Tuesday, July 08, 2008

New movie from Stacy Peralta.

Stacy Peralta is a filmmaker who started out as a professional skateboarder and is also a co-founder of one of the biggest skateboard companies of all time, Powell Peralta.

He started making some pretty sweet films for PP during the 80´s and early 90´s before venturing off elsewhere to make more films.
His films from the PP days have been very influential on my own work, I think.
Back then skate videos were super raw and filmed with shitty vhs cameras (which was great too, but in another way). Stacy was the one who started filming with nicer expensive beta, hi8, super8 and 16mm cameras.
And with nobody to look at for inspiration he created a look that is truly original.

Here are some of his work from the PP movies:

Saiz, Barbee, Sanderson & Thomas from Public Domain.
Frankie Hill from Ban This. I paid (in todays US $) around $70 for a copy of Ban This in the early 90´s. That was more than a months allowance when I was in 8th grade.
Frankie Hill in Propaganda.
Diaz, Mariano, Rodriguez & Johnson in Ban This.
Ray Barbee in Ban This.
Mike Frazier in Eight.
The Search For Animal Chin.
Rodney Mullen in Public Domain.

His biggest commercial successes are Dogtown & Z-Boys and Riding Giants. Two movies which depicted the skateboard movement in LA in the 70´s and the pioneers of big wave surfing.

His new movie "Made in America" is a documentary about the gang violence in LA. Mostly focusing on the two notorious gangs, Bloods and Crips.

I for one can´t wait to see it.

Here are two links to a trailer for it. One short version and one longer version.

No comments: