Son, you can't life from Skateboarding
Son, you can't life from Skateboarding
Brother, you can't life from Skateboarding
Nevieu, you can't life from Skateboarding
You are an extreme sportsman!?!
And I turn that into their problem, Grand Aunty.
They are dangerous.
That's my middle name.
Do you remember your real name?
...
### Financial Evolution of Skateboarding Videos
Despite the absence of comprehensive historical financial data, the revenue streams and market shifts in skateboarding videography can be traced through industry practices and contemporary reports:
1. **VHS Era (1980s–1990s)**:
- Early videos like Powell Peralta's *The Bones Brigade Video Show* (1984) were primarily marketing tools for hardware brands. Revenue came from direct sales ($20–$30 per tape) and sponsored tours, but profits were reinvested into production. No public profit figures exist, though classics like *The Search for Animal Chin* sold ~30,000 copies initially .
- Blind Skateboards' *Video Days* (1991) exemplified low-budget productions, with costs covered by board sales rather than video profits .
2. **DVD/Internet Transition (2000s)**:
- DVDs expanded distribution but faced piracy. Companies like Transworld Skateboarding monetized through ads in magazines and event sponsorships, not video sales alone .
- *Fully Flared* (2007) by Lakai Footwear, with a $1M budget, generated revenue via limited-edition shoe lines tied to the video, not direct sales .
3. **Digital/Social Media Era (2010s–Present)**:
- **YouTube**: Channels like Braille Skateboarding (5.71M subscribers) earn $5K–$15K monthly from ads, plus brand deals .
- **Branded Content**: Supreme's *Cherry* (2014) and *Blessed* (2018) functioned as loss leaders for merchandise, with premieres funded as marketing expenses .
- **Clip Economy**: Freelance filmers sell single clips to brands (e.g., $75–$150 per trick to Nike or Adidas), creating a micro-economy for raw footage .
**Estimated Market Value**:
- The global skateboard market reached $3.6B in 2023 (hardware dominant) . Video content's value is embedded in brand marketing budgets, social media revenue, and clip licensing, but isolated profit data remains elusive.
---
### Impact on Visual Arts
Skateboarding videos revolutionized visual storytelling through technical innovation and cultural cross-pollination:
#### **1. Fisheye Lenses: A Subjective Revolution**
- **Immersive Aesthetics**: Spike Jonze pioneered fisheye shots in *Video Days* (1991), simulating the skater's peripheral vision and distorting urban landscapes into dynamic canvases .
- **Emotional Proximity**: William Strobeck (Supreme, Violet) used fisheye for voyeuristic close-ups, capturing blood, sweat, and fleeting interactions—elevating skate footage into cinematic realism akin to Larry Clark's *Kids* .
#### **2. Editing & Cinematography Techniques**
- **Rhythmic Synchronization**: Editors sync board sounds (pops, grinds) with music beats or percussive accents, turning tricks into rhythmic performances. Sam Perkin's *Grey Area* (2020) replaced skate sounds with orchestral instruments, creating a hybrid audio-visual score .
- **Surrealist Experimentation**:
- Jonze and Ty Evans digitally erased skateboards in *Yeah Right!* (2003), making skaters appear to float .
- Brett Novak's arthouse approach removed background people via visual effects, isolating skaters in desolate landscapes for a meditative tone .
- **Architectural Focus**: Pontus Alv's *We Blew It At Some Point* (2018) used long takes to frame skating as dialogue with urban design, echoing Dziga Vertov's city symphonies .
#### **3. Music: From Subculture to Synergy**
- **Eclectic Soundtracks**:
- Early videos mixed punk (Black Flag), hip-hop (Wu-Tang Clan), and pop (Jackson 5), reflecting skate culture's rebellious ethos .
- Brett Novak swapped aggressive tracks for ambient scores, broadening appeal beyond core skaters .
- **Marketing Integration**:
- Supreme's *Cherry* used Cypress Hill and classical music to align skating with high fashion, while Strobeck’s collaborations with artists like Frank Ocean blurred music video/skate film boundaries .
- **Cultural Documentation**:
- Videos like *Mid90s* (2018) embedded period-specific tracks (Nirvana, Wu-Tang) to authenticate era-driven narratives .
---
### Legacy and Cultural Synthesis
Skate videos transformed from niche promos into influential art forms:
- **Gallery Recognition**: Artists like Ed Templeton and Mark Gonzales bridge skate graphics with fine art, while Perkin's *Grey Area* debuted at Helsinki’s Musica Nova Festival .
- **Mainstream Aesthetics**: Fisheye lenses and "authentic" VHS glitches are now staples in commercials and films (e.g., *Mid90s*) .
- **DIY Ethos**: Filmers like Davonte Jolly repurpose clips across platforms (YouTube, Instagram), asserting ownership despite corporate reposting without credit .
