The Video Camera

Both the tool and torment of contemporary skateboarding.

This is a VX100, but it could have been a VX2000, Panasonic hi definition camera or any other digitalised piece of filming apparatus. The end result is the same, we use them to capture lost moments of glory and pain.

It seems like today every skater is filming for something. There's always a camera lurking at the bottom of the stairs or next to the ledge, and more often than not it dictates the general mood and movement of a session.

Personally, I wish we were back in the dark ages, where skateboarding was there to be witnessed by those who took part. If you didn't see your mate ollie the Walmart double set in the rain, it's because you were too busy leading a normal life. The only people who tried to capture the moment were amateur photographers, your friends, who in turn had to wait for the film to develop (A trend that has also been revolutionised by digital cameras) and see if they'd set the light measurement accurately or not.

All that has changed since the tsunami of video swept the market, replacing contest ratings and individualism by last parts and deadlines. Even now, video is lagging as kids demand downloads by the minute. The filmer's fast buck has stopped and digital photography looks like the only way forward... That said, some filmers really do deserve respect and admiration for channeling some of the most influential and adrenalin fuelled images to date. They are the cinematographers and they are worth watching.