Tag: Full Part

I first met Simon many years ago when he was just a little kid, he was always in the corner skating flat ground, doing every flat trick in the most worn down gear. Ever since those days he has grown up and has become a man.  He still loves flat ground but he has taken some of those early low impact moves down obstacles or into slides. One thing that hasn’t changed though, he still somehow always manages to have the most worn down gear, a spectacular feat since Converse supplies him with shoes and Poetic provides him with plenty clothes and boards to wear and wear down. 
Watching Simon skate has always been a treat, his style is very spontaneous, he seems to constantly operate on the limit, just barely hanging on. Mr. Källkvist is not one to stay in his comfort zone he is always pushing himself, falling down and getting up with a smile on his face! I had a chance to talk to both Simon and Markus who filmed this. Enjoy!

Interview by Tom Botwid.
Photos by Viktor Annerstål.
Editing and Filming by Markus Bengtsson.

Simon Källkvist

How was the process of filming for this part? Did it “just happen” or did you create a concept?
Markus Bengtsson released a lot of Stockholm videos during this summer, one of which featured my friend Olle Kling who managed to film a full part in like 3 days, nuts!
After he released that part Markus and I started talking about doing a short film type of part.
That didn’t end up happening. We thought we would work on it for around seven days but it ended up being 3 months.
The whole thing sort of grew organically, it evolved into a longer project. We wanted to film it in downtown Stockholm to really show it for the capital that it is. Even though it’s a relatively small capital city when compared to a town like Paris it still has spots that feel like they could be in a really big metropolitan city.

Viktor Annerstål(1)

Why did you opt for the VX, instead of HD, or even a phone it seems that a Sony VX is not the most user-friendly option nowadays.
First off,  the Sony VX for me is still the best tool to document skating. It is like you can feel what it is like to skate when you watch VX footage. I don’t really get that same feeling when I watch things in HD. Maybe it is because I grew up watching VX filmed videos and that gives me the feeling it is the “right” way to capture skateboarding. Secondly, I like to have a project to work on. It keeps me motivated to push my boundaries and it is fun to go skate spots that maybe you wouldn’t if you weren’t filming.
Filming a full part is something I do for myself like skateboarding is supposed to be!
I don’t dislike Instagram, I watch it almost every day and it keeps me occupied but there is no commitment when I do. I am not engaged in it like I would be when I am watching a full part on a bigger screen. The difference being that I chose to actively watch that video instead of it popping up. Instagram is for quick fun,  unfocused likes, a quick ego boost, but most of the times it keeps me occupied when I don’t want to wash my dishes or study. I feel like I might get a lot of hate for that one!

What does skating for Poetic Collective mean to you?
Poetic helps me, supports me and keeps me pushing myself and that to me is very motivating. They bring new point-of-views into skateboarding. It is hard for me to truly describe what the company means to me. It does keep on changing, but I love all of the people involved it is one big family!

Your skating takes me back to the early 2000s, does this era represent anything special to you?
I like the fact that videos weren’t being put out on a daily basis, it made you appreciate what you have a lot more.
The daily video releases have pushed the level of skateboarding though – monkey sees monkey do – but it also overstimulates me. It was a more simplistic time and I feel like pros skated for themselves and not for the perceived fame and fortune.  It could also just be the fact that everything is filmed with a VX and that is what actually makes me love it!

simon ss heel fs k by Viktor Annerstål

Markus Bengtsson

So, Markus, you spend a lot of time documenting Stockholm can you describe the skate scene for us?
Stockholm is expanding continuously, new spots get built daily, but the one thing our city misses is a proper meet-up spot. Which is not ideal during the summer months. In the winter though everybody meets up at the only indoor skatepark that we have so that is good about those cold couple of months. Overall I think Stockholm is a great city to skate with a lot of outdoor parks and a plethora of street spots.

Can you take us behind the scenes of the filming for this part, how did it come about?
I was plagued by a knee injury this year so I couldn’t skate myself, instead of sitting at home I chose to film so I could still go on missions with my friends. That is how this project got started. I wanted this part to represent a raw and dirty type of skating in Stockholm.

Why do you still film VX, instead of just filming with your phone and putting it on Instagram?
Both me and Simon think that the lifespan of an internet part is longer. Instagram posts are awesome but sometimes you can just scroll past a video without really paying attention to what’s going on. But when you watch somebody’s section on the internet you usually pay more attention to the skating. You actively choose to sit down and watch a part.

You have a military background, does that help you in any way when it comes to filming?
I’ve never really thought about a connection between the two. But I guess you could say that it helps me with the mental part of filming. It allows me to always keep a positive attitude, even when I am really tired. I am able to cope and hide those factors and stick it out. When suddenly the skater makes the trick it is always worth it.

Describe Simon’s skating to us?
The way he skates is inspiring. When you watch him do tricks you can really tell that he is in love with his board. He never sticks to one particular element of skating, he tries to skate everything and does it all with passion. He is not a perfectionist but still, he manages to make everything look smooth. Even the sketchy tricks (laughs).

Viktor Annerstål(2)

This video part shows you the fruits of the shelter, a place to evolve your skateboarding to the next level. The difference is most kids can’t take that next step and take those tricks to some of those imperfect streets spots. These guys obviously transcended that and did some of their best stuff to date.

