Videographer, skater and visionary, Sebastian Linda has gripped the online world with ‘Revenge of the Beasts’, a skate video that has sent the benchmark soaring. It is incredible. Fusing traditional skate tricks with innovative and colourful cinematography, we’ve never seen anything quite like it here at Surfdome and we were lucky enough to have a quick chat with Sebastian Linda about perfect skate parks and pipeline projects…
Hello Sebastian! First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself. What sparked the interest in videography?
Hi! As you know, my name is Sebastian Linda and I am a filmmaker from Dresden. I started videography when I started skateboarding, and I was about twelve years old. I just took my father´s videocamera and filmed me and my friends skating about. I discovered the possibility of capturing the best moments and put them for eternity on tape. I kinda liked that idea.
How long have you been skating? Any favourite skate spots?
I’ve been doing it for nearly 18 years now, so my skating will become even more experienced next year. My favourite spot can be anything that gives you a good session. At the moment, I am extremely interested in improving my transition skills and since I’m not getting any younger, it’s the best time to do it. Dresden has incredible DIY spots that are getting built by the skaters. Love that.
It’s safe to say ‘Revenge of the Beasts’ has taken the skating world by storm. When you first set out to produce the video, did you expect such a big response?
Has it taken the skating world [by storm] or does it have the potential to affect everybody? I am not really sure but when I look at the feedback, I am happy to see people from all ages and all kind of directions liking the video. I try to build a cinematographic language that does not only work for skaters, but for anybody that is interested in the art of boarding.
It took about one weekend to film and I edited for another week. The biggest problem was the weather. We waited for hours for a little bit of sunshine and if you’re filming hi-speed, you need a lot of natural light. So we waited and waited, and as soon as the sun came out we tried to do the shot. Sometimes we failed… and waited again.
And your favourite part?
My favourite part was definitely the transition from real time to slow motion. The shots were all done in less than one second, and just when the camera was saving the shot, we could see what was really happening. Since we used a lot of colour powder and filmed out of a driving car at about 50 MPH, it was always a big surprise to see what came out on camera.
What’s the one key message you want to convey with your work?
I simply want to share my view of the world and film is the medium. I hope to directly put my perspectives into everyone’s mind. The message can be different at any project, but the feeling to share is what drives me.
It always depends on the topic of the next clip. For the next one I already have an idea, but I can’t share that right now. Just one hint: it could be mystical.
Sounds exciting! Where do you find inspiration? What are your major influences?
I find inspiration in life just by simply thinking about it. In the ‘Revenge of the Beasts‘ I tried to visualise how skateboarding would look like in my perfect vision. So I just closed my eyes, listened to Woodkid, and tried to visualise the clip in front of my eyes. Since I had a clear picture in my mind I had to fully realise it. Of course it looked a little different from what I initially pictured, but never before has it come so close to my fantasy.
Any career highlights so far?
I do not really think of it as a career. Just a life, and it has been great to do sports independently like this one. I would say every new project feels like the greatest highlight so far. If I am in, I am in.
I wont´t spoil it. But maybe I will do something on surfing too since I just came back from some waves and was thinking about an inspiring idea I had in the water.
What tips would you give to other budding videographers?
Don´t try to copy what everybody thinks is cool. Try to find your own world, your own perspective and give it back to the people.
And finally, any last comments?
See you next year!
TIME TO GET CREATIVE
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