You wouldn’t have seen Bill Strobeck in a skate video, because he would have been the one behind the camera. But the chances are, if you’ve seen edits with Mark Gonzales, you’ve probably already seen his work and just not known it. There is a certain poetic warmth and emotion in the rawness of his work, without ever coming off as contrived or unauthentic. This is mostly due in part to his innate ability to remain remarkably true to the whimsical characters and subjects he portrays. We were recently given a chance to pick the brain of this uniquely authentic filmmaker who has made his name photographing his friends, and staying true to the distinct ‘feel’ and flow of his Super 8 lens.

Maybe a little too predictable, but with all the time you spend shooting skaters, do you still find time to get out and skate yourself? Do you have a favorite spot?
Well, I’m just going to be honest — I don’t skateboard really at all anymore. I use a skateboard to film but that’s about it. Sometimes I use it for transportation, maybe to move furniture or big objects, but yeah my skateboarding days are pretty much over.

Your work has an extremely distinctive aesthetic to it – do you use specific exposure methods or filters?
No I don’t do anything other than use settings that I feel look the best. I don’t color correct or use filters at all — if it looks right to me I’ll leave it.

What is your favorite subject to shoot? And where do you do your editing?
I’ve worked with skateboarders for years. I think working with my friends and especially women these days are really fun to work with. That’s something that was lacking in skateboarding, being on tour with sweaty kids. It was fun, but I wanna go into a new chapter in my life. It’s funny you should ask where I edit — I don’t sit at a desk, usually I lay in my bed and edit. That’s where I feel is a comfortable place to be creative.

So do you typically find more inspiration for your work through imagery or in music?
I get inspiration from older movies I’d say. People were creative in the way I liked, when they didn’t have much to work with. Like for instance, any old Joe Blow can get on iMovie or use an iPhone and make a video and put it online within seconds. The hard work of making a film in the late ’70s and ’80s really shows to me visually when I watch it. As we all know there is too much to see these days with everything going online. I personally can’t tell if I’m used to it yet or not. Guess I’m just going with the flow. I do get inspired by music actually more than anything else. Certain music causes emotion and that emotion allows me to be creative.

Do your prospective projects find you, or do you typically seek out your subject matter?
I usually ask my friends to be in my projects. If anything at all, I want to look back when I’m older and see all the people I was close with in my work. Also what’s better than looking back at an old photo of someone you know? So that’s the vibe for me. I’ll get to look back on everything I did, in the future.

You’ve worked with Jason Schwartzman’s band Coconut Records before – what other bands have you worked with?
Yes, I did work with Jason, he’s a sweet guy. Anyways Mark Gonzales and I are the ones that made the “Any Fun” video. Jason only had a couple of hours the day we filmed him but it was real fun. Mark and I also did a couple of low key videos for this DJ in Paris named Pepe Bradock. You can find them somewhere.

You do a lot of traveling, but if you could only skate, and shoot one city for the rest of your life, where would it be?
I quit skating right this second, during this interview. But if I could be anywhere I ever went for work, it would be San Sebastion, Spain. That place is the “easy life.” My personal paradise.

Do you approach a project with a distinct structure and timeline in mind, or do you let things just evolve from your lens, and edit accordingly?
I think I usually pick people with big personalities to work with. I need that to feel titillated and feel like it’s worth it to put the energy in. I mean I hardly even have to direct anyone most of the time. Even visually, I’m into all these people. How much better does it get than to travel around and work with your friends all the time? I think I point the camera, they do their magic and then I go home and make something out of it. A full collaboration between us.

You’re heading out the door to link up with Chloe Sevigny to shoot the video for “Any Fun” – what’s in your backpack?
What was in my bag was a poncho – the one that she was wearing in the video. That was Mark’s by the way. Also was two Super 8 cameras and 3 rolls for each of them. Maybe a bottle of water. Had to keep her hydrated from doing all the skating as it was actually very hot out that day.

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions this year?
I actually didn’t. Can you make one up at anytime of the year? If so I’ll do it this week.

Nikon is no stranger to utilizing the short film medium to showcase the video capabilities of their latest pieces of ingenuity. For the D4, they enlisted visual storyteller Corey Rich for “Why.” This time around they’ve called upon single name photographer/filmmaker Sandro to give the D800 a whirl in the short, “Joy Ride.” Shot using a variety of different lighting conditions, and at times during fast-moving shots, it’s clear that the D800 is something to truly marvel at. For those of you interested, behind-the-scenes footage can be seen here.