Skateboarding’s visual language—born from concrete and creativity—continues to redefine urban storytelling, proving that its true "profit" lies in cultural innovation.
Despite the absence of comprehensive historical financial data, the revenue streams and market shifts in skateboarding videography can be traced through industry practices and contemporary reports:
1. **VHS Era (1980s–1990s)**:
- Early videos like Powell Peralta's *The Bones Brigade Video Show* (1984) were primarily marketing tools for hardware brands. Revenue came from direct sales ($20–$30 per tape) and sponsored tours, but profits were reinvested into production. No public profit figures exist, though classics like *The Search for Animal Chin* sold ~30,000 copies initially .
- Blind Skateboards' *Video Days* (1991) exemplified low-budget productions, with costs covered by board sales rather than video profits .
2. **DVD/Internet Transition (2000s)**:
- DVDs expanded distribution but faced piracy. Companies like Transworld Skateboarding monetized through ads in magazines and event sponsorships, not video sales alone .
- *Fully Flared* (2007) by Lakai Footwear, with a $1M budget, generated revenue via limited-edition shoe lines tied to the video, not direct sales .
3. **Digital/Social Media Era (2010s–Present)**:
- **YouTube**: Channels like Braille Skateboarding (5.71M subscribers) earn $5K–$15K monthly from ads, plus brand deals .
- **Branded Content**: Supreme's *Cherry* (2014) and *Blessed* (2018) functioned as loss leaders for merchandise, with premieres funded as marketing expenses .
- **Clip Economy**: Freelance filmers sell single clips to brands (e.g., $75–$150 per trick to Nike or Adidas), creating a micro-economy for raw footage .
**Estimated Market Value**:
- The global skateboard market reached $3.6B in 2023 (hardware dominant) . Video content's value is embedded in brand marketing budgets, social media revenue, and clip licensing, but isolated profit data remains elusive.
---
### Impact on Visual Arts
Skateboarding videos revolutionized visual storytelling through technical innovation and cultural cross-pollination:
#### **1. Fisheye Lenses: A Subjective Revolution**
- **Immersive Aesthetics**: Spike Jonze pioneered fisheye shots in *Video Days* (1991), simulating the skater's peripheral vision and distorting urban landscapes into dynamic canvases .
- **Emotional Proximity**: William Strobeck (Supreme, Violet) used fisheye for voyeuristic close-ups, capturing blood, sweat, and fleeting interactions—elevating skate footage into cinematic realism akin to Larry Clark's *Kids* .
#### **2. Editing & Cinematography Techniques**
- **Rhythmic Synchronization**: Editors sync board sounds (pops, grinds) with music beats or percussive accents, turning tricks into rhythmic performances. Sam Perkin's *Grey Area* (2020) replaced skate sounds with orchestral instruments, creating a hybrid audio-visual score .
- **Surrealist Experimentation**:
- Jonze and Ty Evans digitally erased skateboards in *Yeah Right!* (2003), making skaters appear to float .
- Brett Novak's arthouse approach removed background people via visual effects, isolating skaters in desolate landscapes for a meditative tone .
- **Architectural Focus**: Pontus Alv's *We Blew It At Some Point* (2018) used long takes to frame skating as dialogue with urban design, echoing Dziga Vertov's city symphonies .
#### **3. Music: From Subculture to Synergy**
- **Eclectic Soundtracks**:
- Early videos mixed punk (Black Flag), hip-hop (Wu-Tang Clan), and pop (Jackson 5), reflecting skate culture's rebellious ethos .
- Brett Novak swapped aggressive tracks for ambient scores, broadening appeal beyond core skaters .
- **Marketing Integration**:
- Supreme's *Cherry* used Cypress Hill and classical music to align skating with high fashion, while Strobeck’s collaborations with artists like Frank Ocean blurred music video/skate film boundaries .
- **Cultural Documentation**:
- Videos like *Mid90s* (2018) embedded period-specific tracks (Nirvana, Wu-Tang) to authenticate era-driven narratives .
---
### Legacy and Cultural Synthesis
Skate videos transformed from niche promos into influential art forms:
- **Gallery Recognition**: Artists like Ed Templeton and Mark Gonzales bridge skate graphics with fine art, while Perkin's *Grey Area* debuted at Helsinki’s Musica Nova Festival .
- **Mainstream Aesthetics**: Fisheye lenses and "authentic" VHS glitches are now staples in commercials and films (e.g., *Mid90s*) .
- **DIY Ethos**: Filmers like Davonte Jolly repurpose clips across platforms (YouTube, Instagram), asserting ownership despite corporate reposting without credit .
Skateboarding’s visual language—born from concrete and creativity—continues to redefine urban storytelling, proving that its true "profit" lies in cultural innovation.
Or Terrorist Gangster. IRA Provos. Beyond Death! Full House Crew.
