While this misstep was not in vain, it surely was funny! Before eventually landing his trick, here skateboarder Mike "P-Wire" Piwowar (pictured in the red t-shirt, stepping on the ledge mid-trick-attmept) and one of his regular skateboard filmers (pictured below, nearly copping a board to his fisheye-adapter equipped camcorder) do the all-too familiar dance in action sports: the "avoid-the-fisheye" filmer-athlete tango. And what's the dancefloor for Piwowar? In this case, the stage is a slippery concrete ledge. The danger was heightened by the ledge's edge--which Piwowar has a single foot on--being coated in a candle-wax like substance by previous visiting skateboarders. This wax allows for faster slides (sliding on the surface of the wooden skateboard plank) and grinds (sliding on the metal trucks' hangers)--but also makes for a dangerously-slick surface to perform on.
This scene is a common action-sports occupational hazard to be sure--but usually one that eventually pays off. Luckily, no skateboarders were seriously injured in the making of this shot--and neither was the filmer, nor the photographer, nor the equipment! It was a close call for both videographer and skater, however.
Pictures of made tricks from this session (two sequences and one still)--along with a still of Piowowar flinging himself off of a banked loading dock--are to be seen in the upcoming edition of Jonas Nakas' and my new magazine project. Stay tuned for more details!
