ATHENS - Documentary trailer

[anonymity]

I've got a lot of Greek friends and over the years have spent a fair bit of time skating in Athens.
One of my Greek bro's Kostas is currently making a doc' about the city and its skate culture.
It will be interesting as hell.

Trailer here.

[pasnip2000]

Good shit, looking forward to the full length doc.

[anonymity]

I'll keep you updated.

Skating in Athens is incredible at the best of times but given the socio-economic backdrop of recent years - it's a fascinating place to visit.
The last time I was there we were sat around drinking coffee when 25 fully armed riot police charged past - this happened every day.

[Frontsiderocker]

I'll keep you updated.

Skating in Athens is incredible at the best of times but given the socio-economic backdrop of recent years - it's a fascinating place to visit.
The last time I was there we were sat around drinking coffee when 25 fully armed riot police charged past - this happened every day.

Do you think they'll be touching upon this in the documentary? Be really interesting to see how it's effected the ability of skaters to skate certain spots/places either positively or negatively.

So many little gems on vimeo these days, it's getting harder to put down the laptop!

[Smurph]

Sorry, but I'm just going to say it: I'm sure these guys are lovely, but that trailer looks like a complete snoozefest, ala transworld 2008; We see everything so differently. Skating is so much more than a sport, it's a lifestyle. Creativity. Steps are not just for walking...

Get the fuck out of here with that shit about defining skateboarding. Yet again.

That trailer, which may or many not pertain to what the documentary is hopefully and actually going to be about, suggested that it's not so much going to delineate how its skateboarding scene exists within all the socio-economic problems in Athens, but rather, a circle-jerk of lame shots that each and every one of us has seen a thousand times over alongside some shitty, contrived pseudo-sociology narration.

[Les Zeppelin]

Sing it sister!

[Frontsiderocker]

Sorry, but I'm just going to say it: I'm sure these guys are lovely, but that trailer looks like a complete snoozefest, ala transworld 2008; We see everything so differently. Skating is so much more than a sport, it's a lifestyle. Creativity. Steps are not just for walking...

Get the fuck out of here with that shit about defining skateboarding. Yet again.

That trailer, which may or many not pertain to what the documentary is hopefully and actually going to be about, suggested that it's not so much going to delineate how its skateboarding scene exists within all the socio-economic problems in Athens, but rather, a circle-jerk of lame shots that each and every one of us has seen a thousand times over alongside some shitty, contrived pseudo-sociology narration.

I see what you mean about the 'poor man's Transworld' look, but I think the critique was a little harsh - I would expect them to be touching on the effect of the economic climate on skating in Athens, or the documentary would be missing out on a huge chunk of what would make it more than a circle-jerk scene check-out interspersed with repetitious narration.

Here's hoping.

[Hastings]

The last time I was there we were sat around drinking coffee when 25 fully armed riot police charged past - this happened every day.

Coming out of a hotel there last year, right in the centre. The receptionist says very matter of factly "Sir do not go right out of the hotel go left till you find the subway, right there is a little tear gas in the air and a few Molotovs"

I opened the door and massive tear gas clouds where floating past, I could see what ever was going on to the right was fucking gnarly, the noise was deafening and certainly not something I was going to get involved in. So we walked briskly left!

The situation just seemed excepted.

[Hastings]

Sorry, but I'm just going to say it: I'm sure these guys are lovely, but that trailer looks like a complete snoozefest, ala transworld 2008; We see everything so differently. Skating is so much more than a sport, it's a lifestyle. Creativity. Steps are not just for walking...

Get the fuck out of here with that shit about defining skateboarding. Yet again.

That trailer, which may or many not pertain to what the documentary is hopefully and actually going to be about, suggested that it's not so much going to delineate how its skateboarding scene exists within all the socio-economic problems in Athens, but rather, a circle-jerk of lame shots that each and every one of us has seen a thousand times over alongside some shitty, contrived pseudo-sociology narration.

It's no where near 2008 here!

[kostasmandilas]

I would like to clear some things about this documentary, there is a big difference about stealing ideas and be motivated FROM ideas, TRANSWORLD put out a golden era for skateboarding through their videos and is at least stupid try to copy those videos, and yet again it is not a documentary about skateboarding, is about Athens and defining skateboarding in Athens (as many things need to be defining in Greece) so the best way to show a town is skateboarding and how we see Athens, and of course with a lot and decent skateboarding.

Thanks for watching
kostas

[anonymity]

Yes! Stoked to have you here Kostas!
I miss Athens.
Say what's up to bill, mike and all the color heads from me my friend

[Smurph]

I would like to clear some things about this documentary, there is a big difference about stealing ideas and be motivated FROM ideas, TRANSWORLD put out a golden era for skateboarding through their videos and is at least stupid try to copy those videos, and yet again it is not a documentary about skateboarding, is about Athens and defining skateboarding in Athens (as many things need to be defining in Greece) so the best way to show a town is skateboarding and how we see Athens, and of course with a lot and decent skateboarding.

Thanks for watching
kostas

Nobody said you were directly copying Transworld's style. The problem I find is that the trailer's overall message is redolent of what is seen in videos in the era of skateboarding's grown-up, moved out of home and finding itself phase between 2004 and 2010. At that time skateboarding videos seemed to contain alot (too much) of pseudo-philosophical backdrops in and amongst the actual skateboarding. Many companies were guilty of this; Chocolate/Ty Evans springs to mind. And perhaps, reflecting on it just now, were disputedly the first to do depict this message.

I'm sorry to say, but if you transposed what was said in the trailer and applied it to any other city, (i.e. you used the same subtitles/thoughts/opinions and just showed skateboarding from London, Bangkok or LA instead of Athens) it'd make no difference as those ideas that were expressed are really and truly universal. Not one thing that was said was specific to Athens.

I'm sorry for pressing you on the issue so much, especially as your production is something I'd be really interested in seeing, but you've got to see things from an outsider's perspective; the trailer is in no way giving anybody a flavour for what you really (I think) intend on creating.

I hope you can appreciate what I'm getting at.
Cheers

[anonymity]

To be honest I still think you came across like a bit of a bellend there Smurph.

Whilst I appreciate what you're saying to a degree, this is a short trailer from a dude who has been filming for years, in a second language, billed as a film about Athens, and whose other stuff you've no doubt never seen, and yet you've taken it upon yourself to come over all High Modernist immediately.

Do you really think that a Greek, somebody who has street skated in Athens for years and years and is living through the stuff you want to hear about right now, is going to make what you're suggesting?

Yes Kostas is my friend, and yes I do feel like I should defend him here (not that he'd want me to or care really) but honestly, for such an intelligent dude you just came across like a bit of dickhead.

No beef intended but I felt like it needed saying.

Apologies.


EDIT: I might delete this in the morning as I have a feeling it probably reads too harshly.

[Smurph]

To be honest I still think you came across like a bit of a bellend there Smurph.
Do you really think that a Greek, somebody who has street skated in Athens for years and years and is living through the stuff you want to hear about right now, is going to make what you're suggesting?

I thought that was the purpose of the documentary.

I'd make the same criticism if it was my best friend that made that edit. Sorry if I'm being a bellend, but I really just don't see how this trailer has anything to do with the situation currently unfolding in Athens. Please, either of you, tell me what it is in that trailer that shows us something unique to Athens.

I'm curious about what exactly makes me a dickhead. I gave my honest opinion and I just genuinely feel that the trailer was something about skateboarding rather than Athens specfically. If I've got the theme and purpose of the production completely wrong, then I apologise.