Skateboarding
Skateboarding
Greetings From: Filming skateboarding in the streets of San Francisco
What challenges come with filming in one of the most storied and dangerous cities for skateboarding? Otto Ray and Mack Scharff help shed some insight into the process.
San Francisco is one of the most enticing and aesthetically pleasing cities to film skateboarding. From the Bones Brigade videos of the ‘80s, the technical progression at EMB and Pier 7 during the '90s, the hill bombing insanity of the 2000’s, and all the way to the 2023 showstopper, “City to City,” which crowned Miles Silvas Thrasher Magazine’s Skater of the Year; moments captured in San Francisco have made a permanent impact on the culture.
Greetings From San Francisco
© Dan Zaslavsky
But what’s it like for the unsung heroes behind the lens? Filmers standing in the wind and cold, for hours on end, waiting patiently for the right shot. Skating bent over and angling their fisheye just right as they soar down hills alongside their subjects. They need to get their shot right 100% of the time, while the skater only has to land their trick once. What challenges come with filming in one of the most storied and dangerous cities for skateboarding?
We sat down with two filmers who contributed to this installment of ‘Greetings From’ to see what it’s like to be behind the lens documenting the magic. Otto Ray and Mack Scharff help shed some insight into the process.
Otto is from San Diego and moved to San Francisco in 2015, drawn to The City by the GX1000 videos, Static IV, and projects by Zach Chamberlain. Today, he works for Thrasher and GX1000 and is in the streets every day. The name of the game, for his crew, is patience and persistence. “In San Francisco, the process is definitely harder. The spots that we get clips on, it usually takes us a bunch of times going back. But I feel like the size of The City makes it perfect for doing that. You search around and keep tabs on all these spots, waiting for a car to move or something.”
Greetings From San Francisco
© Dan Zaslavsky
Mack grew up in Boise, Idaho and moved to San Francisco around the same time as Otto. “I didn't want to live in a place where it's 100 degrees in the summer and zero degrees in the winter,” Mack says. “I just packed up my truck and put a mattress in the back. I lived in that for the first six months. I just wanted to skate and film.” Today, Mack works for Deluxe distribution as one of their videographers and editors. But like most skaters who make the move to The City, in the beginning, the hills took some getting used to. “Right when I first moved, I was bombing this hill in North Beach and a car was in the intersection and kind of slowed down. So I was dragging my foot at first and then had to jump and slide over the hood. And then my camera bag kind of flipped me around and I just landed on my ass. I was fine, but I'm sure it looked super crazy.”
The threat of a car rolling into an intersection at the wrong time makes filming on the big hills all the more nerve-racking. Otto’s approach to filming his friends on hills includes bringing a group to allow for spotters at every intersection. “Sometimes there's not enough people spotting and then some pedestrians will help us out. We definitely try to make it as safe as possible.” For Otto and his crew, it helps having multiple filmers on the session. “There’s definitely been a couple of times where I had to decide, do I spot right now or do I film it? I'll be nervous that I have to jump out and stop a car while I’m filming. So it's nice when there's another cameraman there, so I'm not the only one.”
Greetings From San Francisco
© Dan Zaslavsky
Mack agrees that it can be intense being behind the lens. “For the most part, it's always freaky. People are flying, but you get used to it. The guys I film with are top notch, though. They know what they're doing. I've gotten a little desensitized to it.”
Stationary filming at the top (or bottom) of a hill is one thing, but taking the hill with the skater, as they weave together lines down streets and sidewalks, is another skill entirely. Mack has a few tips he’s learned over the years for downhill filming. “I try to have a dedicated pair of shoes in the van, because I've gone through a whole shoe in an entire day from dragging my foot. Also, it definitely helps to bomb the whole hill first. A few months ago I was at a spot and it was a hill I’ve bombed a bunch before, but that day I didn't bomb it and it was starting to rain. I was like, we gotta get this right here! The skater tried it once and did it and I started pushing downhill, trying to keep up with him and then rode off this curb and fell and exploded my elbow into two different pieces. Had surgery the next day.”
Greetings From San Francisco
© Dan Zaslavsky
Another unique challenge in San Francisco is theft. Both Otto and Mack have been robbed at gunpoint for their cameras while filming. “People are looking out for targets,” Mack muses. “Just like skaters are looking for spots. People see skaters and they know we have cameras.” Though these are extreme cases, and somewhat rare, “bipping”, or stealing bags from parked cars is practically an epidemic. If you visit San Francisco, Mack advises the following: “Bring everything with you everywhere you go. Lock your car like it’s Fort Knox. Don't even try to hide your bag under the seat. They're going to take it. People hear all about the crazy stuff that happens in San Francisco, and they think they're going to be fine. They think they can just leave their gear in the van for five minutes, midday. But it's going to get taken.”
Despite the risks and challenges, there are days that make it all worth it. “When you do figure out something new,” Otto says, “it's the most rewarding feeling. You're in this tiny little city that's been skated by all the best people for the past 30 years, and you find something new. It's just the coolest thing. I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing in life. It's definitely a dream come true.”
