Inspiration for Short Film
Tamuka:
"Skating has been a part of my life since I was very young. Although I am far from good, I found over the years that skating can serve as more than just another sport. I have played many sports growing up such as football and swimming which I excelled at but whenever I would meet up with my friends on the weekend for a 'sesh', I would feel a sense of belonging and relaxations whilst skating through the busy streets of London."
Trailer for the film 'The Motivation.'
This trailer is where we got the initial inspiration for our documentary short film. It follows the lives of skateboarders working towards the skateboard championships.
Thrasher magazine has been at the forefront of Skateboarding media for very long (particularly in America). It is a magazine that skateboarders from around the world use to look up to the best talent in the world as inspiration for becoming great at skateboarding.
Thrasher are well-known for their front cover action shots (As shown above). These have always intruiged me and have been part of my inspiration to shoot skateboarding. Thrasher shots usually grab the eye with their creative camera angles, colour schemes and of course, the crazy stunts pulled off by the worlds leading skaters.
By Tamuka Walker
Skateboarding Community in London
The skating scene in London is slightly different to that in America. In America there is a lot of money invested into the skaters and events by individuals such as Rob Dyrdek (Owner of DC, Street League and Fantacy Factory) who fund big events for thousands of people to come and enjoy.
The London scene is a lot more underground and unofficial. There are thousands of young skaters from different backgrounds, being brought together through a passion for skateboarding.
This kind of buzz often attracts companies who want a peice of the growing fashion. Nike and Adidias have partnered with smaller, British skate brands such as 'Palace' and have begun funding British events such as 'GoSkate Day' - a day in London where every skater takes to the streets to 'Jam' which is just another word for showing off. It lets a community come together.
By Tamuka Walker
Inspiration from BBC Three
"BBC Three will continue to be the home of modern factual content that speaks to a young audience. We will back ideas that stimulate strong emotions and provoke reactions."
BBC Three has a strong family of talent with Reggie Yates, Stacey Dooley, Tyger Drew Honey and Billy JD Porter continuing to attract audiences. Examples of successful Documentaries on BBC Three include Life and Death Row, Our War and Don't Call Me Crazy.
The channel has always been interested in unearthing young, new talent with compelling personal stories to tell in single narrative films. The company is also interested in popular factual Documentary ideas and have a need for ‘lighter’, funnier, character led shows. BBC Three has previously thrived on ‘funny factual’ series’ such as The Call Centre. These often have strong characters at the helm with an entertaining cast, situated within a young precinct or from a young person's perspective.
"We will continue to shine a light on issues and parts of society that are underserved but it’s also important that we reflect stories that are relevant to a wide majority of our audience. Therefore as well as international stories we also need to focus on the UK."
"Don’t Call Me Crazy launches It’s A Mad World - a season of films on BBC Three looking at a range of mental health issues affecting young people in Britain today, from schizophrenia, OCD, eating disorders and self-harming to dealing with family members affected by mental illness."
Inspiration from Channel 4
"It is the job of Channel Four to reflect the contemporary world to British television audiences, and one of the most important ways we do this is through our substantial and multi-award winning documentary output. We commission more than 200 hours of documentaries every year, ranging from major multi-part series like 24 Hours In A & E to shorter series and single films."
Channel 4's documentaries have been a big inspiration for me because of their ability to present controversial topics in an interesting way. Their 2015 premier of the British docu-drama 'Cyberbully' was huge hit as the film focused on the common issue of bullying over the internet, along with touching on the raw subject of 'suicide trolling'. The plot for the film was inspired by dozens of real-life cases as according to the company's information, 69% of young people in the UK have experienced some form of cyberbullying. The film takes place entirely in the bedroom of the main character, Casey Jacobs, who plays the role of a teenage girl that's forced to do many tasks by a computer hacker. Documentary films such as this, is what makes Channel 4 a massive hit in putting forward common social or current issues that bring a popular audience and directional vision. Other big hit documentaries produced by Channel 4 include 'UKIP: The First 100 Days' - a ground-breaking documentary set un a fabricated future where UKIP have won the 2015 general election.
By Ashley Fontaine
Inspiration from Rudimental's Music Video:
Kurt Yaeger was born and raised in the blue-collar town of South San Francisco, CA and is a former professional BMXer turned actor.
He is an adept actor who captured the attention of filmmakers and critics when he starred in the feature film Tenderloin. Since then, he has appeared in multiple film and television projects. Some of his film credits include Dolphin Tale with Morgan Freeman, War Flowers with Christina Ricci, Knife Fight with Rob Lowe, Camel Spiders with Brian Krause, and Piranhaconda with Michael Madsen. His most recent TV credit is the fan favorite character on FX’s hit show Sons Of Anarchy, “Greg, the Peg”.
Yaeger is a below the knee amputee. A motorcycle accident caused the amputation of his left leg. He broke his pelvis, fractured seven vertebras, tore his bladder and found himself in the hospital for more than three months. After twenty-eight surgeries and many months of rehabilitation, Yaeger made a full recovery, his spark for acting returned and he hasn’t let anything stop him.
Yaeger continues to ride motorcycles to this day.
The official video for 'Waiting All Night' is the inspirational true life-story of San Francisco-born BMX champion and actor, Kurt Yaeger, who became an amputee after an accident in 2006. All the characters in the clip are pro BMXers and friends of Kurt.
Inspiration from Documentary Film
'Hill Street'
'Hill Street' is an Irish-made documentary that looks at the evolution of skateboarding culture in Dublin since the last 1980's up until today. The film centres around a legendary skate shop in the inner city of Dublin on Hill Street and documents the store's impact on the skating scene in the city and the country as a whole. The story also involves the famous skater Tony Hawk and his Bones Brigade Team who visit Dublin.
Inspiration from Street Art
This is a piece of street art in Brooklyn, USA by Ron English - an artist known for his unforgettable images on the street, on television or in museums, films and books.
Here, Ron has created his version of the commonly known three wise monkeys:
Ron's version depicts the concept of documentaries: observe the issues, listen to the community and reveal the truth.
'Make visible what, without you, might perhaps have never seen.' - Robert Bresson, French Director.
This quote also inspired me to create a documentary style short film because it draws on the key reason for doing such a thing, which is making intriguing stories visible for the world to see. Filmmaking is a powerful medium for documentary filmmakers to talk about social issues and inform the public. Documentaries allow us to understand factual reports through interviews, stats and real-life, unedited images. This type of genre can also bring forward controversial topics and true to life personal stories, making for an effective statement that informs the audience and generally causes you to think deeply. Without documentaries, many of us today wouldn't know half of the topics that go on around the world, let alone our local area. This is why I believe documentaries are significant, as they open our eyes to things we would perhaps have never seen. In doing a documentary short film, I believe we are making an impact in our area as we are revealing local talent and sharing inspirational stories and facts.
By Ashley Fontaine
This page displays our inspiration for the film. These key elements such as real media texts, helped us come up with ideas on what to include in our short film.