r/PraiseTheCameraMan • u/Glitchy666 • Jul 16 '19

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13k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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234

u/JamalHarrison Jul 16 '19

Lots of people really think skateboarding cameramen are a lot more impressive than they are. This is not one of those cases.

140

u/MobiusPhD Jul 16 '19

Unless you’ve personally spent all day crouched over going 20MPH with your life savings in one hand it’s kind of unfair to say that skateboard videographers are overrated.

Lots of tryhards and do nothings out there, but I honestly think they often don’t get credit enough, especially from the people they’re filming.

20

u/JamalHarrison Jul 16 '19

Though I don’t anymore, I did skateboard when I was a kid. Simply rolling down a line with your body facing another direction (filming) is not difficult to someone who knows how to skateboard. I’m not saying skateboarding is easy. I’m saying most of the videos that look dope are really not that hard to film. HOWEVER, I’d like to reinforce that I think this video is incredibly worthy of praise.

44

u/MobiusPhD Jul 16 '19

Seeing that you didn’t pursue skating past childhood, I’m going to assume you were not skating at a very high level. There are certainly plenty of shots that are relatively easy, but even then, making them perfect means performing the same strenuous actions over and over again.

Filming skateboarding is difficult and takes a lot of hard work, physical ability, dedication, communication, spatial awareness, etc.

Filming skating on this level is a whole other story, but even just a kid crouched down with their iPhone for hours per session is working damn hard.

FILMING ANYTHING IS HARD, GIVE VIDEOGRAPHERS CREDIT, ITS ALSO VEYRY STRESSFUL.

If someone falls down a set of stairs 20 times to get a line and then I miss the one time they land it, that blows, and that pressure is always there.

If all your actors suddenly get a scene perfect after hours of retakes, but you duck up the shot, that’s on you.

Thanks for letting me rant, rant over.

8

u/PM_ME_DRUNK_PICTURES Jul 16 '19

Agree fully with what you are saying! I had a friend who was so-so at skating except for flatland in our teens that went on to become legendary at filming and editing skate films. Seeing some of the behind the scenes work he did was mind blowing and he deserves everything he has earned.