Skateboarding Reviews - Videos & DVDs
Skateboarding DVD Video Review:1st & Hope - A Film About Skateboarding Downtown
Los Angeles
Director: Brian Lotti
Studio: 411
Released: 2006
Rating: 4 Stars
Staring:
Eric Dressen, Brian Lotti, Kenny Anderson, Mike Carroll, Marc Johson, Ray Barbee, Caswell Berry, Paul Rodriguez, Mark Appleyard, Joey Brezinski, Scott Johnston, Shiloh Greathouse, Matt Hensley, Tom Knox, Ocean Howell, Enrique Lorenzo, Ben Schroeder, Lance Mountain, Salman Agah, Paulo diaz, Chris Pastras, Clint Petersen, PJ Ladd, Steve Berra, Ron Chatman.
1st & Hope is not your typical skate flick. It's up close and personal while being somewhat voyeuristic. The first thing you'll notice is the soundtrack - primarily from Beck's album THE INFORMATION - blankets the audio. In other words you won't hear the usual clickety-clack of urethane on sidewalk cracks. It's almost eerie until a song ends and the familiar sk8 sound rise - almost like wearing headphones. It's a cool effect after the status-quo of every other sk8 flick.
The filming itself is awesome! Rarely do you get the feeling that the camera is right on top of everyone (complete with the filmer's shadow). The shots are mixed with close-ups as well as distance shots that give e a great sense of LA's sights. You feel as though you get to see the city as opposed to just seeing a pair of shoes on a deck. Well done.
As the film's subtitle implies, this is a view into a day of skating in LA. The guys skate from spot to spot and hook up with old friends and come across a few new ones. Fueled by amazing street footage this film will make you want to run out your front door and skate the streets. But this DVD, then go discover a new spot!
This film makes you realize how much driving takes away from "seeing" the world around you. Of course, you can cover great distances by car, but you miss the small details that you would see if you were skating somewhere as opposed to driving.
Bonus Stuff
Interviews with:
- Eric Dressen - Talks about growing up around Venice Beach.
- Ray Barbee - Notes the difference between driving somewhere and skating to the same place. You'll see and feel more on a sk8.
- Salman Agah - Likes the sense of community you get from local spots.
- Brian Lotti - Grew up skating the streets of Salt Lake City, UT.
- Chris Peterson - Rode his BMX bike along his paper route until he saw someone skating and wanted to do that.
- Mike Carroll - Street skating lets you experience your surroundings.
- Scott Johnson
- Lance Mountain
- Paul Rodriguez
Audio Options have been a long forgotten option on DVDs. What can you do except switch languages, right? As mentioned earlier, 1st & Hope's soundtrack blankets the usual sk8 sounds you here during video parts - all you hear is the music. But, if you delve into the audio options, you can get an alternate soundtrack - poetry. That's right, if you are into poetry, select this option and replace Beck's music with poetry. Kind of odd (I actually dislike poetry greatly) but it's an interesting option that should be explored and used more frequently in skateboard videos and films.
The Bottom Line
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