The below post was not meant to sound vain or egotistical by any means. I merely wanted to explain the broader importance of what we have all worked to create.
That being said, any comments about what you'd like to see done with this website in the future, things you'd like to see, design changes, etc are welcome. Although we have to approve posts before they show up due to the large amount of penis-enhancement spam we receive on here daily, I will make a special effort to make these comments visible for conversation and consideration daily if interest is shown.
Basically, Rep The Pep is stagnant right now, and anything you guys can come up with that can increase our productivity and promote interest in the site and Culpeper skateboarding is welcomed. Give us some ideas.
Several options for the future which I've considered briefly:
-A highlights montage from ROUGH (although selecting specific tricks from that video as highlights will be difficult)
-Documentary style/insider voices about the making of ROUGH and/or Rep The Pep in retrospect
-A retrospective video spanning from the very first Rep The Pep updates up until the ROUGH release
-Spotumentaries, which we toyed with doing quite some time ago but never came to completion (Roy Rogers, Glass Gap, etc)
-Throwaway footage dumps (yes, there is more throwaway somehow. This WILL happen, but I do not know when)
-Holiday videos, once again
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
ROUGH v. RTP
So, having watched Rep The Pep for the first time in several months (the last time being the week before the ROUGH premiere), I noticed several differences between the videos that may or may not be of interest. Although in technical terms the skating is a step above, the editing is a step above, and the filming is a far step above for ROUGH, Rep The Pep stands alone as it's own force, and possibly, dare I say, a Culpeper Masterpiece. Since we have no new footage to show, due to broken cameras and a break from filming, I hope this post will be readable and somewhat interesting to those involved in any part of the Park's past.
Rep The Pep and Rough differ on several obvious levels; for one, the level of technical skating in RTP is higher, due to our park-shark nature at that time. For two, Jesse, Jasi, DC, Max and Maxi all lack full parts, and David Dennis, Shane, and Hunner are completely absent from the production. Third, the music in ROUGH is not local, and fourth, the montages from Rep The Pep are absent in ROUGH.
Let me explain these meanings.
ROUGH, initially a street-compliment to the park-heavy Rep The Pep, ended up being a feat of conquering distance and communication, with most of us shotgunned throughout the state of Virginia and even as far as North Carolina, Germany, Alabama, Australia, and wherever else Maximilian was commissioned to. To finish ROUGH we had to coordinate with people I'd never even met, and slap together older footage post-relocation with newer footage from unmet counterparts. We had to deal with evolving schedules, growing lives, and un-forseen tragedies as well, making the once complimentary video a brand all it's own. ROUGH was originally slated to be a short, all street and concrete park montage, and although clocking in around a short 25 minutes, it obviously became much more. The issues of getting crew members to actually show up to skate became more problematic than the actual act of skating and getting footage; for example, Maxwell and Mike were initially slated for full parts, and Maxi was expected to deliver a full length effort over the short span of one month. Life issues aside, everyone gave ROUGH a pretty damn heroic try; after all, we are a bunch of skatepark sludge that's managed to keep it together for four years in a row. Considering this, ROUGH in it's portrayal of street missions and battles against time, daylight, the seasons, security, and schedules is a masterpiece in it's own right, showing what can be done with the limited space made available for skating of an unnatural nature; that is, street skating.
Yet however better in terms of ability ROUGH is compared to Rep The Pep, my recent viewing of RTP reminded me of several things that make that project a unique outcome all it's own, and worthy of future viewing despite it's 'big' brother ROUGH. Considering even the menu image, the pure feat of synchronizing and bringing together 12 people at the exact same time and date even wearing the same shirt is remarkable. David's hubba-happy massacre, the Roy Rogers shutdown, the old ledge and spine meeting an unprecedented slaughter. All of this was a miracle of proportions unknown to the average park attendee. True, ROUGH opened doors on the Sherwin Williams 3-to-Flat, the Glass Gap, and Golden Corral; yet Rep The Pep stands as a testament not to the abilities of the 13 skaters featured in it, but rather to the two-year time period in which it was filmed. Rep The Pep is full of park skating, and God knows I have received enough criticism over this. However, the video itself serves as a time capsule into the hype and depression and pure feeling of that time, whenever it so fell into your lifespan. Suffering the loss of an amazing friend and skater, the people featured in that video (many swearing to never skate the park again after Hunner's loss) persevered over insurmountable issues and odds to compile something which represents not only their own daily activities, but a truly unique history of the Culpeper skate park. Footage from Maxwell's camera dating as far back as 2003 and additional footage contributed by Timmy Rall's GL2 on Travis Laplante and Bryan Lamb's filming missions combined with the bro-cam footage of Pirate Steve Bledsoe all show a period in time when the park was THE place to be, a time when hometown legends' (Gookin, Miller, the 'old guard' from the park's early days) impact was felt and pushed everyday. Rep The Pep brought together every capable person in the town at that time, and fused it with music movements and the always-problematic period of transition from one generation to another in the Culpeper youth. The footage portrayed within shows more than just skating; ask any of the involved about certain clips. There are stories within each part, including Davey's meeting of his now-multi-year romance partner, Allan's tooth breaking, Shane's baby-blessed times of freedom, and Maxwell's Sherwin Williams lunch breaks. Culpeper skateboarding, highlighted by unnecessary newspaper coverage and an abundance of young skaters, was at a peak at this moment in time. Rep The Pep showcases the lives of the park regulars at this controversial and emotionally wrenching time, and gives a hopeful future a glimpse into the everyday accomplishments of these guys. Although not representative of talents shifted into the rugged and unforgiving East Coast atmosphere, it does show the progression of the park, the sessions, the friendships, and the triumphs achieved by the coming-together of two groups of people fused with the input of many more. Altogether, Rep The Pep is not about the ROUGH-showcased blowouts on the movie theater flat gap, the Fredericksburg dock to rail, the Bryant Park bricks, or White Walls. Rep The Pep is a time capsule, one in which everyone present can look back on and enjoy the memories of a culture uprooted and flipped. Take out your copy and enjoy whenever you have the chance; the odds surrounding even the filming of that video are too much to explain in this space. Don't take that particular production for granted (or ROUGH, for that matter).... That project was for everyone, that project was for the Park, for Hunner, for the town council that doubted our ability to exist. ROUGH and Rep The Pep are two very different presentations; although many will think I'm seeing too deeply into this, I have been at the heart of each project. The problems and triumphs of both are worth attention, and we made them for viewers. Enjoy these products for what they are; there are no Culpeper predecessors like them, save the early video "Insight" by Ricky Strevel (good luck finding one, even mine got stolen). Each DVD represents a different time and the lives of different people; they are not to be seen as progressive elements, but rather as compliments, efforts of exertion by guys attempting to balance their lives with their passions. Tragedy, separation, scheduling, coordination - all are problems associated with both videos. Take them out of their dusty cases and give them a view whenever you have the chance; that will make the work worth it.
Although indignant and defensive at times, I have put the effort into these videos for the viewers of Culpeper. Tim and I have dedicated years of our lives to these projects, not to mention the time put in by the skaters, and the contributions of musicians and council friends. Watch them, think about them. Never let their meaning be lost, especially Rep The Pep. We ride for Hunner, who can never ride among us again. Skate forever.
Rep The Pep and Rough differ on several obvious levels; for one, the level of technical skating in RTP is higher, due to our park-shark nature at that time. For two, Jesse, Jasi, DC, Max and Maxi all lack full parts, and David Dennis, Shane, and Hunner are completely absent from the production. Third, the music in ROUGH is not local, and fourth, the montages from Rep The Pep are absent in ROUGH.
Let me explain these meanings.