Independent British paper company GFSmith is known across the globe for its worldwide distribution of premium print and design materials. Working closely with several world-renowned mills, the company uses innovative techniques to produce some of the most uniquely colored and textured papers on the market. This video offers an inside look at at the production process for a number of specialty finishing techniques, including lithography, thermography, engraving, foil blocking and embossing.

Having already conquered an art world that has seen his anime-inspired characters embraced by the masses and his blissed-out flowers sprouted from the walls of the biggest collectors in the world, Takashi Murakami is now setting his sights on the the silver screen. With aspirations to bring his work to life using CGI for a monster movie like Godzilla, which was born out of fear of nuclear terror, his latest vision draws inspiration from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Titled Jellyfish Eyes, the movie follows a young boy who after an earthquake has to move with his family to an “experimental city” where each child is paired with a small monster. Murakami hopes to release his film later this year.

Source: Artinfo

Directed by Ryan Hope, Skin is a dark, stylish examination of tattoo culture as high art and a film that tests the boundaries of the medium and the human body. The film features contributions from notable artists such as Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and Raymond Pettibon, in association with Dasha Zhukova’s Garage Magazine. Today marks the first day in which the entire artistic endeavor can be viewed by the general public thanks to the generosity from Christie’s, the world’s leading art business, and W Hotels.

Filmmaker Mackenzie Sheppard has carved a niche for himself over the past few years with his artfully crafted documentaries, commercials and short films. The latest vignette from the Japan-born Vancouver transplant features coffee connoisseur Yoshi Masuda. Titled “Yoshi’s Blend,” the short film sees Masuda sharing his enthusiasm for coffee with victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami as they try to rebuild in the Tohoku region of Japan. The piece shows how a seemingly nominal amount of entertainment from coffee and a record player can provide a sense of calm and joy in an otherwise uncertain and difficult time.

Source: ONEEIGHTNINE

A few months ago, the term “cassette tape” was taken out of the Oxford English Dictionary. As recorded sound continues its love affair with the downloadable, ethereal digital file, the tangible artifact is quickly becoming a thing of the past. CASSETTE: A Documentary Film about the Cassette Tape from filmmakers Zack Taylor and Seth Smoot aims to shed a much needed light on a medium that brought so much joy to music purveyors over the years. After receiving kind words about the project from some notable folks at Sundance, Taylor and Smoot are currently raising funds via Kickstarter where they hope to reach their $25,000 USD goal.

Source: FRESHNGOOD.COM

Production company Commonwealth Projects presents a video documentation of Hedi Slimane’s “California Song” installation at MOCA’s Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, California. Although known for his influential fashion design, the French contemporary is held in high regards for his photography and furniture design as well. Slimane’s first major solo show offered a window into the spirit of Los Angeles as a two-floor exhibit, with the first consisting of photos and mirrors installed in a labyrinth of plywood forms and the second floor centered by a large, seemingly floating cube. The video above was filmed over the course of “California Song”‘s opening week, including footage from opening night, No Age’s performance rehearsal, billboards across LA and of course, artwork from the show.

Detroit’s The Work was commissioned by designer Dr. Romanelli and his ever-expanding outlet to create a unique set of aesthetics, highlighting custom pieces that were manufactured for Revive. The nature of the short film equates to an uncharacteristically different approach to showcasing such product, as the footage was conjured in hopes of acting more as a story, as opposed to your typical viral offerings. Captured in the French VO, The Work set out to pay homage to the firm’s native Detroit, as this cut is only but one in a series of forthcoming installments.

Jakarta’s Bluesville has made a name for itself with beautifully handcrafted garments and natural dyes. The brand makes use of a local artisan and the rich Indonesian soil in order to produce some of the highest-quality handmade shirts, pants and accessories around. Taking traditionally woven fabrics and dyeing them using indigo, mahogany, ketingi, ketapang, mangosteen and mango, the brand produces truly one-of-a-kind, immemorial pieces for their signature collections. Most articles even incorporate classic batik printing techniques into their construction. Bluesville’s “Experimentation Collection” is available now via their online shop.

Source: ONEEIGHTNINE