Thus we want to give a little shout out to Max Obert for his tre-flip down the double set and Justin Sommer’s Rewe line and fs flip over the Warschauer tracks, great stuff guys!

Skate parts always amaze when you are getting surprised by the things you see. Well, I know Tim Bornemeier and Danny Goodman for quite some years now. And altough I’m quite aware of their capability on a skateboard, this part got me mind-blown for sure! They both put in 120% of what they got and I really want them to take a well-deserved bow! Props to you my friends!

To be honest, I don’t really follow every episode of the resent Push series. Yet, on the other hand, I have been watching every episode of Miles Silvas, and with a thrill of anticipation I was looking forward to the result, which went finally online today. A once again remarkable part that will surely satisfy the ever-growing group of Miles’ fans to which I certainly belong to as well.

My colleague Roland says that, if you break it down, there is acutally only one important criterion about a skate video: Either it makes you want to skate or not. So now, I could start to describe in detail why Joey Guevara‘s new part makes me want to skate so bad that, if it would be dry outside (which unfortunately is not the case) I would just leave the office and call it a day, but let’s face it, I already told you everything you need to know… I mean if you break it down, of course.

I don’t know whether it’s because of the music, the creative and smooth skating or the fisheye filming but Zoe Miloš‘ Part from the Solsticij Video reminds me a little bit of Spirit Quest with, of course, Croatian spots.

Well, what can I say remarkable about Carlos Ribeiro that you don’t already know? Maybe I could just do a little assumption: The Track “Know the Ledge (Juice)” by Eric B. and Rakim was already used in Rob Dyrdek‘s part in the DC Video from 2003. So, if Carlos is not a fan of Rob, they at least seem to share a similar taste in music.

It is no secret that Alex Ullmann is a good skater right? If it was a secret his cover has now been blown. We have been out skating with Alex on more than one occasion and he is the type that gets something at every spot… Ok so now that we did the sweet talk, we can tell you that Alex can also be the strong silent type, he has a wallflower type of quality without actually being one. We thought it would be nice to launch his new part in conjunction with a little questionnaire so you, me and everybody can get to know a bit more about Mr. Ullmann.

Hey, Alex let’s start this thing… Where have you been?

One second ago?

I just started eating my freshly fried pasta with pesto.

…one minute ago?

I was staying in the kitchen preparing my meal.

…one hour ago? 

I was at a tutoring class for business accounting. I force myself to go there two times a week because in May I have my final exam. By then I have to see trough this.

…one day ago?

My roommates and I cleaned up the apartment. It was really necessary. After that my girlfriend Nina and I went billposting on cruisers in Marburg. It’s a good secondary income. 

…one week ago? 

I had to work till 3 o’clock p.m. and afterwards I met up with Iwan (Martaller) and David (Perez) at the indoor skate park in Giessen. We had a few beers while we were replacing the old stair set with a bank – so you can ride the straight rail from the left side now, too. It’s really awesome!

…one month ago?

On New Year’s Eve, I had a small party with my roomies. We just hung out playing some board games and went downtown for some beers later on.

…one year ago?

I have been to Spain for the most legendary tour ever – The Hell Ride. Paul Zenner, Fabian Lang, Maxi Schaible, Niklas Speer von Kappeln, Mario Ungerer, Dominik Schneider, Leo Preisinger and myself we rented a minibus and drove all the way from Almeria to Lisbon. Unfortunately, I had to fly back home 2 days earlier for my midterm exams, so I missed skating in Lisbon. But it still was one a one-of-a-kind trip.

…five years ago? 

After my volunteer social year, I started working at a community for handicapped people for two years, which was a really interesting and valuable experience that lastingly shaped me.

…ten years ago?

I was living at home with my family in Echzell and after school, I always went skating with my homies Sven, Steffen, Henne, Matthias and Felix at the local funbox. 

…15 years ago?
 
I moved from Wölfersheim to Echzell with my mom and three sisters. Three years later I started skating after always seeing some skaters while grocery shopping with my mom. Some day I just went there with my board and waited for them to show up. We hung out ever since.

…20 years ago?

At that point, I was five years old and living with my family in Wölfersheim where I also went to preschool.

…25 years ago?

25 years ago on the 12 February 1991, I was born in Bad Nauheim. It was an uncomplicated singleton breech pregnancy.

Enjoy Alex’s new Barcelona Vacation Part!

Portrait by Danny Sommerfeld

I’d say the skateboard world already got used to the fact that also women now finally took their legit place in it. So, Lacey Baker is by far not the first and not the least women having a proper clip either, but all this shall not be the reason we share her new full part anyway. It’s not because she is a woman that skates, you know, ‘good for a woman’, no, it’s because she skates on a level that deserves to be to be seen regardless her sex!

Without any doubt, Dan Schulz’ independent full length Oh Snap made it on the list of the most remarkable skate videos of the past year. I can’t tell you how long he was filming for it exactly, but I know it has been a couple years. This plus the fact that Patrick Rogalski is always a guarantor for footage at any spot you take him results in something that should be regarded as more than just a leftover clip. I rather would describe it as an additional full part to his already existing full part.