Downgrade Magazine

Downgrade Magazine is the name of a currently non-existing magazine with a particular focus on downhill skateboarding.

It has the been the collaboration of 5 different artists for the past 2.5 years, and now they finally feel that they have enough material to come out with their first issue.

There are plenty of downhill skateboard magazines already:

http://wheelbasemag.com/

http://www.skateslate.com/

http://www.heelsidemag.com/

But I feel that Downgrade is bringing something entirely new to the table. All magazines are designed to be ad free, with no forced influences from outside sources. They will be releasing 3 magazines a year, each with a different focus and theme. 

Issue 1 will feature only photographs and will be printed on unbound, heavy weight newsprint, designed to be taken apart and displayed. Issues two and three will have their own unique focus's, ranging from the history of downhill skateboarding to the current people that make the industry what it is. 

Another thing that makes this magazine so unique are the influences of the five photographers who make up DGM. They all come from different photography and skateboarding backgrounds, giving this magazine a vibe that is different from any magazines currently in the industry. 

(Matt K, photographer for DGM and famous skater. PC:Thomas Trnka)

The people behind the magazine are extremely devoted to their craft, and it shows. To make the first issue a reality they are asking for $20,000 on kickstartr. This sounds like a lot, but for the first print of a magazine that is ad-free, it is a reasonable amount. Here's their kickstarter video: 

DGM's photographers are so unique and have such immense skill that I believe this magazine has the ability to both non-skaters and skaters alike. I strongly encourage you to watch their video, if not to donate, just to see what they are about and appreciate their take on photography.

My experience at the Toronto Film Festival

This past weekend I ventured to Toronto, Canada with a few of my friends during the Toronto Film Festival to see a film premier that he had worked on. It was an amazing experience.

The film didn't exactly get accepted into the film festival however. Or really even get submitted. Here's a preview.

My friend spent ~2 weeks traveling across the country with other skaters, skating hills, parks, ledges, and anything else they could find. I got the opportunity to see the video premier before it was even released online at a party with all of the skaters in the video.

The day after that was an event called The Toronto Board Meeting. Basically hundreds of skaters meet up and skate through the middle of Toronto and we all wear a suit and tie, get it, "board meeting."




Here are some pictures from the event:

All photo credits go to "skate invaders"

There was an insane amount of media coverage, from skaters, videographers, news teams, and even a drone. Being around and spending time with the guys who premiered the film helped me learn a lot about making professional quality skateboarding media. While there isn't really much money to be made in the skate industry, or any money at all, taking this skate trip made me realize how open I would be to living on the road and working in the skate industry producing media for various companies. 

Follow Cameras in Downhill Skateboarding

As none of you probably know, I love downhill skateboarding, and will probably try to incorporate that into many of my blog posts. This one is going to be about driving dangerously close behind a skateboarder while having a DSLR rigged to the front of the hood with a suction mount.

Getting good moving footage of skateboarding can be difficult, there's really no safe way to do it without putting either yourself, the skater, or the camera at risk of getting broken. Regardless, skaters will do it anyways. One of the most popular methods of doing so is using a follow car, and driving no more than ~10 feet behind the skater. Here's an example of that:

This is my good friend Liam Hayes, skating down a famous run in Malibu, CA. This entire time, the follow car (driven by Alex Ameen), is ridiculously close to him to ensure good footage. Most of the time these videos are shot on a DSLR, with a wide angle lens or a fisheye at about 8-15mm focal length.

Here are some pictures from other angles of shooting follow runs.

In this last picture, you can see two DSLRs, as well as extra lights attached to the car. Two cameras ensure different angles without having to drive the run multiple times, and the lights are attached for various reasons, often to shoot night follow runs, as seen in this video: 

I've driven and skated during a few follow runs, and its equally scary to be in each position. When skating a follow run, don't look back! You have to have insane amounts of trust in the driver not to get too close to run you over, and believe me, it gets too close for comfort too often. Being the driver, you have to make the decision of where the safest distance to follow from is without sacrificing the quality of the shot. Normally I try to stay ~7 feet behind the skater, but this can be difficult on open roads with speeds of up to 55+mph. When driving that close, you can barely see below the skaters butt over the dash. Here's a screenshot of me getting a little too close to my friend, Dan Snyder, on a follow run I drove.

Overall it adds an extreme element of danger to an already ridiculously dangerous sport, but its worth it to get the shot!

My favorite skate video, minus the skating.

A huge passion of mine is downhill skateboarding. Basically you get on a plank of wood with four wheels attached and ride down the biggest hills you can find. Its exhilarating, amusing, and extremely dangerous. Multiple videos of various skaters are released daily, however, this one has always stood out to me. Being a TV/R major, and a skater, I always find myself critiquing videos from two aspects. The skating in this video is not my favorite, however the cinematography leaves little to be desired. The use of color in this video stands out to me the most. I think it really captures the feel of skating while playing perfectly into the mood of the song. Most skate videos also are only produced by 1 or 2 people, usually a videographer and an editor, and sometimes they're the same person. It is evident the amount of work and planning Caliber Truck Co. put into this video. There are five people credited with the production of this video, which may not seem like a lot, but five is large for this type of video. I could go on forever about the perfect use of various angles, slow motion, and b-roll, but you should see for yourself.