Philip Evans (1982) is a filmmaker and artist currently residing in Bray, just south of Dublin, Ireland. He recently directed the documentary film – Format Perspective.

“Format Perspective explores the work, lives and opinions of six European skate photographers. The film showcases the photography of Nils Svensson (Malmo), Stu Robinson (Belfast), Alex Irvine (London), Rich Gilligan (Dublin), Sergej Vutuc (Heilbronn) and Bertrand Trichet (Barcelona/Tokyo), while also giving us an insight into the different approaches used by this diverse line-up of photographers. Filmed completely on super 8 film, this project gives a behind-the-scenes look at the skating that these guys like to shoot, as well as the resulting photos that emerge from these sessions.”

Kind Regards recently got the opportunity to chat with Phillip Evans to find out more about the film, the inspiration behind it as well as his thoughts on skateboard films and photography today…

How did the idea for Format Perspective come about?

It came from not being very inspired to make a new skate video.  I was filming a dude one day who was stressing like crazy and it really made me question why I was doing it, it just reminded me of the downsides.  So anyway, I just turned to my photographer friend Stu  Robinson and started filming him as a joke, then I thought, wait, this could actually be an inspiring idea, Stu is a way more interesting character.  I asked Stu for some photos he’d taken so I could blend it with super 8 footage I had shot from the same session and the combination seemed to work so it took off from there!  I only really like working on a different or new idea each time I make a vid so I was stoked I had found a new one.

How did you come to select the photographers featured in the film?

I started with Stu as he was the initial inspiration and had a strong story behind his work, then Rich Gilligan was a natural choice as he’s close, he’s an amazing photographer and he’s a really enthusiastic guy.  Rich is also coming from the context of being a very well established fashion and commercial photographer so he naturally had a different view on things.   After that I got Alex Irvine involved on Rich’s suggestion, Alex was super helpful and super down and he was also the one character that was the most ‘involved’ in the skate industry as he edits Kingpin Magazine, so it was good to have his slant on things as it shows the pit-falls and realities of shooting skate photos…as well as the good points!

Nils Svensson was next, he was an easy choice as his stuff is on-point and very unpretentious.  He shoots what he likes to shoot, which I really like as I’d hate to be told who to shoot! Nils mainly shoots his friends in and around Malmo, skating and building DIY spots, his part was shot the quickest, it just flowed together very naturally, plus Malmo is a huge inspiration on how to truly turn a skate-scene around.

Next up was Bertrand Trichet, I’d seen his work in the book “Dirt Ollies” about a Carhartt trip to Mongolia and I was really into it.  He seems to pay great attention to adding context to his photography and not just looking at the trick, so he comes up with some original compositions.  His non-skate photography in his section was nice to play with too, it added another element of context and just gives you a better impression of how he seen that particular trip to Japan…he shot so much stuff actually, I’d a hard time doing the photo edit.

Sergej Vutuc was the last guy on board through Bertrand’s suggestion.  Sergej’s stuff is so completely out-there compared to everyone else in the film that he was a welcome addition.  His approach, subject matter, equipment, style and execution were all so different to the rest of the guys that he seemed like the perfect final piece of the puzzle to balance out the entire project.  He has a very minimal set up, a 35mm SLR with some B&W film, his compositions are quirky as he’s looking for a lot more than just tricks, he’s telling stories with it.  He also processes and prints his own stuff which I really like, the more hands-on the better for me!

Was there other photographers who you would have liked to include?

There’s a long long list of amazing skate photographers out there, but in reality I only had room for six so I had to focus on the diversity of the style of photography and the story of each guy. I knew I was aiming for the film to be about an hour so when I felt I had the right six guys we just ran with that.

How long did it take you to complete?

Two years.

Why did you choose to film with Super 8?

