spring with new gear. Thanks to anyone who supported and bought anything.

A Visual Sound sat down with Brad Rosado to talk about Parental Advisory’s all hip-hop music supervision. It was actually surprising that Stevie didn’t skate to Meek Mill, considering that even in the Roc-A-Fella era, Philly didn’t have a top-tier “relevant” rapper to lay claim to. (Always thought “Ready or Not” would go well with a skate part.) Also, “blue collar filming” is a great term.

“99% Invisible,” a public radio show about design, has a sixteen-minute episode about Love Park and skateboarding in public spaces. Solid listen, even if it’s tailored to a mass audience and telling much about what you already know. It reminds us of how this was one of the greatest moments in skateboard history.

Gino talks about the five favorite board graphics he’s had throughout his career.

Lewis Marnell’s Nike SB Chronicles part is online via an unauthorized upload. Skateboarder also has several sequences from when the part was being filmed.

Brian Clarke’s part from Outdated is online. The Bridgeport line is sick. And here’s another part from the NJ-based In Crust We Trust video.

Battylife is an 18-minute New York and New Jersey-based video by Sam Fickinger, with a soundtrack that’ll make people who don’t listen to Future happy.

Some kid backside 360ed El Toro.

Here’s a 2012 “Best of” clip from noted frontside crooked grinder, Petey Pablo fan, and homage-payer to the S.A.D. towel, Connor Champion.

Are Bronze-ish tech nostalgia effects destined to make the #trendwatch?

Taji got out of the cold to skate one of the few mini ramps left in New York with a small crew.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week:I LIKE MY MEATBALLS SPICY!

Quote of the Week
Sweet Waste: “You need a warmer coat.”
Shawn Powers: “This Dior. This all I need b.”

If you’re into parties and rap and stuff, we’re at Westway with Baller’s Eve, Angelo Baque, Thando, etc. on Thursday night.

The Events That Defined New York City Skateboarding in 2012: 10-6 + 2013 Predictions

lou ruining skateboarding

70% chance of snow for the last weekend of 2012. New Year’s Eve plans? Nets head coach suggestions? Indoor skate spot recommendations? Highest bidder for an unauthorized House of Vans key duplicate? Who’s excited for the new season of Girls? Previously: #s 25-21, 20-16, 15-11. Expect 5-1 on New Year’s Eve.

10. Lurker Lou Ruins Skateboarding

Skateboarders hate everything. It becomes more evident by the day, as the anonymity provided by Hella Clips comments supplants the Slap forum as the skateboard internet’s epicenter of negativity. But we won’t stand for that negativity in our reality shows! This past spring, Lurker Lou — who, looking at it as objectively as possible, didn’t “hate” *that* bad — spewed his bearded criticisms on a bunch of youngsters looking to “make it” via the “One in a Million” reality show fiasco. He hurt feelings, crushed dreams, snapped boards and ruined any fun there was to be had in riding a skateboard for the remainder of human existence, which unfortunately, did not end on December 21st. (No existence is better than existence on an earth with Lou.)

What a jerk!

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Now see, this is what the holidays are all about. Three buddies sitting around, chewing gum.

fc-openingchase

“I got a man in Poughkeepsie who wants to talk with you.”

The site has been having intermittent server issues and downtime over the past several days. Everything should be back to normal now.

Past QS Christmas Clips: 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005

Frozen in Carbonite composed an interesting venn diagram for Pretty Sweet and Parental Advisory, the two marquee skate videos of the holiday season. Though “current rap, unironically” might belong in the middle, as “2Pac Back” was Pretty Sweet‘s only current rap song, and it was utilized in an appropriate way.

In the spirit of list season, Boil the Ocean has begun to count down the top ten skate parts of 2012. Joseph Delgado’s 56k part took the tenth slot.

Speaking of which, the director behind “this year’s best-made video” put together a 56k-esque Bill Pierce part for Roger Skateboards.

Rob Harris is releasing a video entitled Dece Vid on January 20th with a full part of the most recent Yaje Popson footage and cameos from a bunch of others. Teaser here.

This new Skate Jawn montage may be the first skate clip with footage at Fulton Mall.

Rob Gonyon becoming irate with entitled New York bicyclists (seriously, that “DON’T YOU GUYS KNOW THIS IS A *BIKE* LANE?!?!”-contingent of society is the worst) and doing chill street lines.

Mark Suciu and friends at Lenox Ledges and other less-interesting destinations in New York. The switch powerslide at the Bronx Courthouse after the back 180 is impressive considering how tight that landing space is. Dude’s good.

Throwback: A 12-year-old Slicky Boy taunting Santacon idiots at Tompkins in 2007.

Yolo.”

New Chewy Canon part on Christmas?

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Gerald Henderson uses an invisible trampoline to dunk on a complacent-looking Dwight Howard. It would have been glorious if the Bobcats won this game.

Quote of the Week:

ha

Can someone please explain this Pheed thing? And will it ever get big enough for Facebook to pay $1 billion for it? What will you guys do then?