TransWorld Skateboarding magazine is about set to drop its 25th video early next year. "Perpetual Motion" will premiere at the TWS Skate Awards night, slated for February 27, 2013, at Hollywood's Avalon Theatre. Until then, hungry fans will have to feed on this trailer and the following Q&A with filmmaker Jon Holland.
ESPN.com: How long have you been making videos for TWS?
Holland: It will be 17 years I've been with TWS come this December. That's where I got my start, thanks to Ted Newsome and Ty Evans. I've done many side projects with other companies through the years, but TWS has been home.
What was your first TWS vid and how have things changed since then, in terms of moviemaking technology?
The first video I worked on was the original "Cinematographer" in 1996. I didn't film a section, but I edited a few. In that day an editing bay was pretty pricey, so most guys only filmed and didn't edit so much. I think our first legit setup with Media 100 cost around $30,000 for everything, and that was relatively cheap. Now, it's just normal for everyone to own a camera, a computer with editing software and do it all themselves because it's so affordable. You can make a whole skate video on your phone.
Looking back, I miss shooting film. We used to shoot a lot of 16mm, and I remember going to telecine [where the motion picture film was transferred into video] and being so excited to see how the film turned out. Just having those moments of not knowing is something I miss. It's the same as a photographer who always shot film but is now shooting digital -- the surprise is gone.
Another big difference is that videos used to mean more to the whole skateboarding industry. Back in the day, you lived off magazines and your imagination -- that was your lifeline to what was happening. But when a video came out, you were blown away to see it because they only came out every so often. There was such a buzz about it. That was when you really got to study style and the way the tricks were done. I know I watched "Public Domain" and "Memory Screen" and "Video Days" [on VHS] until they wouldn't play anymore. Today I can cruise the web and watch like a thousand new parts. It's obviously over-saturated, and even though I don't always like that fact, it's a good thing for skateboarding as a whole. The web spreads the word.
How about the changes you've seen in skate progression?
The street guys go bigger and get more technical, but most of the same tricks that are being done have been done in some form years ago. I was seriously just looking at an interview in TWS with Guy Mariano from 1995, a full year before I started working at TWS. In his interview he does a switch krook on a rail, a fakie backside nosegrind down a rail, a body jar in a backyard pool, a switch backside tailslide down a rail, a switch hard flip over a gap (which was captioned "switch inward kickflip"), a giant switch frontside pop shove-it, a gap over switch frontside tailslide, and a switch backside 5-0 down a Hubba. Now that was progression. We're talking 1995!
The most recent progressive breakthrough was Danny Way, by far. Helicopters, Hard-Rock Drop, Mega Ramp and The Great Wall of China. He took skateboarding somewhere it had never been before. Danny wins. I just hope the originality and genius of skateboarding always remain in tact. There's only one Gonz, one Blender, one Jason Jesse and one Guy Mariano. Skateboarding needs this new generation to continue that legacy of creativity and boundlessness. That's what makes skateboarding so cool.
What's been your favorite TWS project and why?
"Sight Unseen" because it features two of my absolute all-time favorite skaters: John Cardiel and Heath Kirchart. It all came together on that project. The skating is timeless, the music is rad, and working with Greg Hunt was a treat. Plus, there's Henry, Dollin and Tosh Townend killing it. But as far as the most fun and entertaining it would have to be "Feedback." The desert journey with Ty, Muska and crew was a time in my life I'll never forget. Simply epic.
How long has this latest TWS vid been in the works?
Since April, and it's actually going really well. This crew is hungry and they've been extra productive.
High points?
Filming Silas doing some ridiculous moves in Portland, doing the Zoo bomb, and just getting to know and skate with Josh, Jimmy, Julian, Tom and Walker. I'm stoked to point a camera in their direction and witness their skating firsthand. They all rip. Also working with my new partner Chris Thiessen has been great. He has a good work ethic and a real positivity he brings to everything he does. Another high was building a DIY spot with Kyle Berard, Jordan Hoffart, Pat Duffy, Rob Welsh and Tom Remillard. It was a lot of work (mostly done by Kyle) but really fulfilling. It's just a different kind of satisfaction knowing you had a hand in creating a spot.
Low points?
Not too many lows, which is generally the case. Josh kinda got hurt which took him out for a few weeks, but he's back. I've gotten a cell phone ticket and a speeding ticket, which is making my insurance steadily rise.
As far as distribution goes, what's your take on the future? Are DVDs going the way of VHS, or do they still have value as part of a skater's home collection?
It's all going to be distributed on the web, no doubt about that. The cost is so much less and you can get more eyes on the finished product. So yes, DVDs are going the way of VHS. But for me personally, I still enjoy holding a finished product with my own two hands. It's just more real to me and I know it means something to the skaters that are in the video. I run into guys today that have never been in a real video that came out on DVD, just web clips or web parts. And those are the same people that say they really love the fact we still make a DVD. They feel like it means more to be a part of something as a whole than to stand alone in a web part. TWS is one of the few still slinging DVDs, and we'll keep it up, but inevitably it will come to an end.