ROUGH, initially a street-compliment to the park-heavy Rep The Pep, ended up being a feat of conquering distance and communication, with most of us shotgunned throughout the state of Virginia and even as far as North Carolina, Germany, Alabama, Australia, and wherever else Maximilian was commissioned to. To finish ROUGH we had to coordinate with people I'd never even met, and slap together older footage post-relocation with newer footage from unmet counterparts. We had to deal with evolving schedules, growing lives, and un-forseen tragedies as well, making the once complimentary video a brand all it's own. ROUGH was originally slated to be a short, all street and concrete park montage, and although clocking in around a short 25 minutes, it obviously became much more. The issues of getting crew members to actually show up to skate became more problematic than the actual act of skating and getting footage; for example, Maxwell and Mike were initially slated for full parts, and Maxi was expected to deliver a full length effort over the short span of one month. Life issues aside, everyone gave ROUGH a pretty damn heroic try; after all, we are a bunch of skatepark sludge that's managed to keep it together for four years in a row. Considering this, ROUGH in it's portrayal of street missions and battles against time, daylight, the seasons, security, and schedules is a masterpiece in it's own right, showing what can be done with the limited space made available for skating of an unnatural nature; that is, street skating.
Yet however better in terms of ability ROUGH is compared to Rep The Pep, my recent viewing of RTP reminded me of several things that make that project a unique outcome all it's own, and worthy of future viewing despite it's 'big' brother ROUGH. Considering even the menu image, the pure feat of synchronizing and bringing together 12 people at the exact same time and date even wearing the same shirt is remarkable. David's hubba-happy massacre, the Roy Rogers shutdown, the old ledge and spine meeting an unprecedented slaughter. All of this was a miracle of proportions unknown to the average park attendee. True, ROUGH opened doors on the Sherwin Williams 3-to-Flat, the Glass Gap, and Golden Corral; yet Rep The Pep stands as a testament not to the abilities of the 13 skaters featured in it, but rather to the two-year time period in which it was filmed. Rep The Pep is full of park skating, and God knows I have received enough criticism over this. However, the video itself serves as a time capsule into the hype and depression and pure feeling of that time, whenever it so fell into your lifespan. Suffering the loss of an amazing friend and skater, the people featured in that video (many swearing to never skate the park again after Hunner's loss) persevered over insurmountable issues and odds to compile something which represents not only their own daily activities, but a truly unique history of the Culpeper skate park. Footage from Maxwell's camera dating as far back as 2003 and additional footage contributed by Timmy Rall's GL2 on Travis Laplante and Bryan Lamb's filming missions combined with the bro-cam footage of Pirate Steve Bledsoe all show a period in time when the park was THE place to be, a time when hometown legends' (Gookin, Miller, the 'old guard' from the park's early days) impact was felt and pushed everyday. Rep The Pep brought together every capable person in the town at that time, and fused it with music movements and the always-problematic period of transition from one generation to another in the Culpeper youth. The footage portrayed within shows more than just skating; ask any of the involved about certain clips. There are stories within each part, including Davey's meeting of his now-multi-year romance partner, Allan's tooth breaking, Shane's baby-blessed times of freedom, and Maxwell's Sherwin Williams lunch breaks. Culpeper skateboarding, highlighted by unnecessary newspaper coverage and an abundance of young skaters, was at a peak at this moment in time. Rep The Pep showcases the lives of the park regulars at this controversial and emotionally wrenching time, and gives a hopeful future a glimpse into the everyday accomplishments of these guys. Although not representative of talents shifted into the rugged and unforgiving East Coast atmosphere, it does show the progression of the park, the sessions, the friendships, and the triumphs achieved by the coming-together of two groups of people fused with the input of many more. Altogether, Rep The Pep is not about the ROUGH-showcased blowouts on the movie theater flat gap, the Fredericksburg dock to rail, the Bryant Park bricks, or White Walls. Rep The Pep is a time capsule, one in which everyone present can look back on and enjoy the memories of a culture uprooted and flipped. Take out your copy and enjoy whenever you have the chance; the odds surrounding even the filming of that video are too much to explain in this space. Don't take that particular production for granted (or ROUGH, for that matter).... That project was for everyone, that project was for the Park, for Hunner, for the town council that doubted our ability to exist. ROUGH and Rep The Pep are two very different presentations; although many will think I'm seeing too deeply into this, I have been at the heart of each project. The problems and triumphs of both are worth attention, and we made them for viewers. Enjoy these products for what they are; there are no Culpeper predecessors like them, save the early video "Insight" by Ricky Strevel (good luck finding one, even mine got stolen). Each DVD represents a different time and the lives of different people; they are not to be seen as progressive elements, but rather as compliments, efforts of exertion by guys attempting to balance their lives with their passions. Tragedy, separation, scheduling, coordination - all are problems associated with both videos. Take them out of their dusty cases and give them a view whenever you have the chance; that will make the work worth it.
