Get Busy Living interview
HUCK talks to skate filmmaker Yves Marchon and Element's Phil Lalemant about the company's new European team skate film.
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Let's face it, if you want to get your skateboarding video fix nowadays, the joys of the internet offer instant gratification. Fresh clips spring up daily but no matter how sweet, these short little edits are soon forgotten. In order to stand the test of time, nothing can beat a full-length movie.
In recognition of this fact, Element have spent the last three years filming their new movie Get Busy Living. Featuring skating from the European team and shot entirely in widescreen HD, it looks set to stand apart from your everyday viral.
Set to get its worldwide premiere at the Bright Tradeshow in Berlin this week, HUCK caught up with filmmaker Yves Marchon and Element Marketing Director Phil Lalemant to find out more.
HUCK: What can people expect to see in the new video?
Marchon: First of all and most importantly for me as a skateboard filmmaker, it's one of the first skateboard video entirely shot on HD. It was a big challenge because the cameras are bigger, the workflow is different and the skateboarders are not use to it. It made everything a bit more difficult. It features the Element Europe team - 10 amazing skateboarders from all over Europe. We wanted to keep it strictly skateboarding and short, so it's 25 minutes long.
Where did the filming take place?
Marchon: We travelled mostly around Europe but also China and North West USA.
Which skaters have the stand out parts? Who impressed you the most?
Marchon: Personally, I enjoyed working on a part with Phil Zwijsen. He got on the team a bit later than most of the others and it was a bigger task for him to get a part. He worked really hard for it. I was really happy to see his part coming together. Also, I spent lot of time filming with Madars Apse. We both lived in Barcelona for a year and it was really cool to go out with a dude that's much younger than me - 12 years to be precise. [There was] a different energy, you know. That was refreshing. Madars threw down some big tricks in only a coupe tries. Most of his stuff was landed within 10 tries really. Also travelling with Michael Mackrodt gave good memories and he’s an amazing skater too – the best style.
Lalement: They all skate in a different way so it's hard to judge. I think it is up to the public to decide on who is the most impressive.
Being able to show new spots is the icing on the cake
Any particular difficulties in filming?
Marchon: We wanted to make a video with good skateboarding and not too many unnecessary portraits, lifestyle shots, etc. It’s very trendy right now or, at least, you see it a lot lately. So, this said, we focused on getting skate footage for the project and not too much on the intro. We filmed the intro at the very last minute possible. I wasn't sure at all if it would work but I had the idea in my mind for a while. I sent the edit the day after to Phil [Lalement] and he okayed it. It was perfect in the end plus I really like it!
There are so many skate videos out there nowadays, how do you set Get Busy Living apart from the standard?
Marchon: Well, it was shot on HD and it's widescreen, so it looks different from the standard videos so far. Also, it features spots that have not been seen before in videos.
Lalemant: All we wanted to do was to release a video with raw skateboarding. Some of the best Europe has to offer with some good music on it!
Which have been your favourite skate films and why?
Marchon: I thought about it a lot. There are many different ones that really inspired me throughout the years but if I should pick only one, it’s Video Days. It came out at a time when I was living and breathing skateboarding - I was 15. The video is pretty raw and low budget but features the most amazing and creative skatebording. Gonz’ part is my favorite ever. Lately, I have been really inspired by Japanese skate videos.
Lalemant: I have always been a fan of Eastern Exposure. Anything Dan Wolfe has done works for me.
Ultimately, what's should a good skate video have?
Marchon: Technically, it’s much better when it's done spontaneously. Both skating-wise and filming-wise so the skateboarders can express themselves more than when it’s over directed. Filming Get Busy Living was a big challenge because I wanted to be as spontaneous as possible to not miss anything happening. At the same time, I had to carry around HD equipment that was that was heavier than what I have used in the past but I wanted that image quality and feel. During the three year filming process, I was [worrying] a lot about not being able to film it well enough or just miss stuff. Filming lines (which is my favourite to do) were a big challenge with a camera that weighs two or three times the weight than normal. Now that it's all done, I am really proud of this project and to have shot it on a different format.
Lalemant: I think good skateboarding comes first, then music and filming. Being able to show new spots is the icing on the cake!
Get Busy Living premieres at the Bright Cinema at the Bright Tradeshow, Berlin on July 9.
GET BUSY LIVING TRAILER from Yves Marchon on Vimeo.
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Get Busy Living interview (text) by Ed Andrews is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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