Format Perspective
Skateboard photography

A film by Phil Evans | 2011

United States
en
en
63'

Format Perspective

Trailer

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Synopsis

Phil Evans' documentary takes us into the world of six European skate photographers: Nils Svensson, Stuart Robinson, Alex Irvine, Rich Gilligan, Sergej Vutuc and Bertrand Trichet. From Belfast to Tokyo, via London, Dublin, Zagreb and Malmö, these photographers talk about their relationship with skateboarding and photography. A kaleidoscope of heterogeneous approaches, presented in the very DIY world of the Irish director, whose love of Super 8 is well known.

What you will find in this film

skateboarding photographers • six ways of photographing skateboarding • the importance of DIY • the love of Super 8 • visual experimentation • photographing while skating • skating while photographing

Keywords

Digital Photography Analogue Photography Street & Architectural Emerging Photography

That connection, in the pictures I shoot, is often about friendship.

Nils Svensson Photographer

So the second reason why I take photos like that, of sketchy areas, is to sort of try and get my photographs to get an emotion out of people that isn't just: "Oooh, that's very nice » Maybe get a very eery feel to a photograph so people are like, that's quite eery, or maybe even evoke a bit of fear into them, whenever there probably isn’t any reason for there to be any fear.

Stuart Robinson Photographer

Its always interesting the different people you meet shooting skate photos, you know like, loopy guys or straight-lacers. There's always a variation in who you're going to hang out with and what they're capable of. I think as a skate photographer you need to be able to embrace all types of skateboarding and all manner of nut-jobs. Either way they've got something special and you try and get that out of each picture you shoot.

Alex Irvine Photographer

What you’ll find

Portraits of photographers, names everyone knows and others you’ll discover here. Films about street photography, war, fashion or portraiture, about printing and historical processes. About the trades of photography too. And then suggestions for going further, with Focuses, articles, interviews, bibliographies.

A small independent team

Documentaries about photography were rarely shown on television, and hardly at all on streaming platforms. We created The Darkroom Rumour to give them a place of their own. We are a small team, and we choose every film ourselves, with no school to defend.

Inspire your photography

In these films, you see photographers at work, in the field as well as in the darkroom. If you take pictures, you’ll often come away with an idea to try. If you simply like looking at images, you may start to see them differently.

How it works

You can watch the films online, anywhere in the world, on a computer, tablet or phone, and on TV by mirroring your phone’s or computer’s screen. Every film is available in French and English, with no ads. New releases come out on Saturday or Sunday. The trial lasts 7 days, and if you stop before day 8, you pay nothing.

The Darkroom Rumour on a TV, a computer, a tablet and a phone

The authors/artists

Stuart Robinson

Stuart Robinson

Nils Svensson

Richard Gilligan

Richard Gilligan

Alex Irvine

Sergej Vutuc

Bertrand Trichet

Bertrand Trichet

Phil Evans

Further exploration

Selected bibliography

• Phil Evans, Format Perspective, Carhartt W.I.P, 2016.

Online

• Phil Evans, website.

• Stuart A. Robinson, website.

• Alex Irvine, website.

• Rich Gilligan, website.

• Sergej Vutuc, website.

• Bertrand Trichet, website.

Instagram