Overview, intro

To start off, I'll say that I am so pleased with the way the video turned out. It's funny because a lot of times when I'm working on a project, I'll have an idea of how it'll be, but then it turns into something way different. But this video actually turned out to be pretty close to what I imagined it to be, only the skating was better than I even had expected. This has been the funnest video to work on for me since we made the first Bolts of Thunder video, and the making of this video felt very similar to the first one as well. That's a good thing. In my opinion, it's how making skate videos should be; friends skating together and pushing each other to go bigger and better. That's exactly how it felt for me. I'm so proud of everyone in the video, especially those that came out and tried their best to skate and film. This video is up there at the tippy top of my list of favorite videos I've made(I've made 7, so it's a decent sized list to choose from). Also, I'm so relieved that the video is over with and we can enjoy it now. Life is pretty busy for me and everyone else involved, so having the video out of the way frees up all kinds of time I didn't realize I had, giving me more time to fall asleep face down on my carpet and what not. So, with that little intro, I'm going to start to give you the low down on each section of the video. Today I will talk about the intro...

The intro. Pretty straight forward. I have to thank Dan for the idea for the animation. I wasn't planning on doing any animation at all for the video, just text that said "Bolts of Thunder 4: The Legend of Billy Wayne Michael Duff", and that was it. But Dan said something to the effect that it wouldn't be a Bolts of Thunder video without any animation at all. So I used the title from the first video and just added the 4 and the Legend of Billy Wayne Michael Duff to it, and voila, animated intro. Thank you Dan. The rest of the intro is Bolts of Thunder's reaction to the way many skate videos are heading in these days: artsy and overproduced. I'm not putting them down or saying their stupid or anything, but Bolts of Thunder has never been about perfection on or off the skateboard. When I watch a skate video, I want to watch skateboarding, not super slow motion high def shots of people smiling awkwardly after they landed a trick. Call me crazy, but that's just me. Matt feels the same way. If he were here, he'd totally have my back. Then he'd lie down on his back on the couch, stare at the ceiling, exhale really loud and slow, and then say again how much he hates artsy crap in skate videos. I'd be sitting on the floor, and I'd agree with him. And since we run the show, we don't put up with all the trends you're seeing in your little skate videos these days.

So our intro was our shot at showing that anyone can make an awesome high-def, slow motion explosions going off whilst tricks are performed, followed up by the mandatory 360 flip. I won't say tre flip because that's also a new trend that I don't support. When I'm speaking to an American, I speak in cold, hard English. When I'm speaking to an Italian, I say "tre" in reference to "3". But I don't confuse the two. And don't even get me started on my Spanish skills...

So to make the intro, we had to rehearse in our church parking lot for a couple minutes. I had this idea of how I wanted it to start, so I told everyone what I was thinking, and away we went. AJ provided the sparklers which we barely got to light on our very last match, and Kenzo was given the all-important role of 360 flipper. No, not tre flipper. Don't get me started on why I don't say tre flip... It worked out perfectly, and after a couple practices, we were ready to film. We lit the sparklers, then gave it a shot. It happened super fast, and the sparklers were still going, so we thought we'd try it again. We ended up doing it 4 times, and the second one was my favorite, so it's the one we used.

I wanted to go from this epic slow motion shot with sparklers and choirs singing to an abrupt stop and a violent board smack down performed by AJ. The feel I was going for was similar to the first scene of "No Country for Old Men" where the guy strangles the cop. Just a quiet, harsh, violent scene. AJ had already stomped his board, so we had the footage, then just had to film the first part. In the end, it all came together really well, and surprisingly just how I imagined it. I believe it sets the tone for a good old fashioned Bolts of Thunder video, so it accomplishes its job quite well.

Next time I'll share my thoughts on AJ's part, which is one of the best parts I've ever worked on as far as the quality of skating and tricks put into the part. I'll prep our next post by saying that AJ's part is amazing and you should watch it right now and focus on every trick that he does, because it's mind blowing what he's capable of.