Filmmaker Charles Lanceplaine recently released a mesmerizing independently produced video filmed in Ordos, a city in China's Inner Mongolia. The natural-transition-packed landscape of Ordos -- which means "palaces" in English -- appears ripe for skateboarding, but there's a second, more important characteristic about the metropolis that's a dream scenario for skaters: It's a ghost town.

Roughly 20 years ago, a coal rush made many people rich and the city planned for a massive urban renewal and influx of new residents. The center of the initiative was to be the surreal Genghis Khan Plaza, but the people never came, the housing market burst and Ordos remains an empty city filled with unsold apartment buildings, vacant storefronts and some of the most spectacular things to skate in the world. Lanceplaine's work truly captures the eeriness and excitement of the barren city.

Originally from France, Lanceplaine relocated in 2007 to Shanghai, China, where he's been developing his unique and picturesque style of filmmaking. His slow-motion HD montages and often dramatic shots never teeter on pretension, as there's always a focus on the actual skateboarding no matter what the backdrop is.

ESPN: How did you hear about Ordos and what drew you there?
Charles Lanceplaine: I first heard about Ordos back in 2010 when I was sitting at work, browsing the Internet. I stumbled upon an article from Time magazine's website, which had [a] slideshow of the city. Immediately upon seeing those pictures I thought that it would be such an amazing place to film. A ghost town and skateboarding couldn't be [a] better combination. Unfortunately, at that time I was still working a day job and making the Shanghai 5 project. It was only recently, after a skate trip to Kazakhstan with [fellow filmmaker] Patrik Wallner, that I decided to make it happen. I had a feeling we could strike gold; there had to be something.

How much research did you do beforehand about Ordos?
The problem with Ordos is that there isn't much information about it online aside from a few pictures and [economics] articles. When I first started talking to skaters about this trip, a lot of them were pretty reluctant to go because we were not sure what we would find there. Even more so when, two weeks prior to our trip, we read in the news that a foreign journalist just got kicked out of the city by the local authorities.

The situation in Ordos is considered very sensitive in China; the local government doesn't want any bad press about their city. That's why they keep tabs on everybody passing through and if you end up documenting the wrong thing, they will kick you out. That added a bit more stress to the situation -- we were not even sure we could stay in the city -- but all tickets were bought, so we had to go and see for ourselves.

What's the feeling like, being in the world's largest ghost town?
It feels surreal; it's worlds away from other bustling Chinese cities like Shanghai or Shenzhen. It's like being on a lavish movie set: beautiful architecture, huge sculptures, clean streets, very few cars, free public transportation, classical music playing in the public parks... Everything feels orchestrated, some sort of experiment for a perfect city. Like in The Truman Show.

There's a great balance of landscape and actual skateboarding in the film, without looking like art for art's skate. Can you talk more about your process and how you orchestrated the shots?
I went to Ordos with the idea that the architecture and emptiness would make up 50 percent of the video. I didn't want to go there and focus only on getting tricks and lines; instead, [I] wanted to have single tricks on good-looking spots. I tried to angle the clip more towards the vast and devoid aspect of the place. The Chinese song ["You Me"] by Hamacide + ChaCha, in my opinion, really emphasizes the lonely feeling of the city.

There's an eeriness that permeates Ordos. What were your experiences in the city, outside of skateboarding?
Ordos is like the movie Groundhog Day: Every day, you see the same local people staring at you, always asking you the same questions, always going to the same store, having breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same mall -- the only one actually operating. There was strictly nothing for us to do except skating and exploring; we could spend a whole session at a spot without seeing anyone.

The locals were really nice. The majority of people we met were from other provinces of China. They had just come to Ordos to work for a couple of months, and then planned to leave because it's a very lonely place to live in. On the other hand, we saw a lot of police there -- traffic officers standing in the middle of empty streets waiting, a lot of police cars driving around. It really felt like there were more police than people actually living there.

The nightlife in Ordos is not happening either; they have one nightclub, which we tried to check out on a Friday night around 11 p.m., but it was dead -- just the staff sitting around, waiting for customers to show up.

It is the strangest place I've ever been to and after spending a week there [the] whole crew was really over it and just looking forward to head[ing] back to the real world.

Can you tell us more about the skaters you took on the trip and why?
The skaters are all my friends from Shanghai. I'd already traveled with most of them before and knew they would be a fun and productive crew. I tried to get in touch with some other riders and photographers from the States and Europe, but some couldn't make it and others never replied. It is completely understandable, since we actually had no idea if there would be any spots, or if we would even be allowed to enter the city. It was hit or miss.

What influences your process visually and creatively and where do you see the future of skate cinematography?
I always try to film skateboarding in a way that not only focuses on a trick, but on a place. When filming in China, with such an interesting backdrop, you always have a story to tell.

Skateboard filmmaking is going to keep on getting better and better. With all these new affordable cameras coming out, kids are going to put out amazing clips from all over the world.

What's up next for you? Will you continue to try to seek out places like Ordos?
I have another ghost town in mind; I'm going to set up a trip for next spring. Hopefully it will be as good as Ordos. China is full of gems, so there [are] definitely plenty of amazing places waiting to be skated.