Although indignant and defensive at times, I have put the effort into these videos for the viewers of Culpeper. Tim and I have dedicated years of our lives to these projects, not to mention the time put in by the skaters, and the contributions of musicians and council friends. Watch them, think about them. Never let their meaning be lost, especially Rep The Pep. We ride for Hunner, who can never ride among us again. Skate forever.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
What's Done is Done
So ROUGH is finished and hopefully anyone that wants a copy has one in their mitts by now, if not just snag Tim down at the park and he's got the bulk of them. The final premieres are today in Norfolk and Fredericksburg, unless the Fredericksburg one fell through. I'd say a throwaway montage is in the works but honestly there isn't that much left after four throwaway montages and the credits, but I'll see what I can cook up in the coming weeks. Not that I'm too keen to do any editing at the moment, but it's gotta get used sometime....
Anyways, for the time being it's gonna be back to park montages, who knows what the next project will be or if there will be another one run under this site, seeing as two full length projects have reached completion during the tenure of repthepep.com. Looking back at both my blip accounts and Tim's, we have cranked out an unbelievable amount of quality footage since 2007, and hopefully we can keep on doing it. Look out for updates on Tim's future plans for Culpeper and for news on what should be a one year filming project from my blog, skatepolitik.blogspot.com. If you haven't yet, roll over there to view Jordan Hoffart's latest Adio part and Dylan Reider's Gravis part.
In the meantime, hopefully everyone enjoyed and will enjoy ROUGH, the problems and issues we ran into making that video certainly made it worth it and it was a pretty unforgettable and extremely busy time period.
Thanks to all of you that follow and support us.
Evan
Anyways, for the time being it's gonna be back to park montages, who knows what the next project will be or if there will be another one run under this site, seeing as two full length projects have reached completion during the tenure of repthepep.com. Looking back at both my blip accounts and Tim's, we have cranked out an unbelievable amount of quality footage since 2007, and hopefully we can keep on doing it. Look out for updates on Tim's future plans for Culpeper and for news on what should be a one year filming project from my blog, skatepolitik.blogspot.com. If you haven't yet, roll over there to view Jordan Hoffart's latest Adio part and Dylan Reider's Gravis part.
In the meantime, hopefully everyone enjoyed and will enjoy ROUGH, the problems and issues we ran into making that video certainly made it worth it and it was a pretty unforgettable and extremely busy time period.
Thanks to all of you that follow and support us.
Evan
Sunday, August 22, 2010
PREMIERE is tomorrow/today
Made this saturday, slacked til techincally sunday. Songs been used, tricks are wack, smiths are a different day but whatever. The uh, 'good' tricks are in ROUGH. Premeire is tomorrow at 5:30, come out to Digital Caffeine and check it!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
ROUGH premiere
Sunday, August 22nd at Digital Caffeine, LLC next to Frost Diner. It's in Culpeper. The address is 105 East Davis Street, and the time is set for 5:30 pm. Copies will be free, limit one per person. It's finally done, despite setbacks, movers, jobs, and school. Come scope it.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Junkage
A few park clips that have been laying around. Tossed together. Editing for Rough has begun, the premiere date is looking like August 21st! Get hyped?
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Deadlines!