I really wanted the photos to be the centre-piece of the project, so had I shot it in HD with a Digital SLR then it would have looked too similar to what the bulk of the guys were using to shoot the stills in the project as its essentially the same device.  So I went with Super 8 as its so grainy, gritty and good-shitty that it shifted the focus to the still photos when the two of them were put together in an edit

We grew up watching and being inspired by skate videos such as Animal Chin (1987), then on to films such as Toy Machine´s Welcome to Hell in the 90´s and seeing it shift with films such as ´The End´ by Birdhouse. Nowadays, skateboard films have reached a whole new level in terms of the equipment used and the aesthetics.
What are your thoughts on the skateboard films of today?

Good question!  Skate videos have changed drastically in a very short space of time because of the progress of two things; consumer-accessible digital cameras and the internet.  Technology has come along at an incredible rate to the point where kids can afford equipment that would have been considered really high-end only a couple of years ago, which is quite cool I think, well, its cool because kids can shoot videos with their mates and edit them on their computer at home and have them online in a matter of hours! I suppose there’s a great feeling of instant-satisfaction that goes with that but I’m afraid its not for me, I prefer a longer slower process.

One of the downsides I can see is the complete saturation of online videos that has exploded over the internet that its hard to filter it to find the good stuff, I suppose you have to know what you’re looking for.  On the upside you can share with people in parts of the world you never would have or a kid who is nowhere near ‘the industry’ can get recognised just through online repute, so that’s quite nice.

In terms of the way in which this new equipment is used I have to say I’m not a huge fan of the over-produced stuff.  I cringe when I see slow-mo dolly shots and the like, I mean, its skateboarding, why so serious?  I like having fun when I skate, sure its difficult and its good to do tricks the justice they deserve by shooting them well but I hate when filming doesn’t feel fun. I guess that’s more about the idea behind a film rather than the equipment used.  There’s plenty of stuff I like though, the stuff Nichols and Charnosky do is usually amazing, I like Fat Bill’s edits, the Palace NY edit was so sick!  Pontus Alv’s videos are really great, or anything with skaters whose style I really like, like Denis Busenitz, Grant Taylor, Denis Lynn, Chewy Canon, there’s tonnes of dudes..

In Format Perspective we see that Stu Robinson shoots with Medium Format film, something which is less common nowadays. What are your thoughts on skateboard photography since the advent of digital cameras?

The affordability of the technology has made photography very accessible to so many more people but I think the disposable nature of shooting digital makes it less special.  If you know you have a limited amount of film stock, be it medium format, large format, super 8 or whatever, you are naturally more selective with your compositions as you know you only have a limited amount of film with you that day, you can physically see it right there and when you shoot it that’s it!  You can’t delete the film and stick it back in the camera!

I know when I film stuff digitally I’m deleting stuff before its even made it to the computer, so I miss out on a tonne of stuff, I can’t do that with film so I pick up on a lot more things that’s I’d normally over-look.

There’s also an imperfection in analogue that I love, it has an unpredictable character to it, people are imperfect, so is film, I like that!

I don’t hate digital, its cheap! I just prefer film.

You got the travel extensively through doing this film. Did you find there were vast differences within the skateboard scenes in the countries you travelled to?

No huge differences, no.  Skaters skate the same types of things the world over and I really like that you can have an instant connection with someone no matter where they are.  There were some unique aspects to some skate scenes though – the guys in Malmo really have a special community of skaters, their really pool their resources to make the scene stronger and stronger every year, I have not seen it to that level anywhere else.  The guys in Belfast are unique just because they keep the scene going regardless of any other crap that’s happening there.  Slovenia had a nice bunch of dudes who were into art and hardcore music so I guess they have a good strong sense of community.  The Japanese dudes were possibly the most polite skaters I’ve ever met!

Plans for the future? 

Lots!  I’m working on a couple of concepts for new films at the moment and I also have to work on some stuff for some exhibitions with the Human Pyramids Artist Collective next year, we’re doing a show in Spain next year, June 7th in Barcelona to be exact so it should be good seeing my mates from that again.  I’ve a bunch of other stuff I want to do if I can make the time to do it!

Thanks for the interview!!
Format Perspective is currently available as a single DVD or combined Book & DVD. The book is a 128 pages hardcover book about the documentary, showcasing the work of the photographers and background information about the project. The  DVD is 63 minutes long. You can get more information and order it here!