Phil Evans is a weird Irish guy, making skate video with a Super 8 camera. After is ‘Scrum Tilly Lush’, which features some europeans guys in their countries, he’s back with a new project : ‘Format perspective’ , a movie about skate photographers. Read the following conversation, and be in Berlin, july 7th for the premiere…
*Could you present this new project ‘Format perspective’?
‘Format Perspective’ is basically a documentary about skate photographers, but also a skate video with photos. We get « behind the scenes » with each photographer, but we also see the skating that they are shooting. The film is shot completely in super 8, with sound throughout. We also see a little skating from the photographers too, which I think is rad as its pretty lame when skate photographers don’t skate!
*Is it only Super 8 ?
Yeah, the film is completely shot in super 8, which was a conscious decision from the start. I made a test edit with some footage I had of Conhuir & Denis Lynn and some photos Stu Robinson had taken. I have HD equipment, but if I shot HD it would look to similar to a lot of the digi SLR photos, so super 8 provided a perfect contrast to the buttery photos, its so low grade that it shifts the attention to the photography and makes the photo the showcase.
*Is your Super 8 work inspires you to bring to light photographers?
I guess I do appreciate that these guys put a lot more effort in than the average filmer in image composition, and with Sergej [Vutuc] he not only develops his film, he prints them too, so yes, I’ve a great appreciation for the skill, patience and effort of these guys, so it would have been a sideline factor in choosing to shoot photographers. I think to gain any regard as a good skate photographer it shows that you do have an appreciation for your craft.
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*How did you select photographers?
I basically started filming with Stuart Robinson in Belfast, then I asked Rich [Gilligan] here in Dublin. Rich recommended Alex [Irvine] and Nils [Svensson], and they were down so I was stoked. Alex put me in touch with Bertrand [Trichet], and I’d seen his stuff in « Dirt Ollies » so I was stoked he got on board, then Bertrand recommended everyone and that was that! I think its also quite nice when the line up of guys is decided on the recommendations of people who are already involved in the project, that was you just get those who are genuinely interested and motivated.
.
*What do you want to show throught this new film ?
My main interest was the story behind each guy. After I filmed my last video, I needed some new inspiration, I didn’t just want to make ‘anothr skate video’, so I was really asking myself why I was shooting skating. So the inspiration to shoot photographers came out of me asking myself what I why I was shooting, I guess I wanted to find out why these guys shoot. Each one of them has a completely different story and style of photography, so I got a great variety of stories and work to play with. I was also really stoked to get the opportunity to make a film where you get to marry the footage the photography.
*What did you learn about the skate photography ?
It doesn’t pay too well!
*Do you think skate photographers are the last skate artisans ?
Ha! Good question! Skate photography definitely requires a lot more skill and effort than making skate videos, so I have a lot more respect for photographers from that point of view. You definitely can’t get away with not knowing your shit in skate photography, whereas with skate videos you can be really technical or really sloppy and still make the most boring video in the world, I guess skate videos are more about ideas – for me – and skate photography has a big emphasis on execution before you bring the ideas in.
*Is the most exciting moment is when you get back the super 8 processed?
Exciting is one word for it… nervous is another! I blew out a lot of the exposures in this video, I really wanted to mess up the super 8 even further than normal so the photos would stand out next to them. It is quite nice getting a reel that you can hold, touch, and play with in the projector, I way prefer it to a file on a hard drive!
Format perspective
Phil Evans is a weird Irish guy, making skate video with a Super 8 camera. After is ‘Scrum Tilly Lush’, which features some europeans guys in their countries, he’s back with a new project : ‘Format perspective’ , a movie about skate photographers. Read the following conversation, and be in Berlin, july 7th for the premiere…
*Could you present this new project ‘Format perspective’?
‘Format Perspective’ is basically a documentary about skate photographers, but also a skate video with photos. We get « behind the scenes » with each photographer, but we also see the skating that they are shooting. The film is shot completely in super 8, with sound throughout. We also see a little skating from the photographers too, which I think is rad as its pretty lame when skate photographers don’t skate!
*Is it only Super 8 ?
Yeah, the film is completely shot in super 8, which was a conscious decision from the start. I made a test edit with some footage I had of Conhuir & Denis Lynn and some photos Stu Robinson had taken. I have HD equipment, but if I shot HD it would look to similar to a lot of the digi SLR photos, so super 8 provided a perfect contrast to the buttery photos, its so low grade that it shifts the attention to the photography and makes the photo the showcase.
*Is your Super 8 work inspires you to bring to light photographers?
I guess I do appreciate that these guys put a lot more effort in than the average filmer in image composition, and with Sergej [Vutuc] he not only develops his film, he prints them too, so yes, I’ve a great appreciation for the skill, patience and effort of these guys, so it would have been a sideline factor in choosing to shoot photographers. I think to gain any regard as a good skate photographer it shows that you do have an appreciation for your craft.
.
*How did you select photographers?
I basically started filming with Stuart Robinson in Belfast, then I asked Rich [Gilligan] here in Dublin. Rich recommended Alex [Irvine] and Nils [Svensson], and they were down so I was stoked. Alex put me in touch with Bertrand [Trichet], and I’d seen his stuff in « Dirt Ollies » so I was stoked he got on board, then Bertrand recommended everyone and that was that! I think its also quite nice when the line up of guys is decided on the recommendations of people who are already involved in the project, that was you just get those who are genuinely interested and motivated.
.
*What do you want to show throught this new film ?
My main interest was the story behind each guy. After I filmed my last video, I needed some new inspiration, I didn’t just want to make ‘anothr skate video’, so I was really asking myself why I was shooting skating. So the inspiration to shoot photographers came out of me asking myself what I why I was shooting, I guess I wanted to find out why these guys shoot. Each one of them has a completely different story and style of photography, so I got a great variety of stories and work to play with. I was also really stoked to get the opportunity to make a film where you get to marry the footage the photography.
*What did you learn about the skate photography ?
It doesn’t pay too well!
*Do you think skate photographers are the last skate artisans ?
Ha! Good question! Skate photography definitely requires a lot more skill and effort than making skate videos, so I have a lot more respect for photographers from that point of view. You definitely can’t get away with not knowing your shit in skate photography, whereas with skate videos you can be really technical or really sloppy and still make the most boring video in the world, I guess skate videos are more about ideas – for me – and skate photography has a big emphasis on execution before you bring the ideas in.
*Is the most exciting moment is when you get back the super 8 processed?
Exciting is one word for it… nervous is another! I blew out a lot of the exposures in this video, I really wanted to mess up the super 8 even further than normal so the photos would stand out next to them. It is quite nice getting a reel that you can hold, touch, and play with in the projector, I way prefer it to a file on a hard drive!