Two more weeks of filming til the official deadline. No throwaway time right now. Hopefully we'll have some updates of some sort soon, but it's gonna be a busy month from here til this time next month when ROUGH is done.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Anti-DosMinutos
More Anti footy. Me and Chase Fuller mostly this time. Chase Norman got a couple quick clips as well, and RJ, whom Fuller knew. Another Charlie Stone audio track, circa Rep The Pep's release.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
An Anti-Minute
Blake filmed everything except his line. I filmed that one. Threw this together quickly, all from one day.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
SkatePolitik
I launched one as well, pretty much gonna be internet and DVD video commentary, and stuff about a future project.
Link should be on the sidebar.
Link should be on the sidebar.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Times are ROUGH....
filming-crunch-time. Funchtime.
check your facebooks, those of you involved.
everyone else, expect a few more anti-gravity clips and maybe a throwaway montage sometime next month, then ROUGH will be out by late August.
get hyped.
check your facebooks, those of you involved.
everyone else, expect a few more anti-gravity clips and maybe a throwaway montage sometime next month, then ROUGH will be out by late August.
get hyped.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Media Memorial
I went through my harddrives trying to find something I could post for Hunner today. Tim's post was perfect, but I wanted to add some visual stuff that hasn't been seen in a while. Rest in Peace, man.
-Photo courtesy of Jesse Clare.
-The Memorial clip, for anyone who hasn't seen it (I always wished I'd had more time to fix the sound, but it's special in it's rawness, I think. The song is especially powerful.)
-Hunner's Rep The Pep Part
-Photo courtesy of Jesse Clare.
-The Memorial clip, for anyone who hasn't seen it (I always wished I'd had more time to fix the sound, but it's special in it's rawness, I think. The song is especially powerful.)
videomemory from toomanykickflips on Vimeo.
-Hunner's Rep The Pep Part
Never Forget
Seems only fitting that the 100th post on this little blog be about one of the best skaters to ever push around Culpeper. It's crazy how school and work can seem like they drag on forever but the passing of a fellow skater can seem like it was only yesterday. I'm not gonna act like I was close with Hunter Payne because that wouldn't be true. I only talked to the guy a handful of times but I had alot of respect for him on and off his skateboard. Always a positive attitude and could pull off the most ridicolous jokes that anyone else would look like a fool to try. Way ahead of his time in terms of skating the dude was an absolute natural. I know his passing hit me hard and I'm sure it hit home with everyone else at the park and his close friends. I know it sounds cheesy but live each day like it's your last. If you have something you need to say to somebody whether it be asking for forgiveness or apologize do it because you never know what tomorrow will bring. Same goes for skating, never leave a spot saying you'll try it tomorrow because tomorrow the spot might be gone, knobbed or whatever. Live each day to the fullest, go bomb a hill today for Hunter or try to learn nollie overcrooks as good as him, haha good luck with the second one.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Spring Park Montage
Some bro-filmin and some bad colors, and Blake cutting me off on our pre-discussed line-path. Excuses excuses. Check it out, and expect a bro-cam montage in a couple weeks or so that was supposed to be in this.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner
Tomorrow is lookin like the day the park montage will be up. Unfortunately, file conversions and people not bringing me discs of footage cut down on the massive amount of clips going into the final product, soooo it's not gonna be the epic I had originally envisioned. Oh well. Check back tomorrow evening to catch a glimpse of the first Mike Sheridan A-grade footage at Anti, along with my 757 companions killin it with Blake. And I'm in it too, but who cares about that.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Delayedddd
Still waiting on two guys to get me some contributing park footage.... I had hoped for a weekend release but thankfully, I had to work instead for the first time in a while. Now that school's done for some of us, the filming is about to get heavy, and I've already started a street throwaway clip. I believe it's the first time in several years I've had two clips in progress at once. It helps when you find a song before you start, word to the wise. Check back this week, it's gonna be a long one.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Only 5 away from...
