2007 has been a good year for skate videos. The season ended with more blockbuster titles than your local multiplex, and every need was catered for. Steering the way for independent cinema and rooted street skating was Josh Stewart and his third installment to the already acclaimed series, Static III.
Now, I know working independently is very risky business, and judging by how Josh has voiced his position regarding the matter, skateboard cinematography is a hard nut to crack and prosper from. However, I don’t want to turn this review into another charity case plea because you should all know already that skaters need to support one another if we really want our passion to thrive properly. In fact, it’s rather ironic that Static III should even be accompanied by a charity-style PR campaign because the product sells itself. Static III is a diamond in the rough. A well thought out cast of talented yet discreet skaters (Pat Steiner, Soy Panday, Tony Manfre, Jahmal Williams, Olly Todd, Steve Durante, Danny Renaud and Nate Broussard to name the highlights), filmed flowing endlessly through their local back streets, and edited to a smooth soundtrack.
If skating through the city gets your juices flowing then Static III is your pacemaker. Stunt aficionados need to look elsewhere for their entertainment. This screening provides plenty of quick footed trickery and beautifully shot photography for your viewing pleasure. I think Josh really worked hard on making sure the video could be watched from start to finish without needing to reach for the fast forward button- It clocks in just past the half hour mark. A method to keep attention levels live was to mix digital and film and spread and merge skaters parts together. Josh also worked on refining a few new filming angles notably the side to side swing and pan out ride-aways on lines. These techniques can lead to a lot of camera movement and may induce queeziness in some viewers, but after two watches, you get over it. In fact, you must get over it because Static III induces multiple viewing.
To end this promotional text, do go out and buy this DVD because Josh Stewart has worked very hard and actually outdone himself. Static III stands in its own genre and smashes the cinematic curse that the third part of a trilogy sucks balls. Good job Josh!
8/10
RL-D