After studying Civil and Construction Engineering for 5 years, I wanted to take a couple of months off to see what I could come up with before starting a new job as a Project Manager at California Skateparks.
As is the case for most people, I never had the opportunity to dedicate myself to filming on a regular basis, as I was pretty busy with university. So, I tried to make the most of it, and I have to admit that it felt amazing to finally be able to take it easy and unwind the pressure a little bit. Just roaming around the streets with no real plan in mind was the fucking dream. Luckily for me, I had Asswad Djailani travelling around with me for the most part. This guy knows how to handle some serious filming business! However, there were times where he could not stick with me, and this is where I am so grateful for the talented people around me. I always had a friend who was willing to lend a hand with the camera. Shoutout to Kieran Cooper, PJ Martini, Tom Kilcoyne, Kevin Thiers, Leo Beauregard, and Theo Chabbert.
Ever since the first lockdown back in 2020, I’ve always wanted to use my grandpa’s Super 8 camera for a video part, and this project seemed to be the perfect fit for it. Despite being outrageously pricey, and not very convenient to carry around, filming with a Super 8 just gives you that extra excitement where you never know what you’re going to get. In fact, you barely know whether you’re actually recording or not. I remember that one time, I was returning from a 30-day trip, and the frame counter suddenly stopped working halfway through with my second roll inside. I thought that nothing had ever been recorded...pretty stressful But fortunately, the first half was good enough to use. All jokes aside, the authenticity and the grain that you get from actual super 8 footage is worth all the hassles.
Along the way, I also managed to collect a good amount of film photos from pretty much all the places that I went to, and I thought it would be a good idea to make a zine and give it to the people that have helped me in one way or another. This is something that I had been wanting to do for a while, and I’m super stoked that I made it happen!
In addition to riding, I’ve been enjoying being behind the camera a lot lately, and simultaneously with this video part, I have started a long-length video project with two other friends where we intend to film most of the French street scene. It’s so good to see the local scenes and discover new talents as well. I can’t wait to show you what we’ve been cooking (Let’s hope we can release it next year!).
I hope that you’ll enjoy the video as much as we enjoyed filming it.
Thank you so much to everyone for providing me with a place to crash in every city I ended up going to. Thank you to everyone involved in this project. You know who you are, and I do too! Thank you Wethepeople, Eclat, Traffic, Le Comptoir Bike Shop, and DIY Clothing for keeping me rolling. Forever grateful!! - RB
