Video - "This is Skateboarding" by Emerica

"This is Skateboarding" is a great DVD set. The first disk features the skating of several pros, and the second is loaded with extra footage. The only drawback is the lack of much extra spark to set the video apart from others out there. Still, the skating is solid, and the video has a very gritty, real, human feel to it. It leaves you feeling like you've watched a group of guys skate all over the place for two years, which is exactly what you have done.

I think that Emerica approached making "This is Skateboarding" in the same way they approach making shoes - no nonsense, no fluff, straight forward. The video is strong in its skating, with lots of footage collected over two years of touring. However, the video doesn't have much in the way of special extras or features.

But that's not what the video is about. The video is about skateboarding, and stars pros Andrew Reynolds, Ed Templeton, Heath Kirchart, Chris Senn, Erik Ellington and Tosh Townend, plus many many others. When you watch the actual video, make sure you watch through the credits. At the end, there's some hilarious hidden camera footage of a security guard getting bribed...

The second disk is for special features. There are several montages, which I personally think are cool. It also features Heath Kirchart's "Dance of Despair and Madness", with some great shots of his bails and freakouts set to creepy music. There's also footage from the Brazil and Costa Rica tours, which are cool to see. And finally, a little section called Emeriquatsi - a black and white section using some aged film, alternative music and time lapse of city scapes and industry, giving a weird feeling of the hurly-burly of humanity. It's a very cool section.

This is Skateboarding also has a couple of Easter eggs, so check out the Emerica web site for where they are.

Emerica's "This is Skateboarding" video is a good, solid skate vid.