HOW WOULD HOLLYWOOD’S MOST FAMOUS DIRECTORS MAKE A SKATE VIDEO?

January 23, 2025/ & / ARTICLES/ Comments: 4


With modern blockbusters no longer making the money they once did, big time directors may be searching elsewhere to expand their filmography. And what better way than entering the always stable, and financially rewarding, world of skateboarding!

There’s no telling what kind of bizarre videos we might get, as each director comes with their own unique style. Everyone knows a Nancy Meyers movie is nothing like a Tarantino movie. And no one is mistaking a Wes Anderson production for a Robert Eggers picture.

With that said, the following is a brief “what if?”, detailing which big-wig director’s visual presentation would lend itself to the gentle art of the skate video.

And before we go any further, yes, Spike Jonze directed Video Days and other masterful creations. No, he will not be listed below. But read on anyway.

There’s not many things Tarantino isn’t mentioned being “perfect” for. Whether it is a sci-fi movie, play, or even a T.V. mini-series, everyone wants Tarantino to direct their favorite thing. Tarantino is able to capture action but shows the important nature of a character’s downtime. His skate video would showcase public interactions, like in the hijinks riddled Baker videos. The hilarious segments that you and your friends quote like a secret code.

Though he’d be fine with street parts, he’d really take to filming transition. A “controlled environment” where he could set up a multitude of cameras and lights. A vision immediately comes to mind of everyone dressed in gear from the early ‘80s, looking like trapeze artists set on decks.

And let’s face it, the man knows how to frame feet perfectly. Just go through his filmography and you’ll see what I mean.

With a penchant for youthful perspectives of an unfamiliar world, and a fascination with hotels, Sofia Coppola could create the perfect skate video for any team.

If “put your money where your mouth is” were a director, Sofia famously cranks up the music and removes dialogue, letting her scenery do the talking. Her no frills approach fits well with the marriage of spot and skater, especially for those uncaring of the little additions that are sprinkled throughout full-length videos. And with her attention to costume design we could get a beautifully bizarre cross between the current 90s revitalization style and the luxurious French royalty we’ve seen in her film Marie Antoinette. Eat your heart out Kirsten Dunst.

An added bonus for her would be to one-up her ex-husband, Spike Jonze. Who’s in favor of Yeah Right! Vol. 2: Sofia’s Revenge with a Bill Murray cameo?

At the right time, with the right trends, Tim Burton could have thrived as a skate video auteur. The skinny pants era of 2005 springs to mind. Blast some emo music, shoot the suburbs at night, and you got yourself a masterpiece in the making. And who wouldn’t want to see some stop motion animation bumpers between parts?

Skateboarding has a longstanding reputation for being an activity for the outcasts, a major theme in most of Burton’s films. And there is a sense of enjoyment he projects with contrasting elements together. Like his perfect, shining blonde leading ladies against the drab and gothic male protagonists. It’s fair to say we’d get some interesting spot choices for his team of outcasts.

Picture it; Ben Kadow skating a mini-golf course or the interior of a Chuck E. Cheese.

Spike Lee is a savant when portraying a setting as another character. So having a street skating “Spike Lee Joint”, set in the hidden world beneath fire escapes, could create one of the best videos skateboarding has ever seen. Ya dig?

Providing layers when constructing his projects, Lee’s movies show every aspect of a cityscape. Uncovering the hidden treasures and textures that make up the city. This makes him perfect for spot research, with him and his team discovering hidden skate spots the most seasoned may have missed, presenting something new and exciting for the viewers.

And though he can keep the camera steady, his choice to have it move around a scene brings about a sense of energy, dropping its audience beside the subject. Just imagine how great his signature dolly shot would look in a line.

With lavish set pieces, talented ensemble casts, and the creative use of animation, Wes Anderson has made some of the most striking and interesting films in the last few years. Just ask your local alt-friend sporting an orange beanie, they’ll tell you.

Anderson’s movies border on a kind of theatrical, dollhouse set cinema. So it would make sense he would want to build his own unique parks for the occasion. Brightly colored ramps popping against and weaving through green rolling hills of the American countryside. Think Moonrise Kingdom meets the Rick Howard woods section in Mouse. Or he could go in a different direction and direct a killer tour video. Wes and a team traversing Europe like a rolling carnival of prefabricated street spots, à la DVS’ Skate More.

With such a unique style he would be a perfect fit to film for Krooked, due to the creative nature of the great Gonz. Or if we can finally master time travel, during the prime Enjoi era.

As far back as I can remember, I always wanted a Scorsese skate film.

It’s easy to envision what this video might look like. Marty’s movies follow rebellious figures searching for redemption and faith in a world of crime. What’s more skateboarding than that? Just replace bloody hands wrapped around pistols with them gripping a board, and Jesus, Mary, and Mike Mo, you got yourself a video!

America was born in the mean streets. And this award-winning director would present a gritty, yet artistic flick that emphases the defiant lives of skaters living in New York. Using fast-pace editing techniques to showcase the livewire energy that only The Big Apple breeds. And with an affinity for long tracking shots, one could imagine beautifully filmed lines. Just watch the club scene in Goodfellas as proof.

Hope you like “Gimme Shelter” by The Rolling Stones’ though, it’s something of a requirement.

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Comments

  1. Steve Keenan

    January 25, 2025 2:00 pm

    This is so stupid.

    • Leave a reply

  2. me

    January 30, 2025 11:51 am

    :))

    • Leave a reply

  3. Fan of stuff

    January 31, 2025 1:03 pm

    Illustrations for the win

    • Leave a reply

  4. Little Richard

    February 1, 2025 10:48 am

    Did he use chat GPT to write this? Seriously check your boys work this is bad

    • Leave a reply

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