...100 posts! Ya Ya big deal. I started another blog, its called http://shred-on.blogspot.com/ it is seriously text heavy, no pictures yet and no real video links. If you are the type of person that just flips through the skate mag and looks only at the pictures, skipping all the interviews then don't even bother clicking. It's not a "deep" blog or anything, nothing mind blowing, just stupid things that you'd probably hear me or someone else say while watching a skate video or mumbling at the skatepark. If you hate the blog or think it's lame, awesome. Go make your own blog and talk about how lame it is, then link me to it so I can have something to laugh at.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Competition/Skate Jam Tomorrow
For those of you that didn't skate 8 or so years ago, Solomon was the first black skater that I had ever seen in Culpeper. Yesterday he put up some flyers announcing a little Skate Jam / Competition for tomorrow at 5. I think it's supposed to be best hip trick, best mini ramp line, and best run at the big side of the park. Might be some prizes and all that, who knows. If it doesn't rain everyone should definetly come out, should be good times all around. Maybe I'll actually do some filming haha.
Friday, February 26, 2010
30 Seconds of Trash
Throwaway from the Anti-Gravity montage. I don't know why the freeze frame has glitches in it, maybe it's just the computer I'm on.
Also I realized that the finger skate pictures weren't sized right this morning. Whoops. Should be fixed now.
Also I realized that the finger skate pictures weren't sized right this morning. Whoops. Should be fixed now.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Finger Skateboarding
Not too long ago, my mom thought she was being cute and sent me the anti-tech deck in the mail. I happened to be reading the back, and became intrigued by the 'tail grind'. Click the image below:
Aside from the gnarly act of sink blazing, I'm assuming a tail grind would be the act of stopping. Or perhaps theyre ahead of the curve and it's some new smith flip out type of fad. I just dont see why you would need to 'stop' a tech deck, since according to them youre supposed to hold it pinched between your fingers. Why not just lift your hand. They also reference another interesting trick, the stand-off, as seen right next to the confusingly illustrated hands in the wallride photo:
Whatever that is. Notice the stubby mini-fingers on the wallride. And since I'm still waiting for a decent idea to hit me for a legit update, contemplate this odd little saying from what I'm guessing is an overly-horny psychology author that I noticed in one my textbooks:
somebody's sense of humor sucks worse than mine.
check back early next week for some anti-gravity leftovers, and hopefully some kind of street throwaway segment.
Aside from the gnarly act of sink blazing, I'm assuming a tail grind would be the act of stopping. Or perhaps theyre ahead of the curve and it's some new smith flip out type of fad. I just dont see why you would need to 'stop' a tech deck, since according to them youre supposed to hold it pinched between your fingers. Why not just lift your hand. They also reference another interesting trick, the stand-off, as seen right next to the confusingly illustrated hands in the wallride photo:
Whatever that is. Notice the stubby mini-fingers on the wallride. And since I'm still waiting for a decent idea to hit me for a legit update, contemplate this odd little saying from what I'm guessing is an overly-horny psychology author that I noticed in one my textbooks:
somebody's sense of humor sucks worse than mine.
check back early next week for some anti-gravity leftovers, and hopefully some kind of street throwaway segment.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Anti-Slackity
Been skating Anti-Gravity alot, skated and filmed with some chill guys and the tried and true Culpeper clan. Don't hate because its not 100% 540.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Slackin'
Not for much longer. A montage was planned for the past weekend but three sessions at anti-gravity grew into six and supposedly a seventh tomorrow. So look for that clip soon, it's already started just awaiting the last bit of footage.
Also, due to the weather outdoor filming has been basically dead, as soon as its warmer outside again we'll be able to start deciding on a date to finish up Rough filming and start organizing that premiere.
Finally, congratulations to Jesse Clare for picking up a shop sponsor in the form of 4 Down Skate Shop. About time someone gave that boy some official support. Be watching for his welcome video soon.
Also, due to the weather outdoor filming has been basically dead, as soon as its warmer outside again we'll be able to start deciding on a date to finish up Rough filming and start organizing that premiere.
Finally, congratulations to Jesse Clare for picking up a shop sponsor in the form of 4 Down Skate Shop. About time someone gave that boy some official support. Be watching for his welcome video soon.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Another round of Rough throwaway
Enjoy the steaming helpings of throwaway. While working on this little extravaganza I realized there's even more throwaway than I thought. Part two sometime soon?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)