Last weekend was the Valo Brand's fifth video, Valo V. I ran around snapping photos as usual, though I decided to shoot it mostly in Polaroid (Impossible Project film). There's a certain nostalgic feel at premieres I thought would be a great fit for this film from yesteryear.
For the most part, I'm rather happy with the results! It was shot with Impossible UV+ Black Frame and 680 color protection film.
Wheel Scene Magazine in the UK ran some of the photos and a story I wrote up describing the events of the night in an equally nostalgic sort of way to match the feel of the photos.
You can see the full set of photos on Flickr.
Here's the write up of the night:
Blade video premieres are something I look forward, though few and far between. You can feel the anticipation and energy in the air as soon as you walk up to the venue. The growing crowd is chattering away, mushrooming with each passing minute.
I drove to Santa Ana, California to experience just that at the Valo V premiere at Fiesta Twin Theater, just 3 stores down from the Them Goods Store. The shop was teeming! The overflow spreading to the back of the shop and onto the sidewalk in front. Every time I turned around, there was someone I hadn't seen in ages.
Everyone was out in rare form. The friends you see every session, the buddies you made the next town or state over, the comrades who got caught up with life but came out to say hello anyway. The pros from your childhood talking with the pros you look up to today. The young and old united and excited by a singular sport projected on a singular screen. The wall between professional and blader on the street knocked down, each standing shoulder to shoulder, eye to eye. Each and every one of them was electrified, waiting for the moment someone would press play.
In between the hellos were the photographic works of Brandon Smith and Ivan Narez on the wall, all shot in black and white 35mm film. Brandon did a fantastic job capturing what it means to be Valo4Life, but more importantly, a rollerblader. There's a lifestyle that comes with it that is hard to describe without having lived it. These photos do that life justice (if you buy the Valo V video, it comes packaged with a book that showcases these photos).
Come 8 PM, the rush of footsteps can be heard migrating from shop to theater, looking for the best seats and hollering their friends closer. The place was packed! Jon Julio and Ivan Narez voiced their thanks and thoughts before the start of the video (it's always nice to hear Julio's candor). The button pressed and the dammed crowd began to fill the room with roars as the opening credits burst onto the silver screen.
I don't want to drop any spoilers, though I will tell you the line up:
Intro
Jon Julio
New York
Soichiro Kanashima
Portugal
The Crew
Rooks & Crooks Tour
Dean Coward & David Sizemore
Gav Drumm
Ross Kuhn
Erik Bailey
Juice
Brandon Smith
Alex Broskow
Victor Arias
Encore
There wasn't a single section to be disappointed in. The whole team was on point with Valo V! What I will say is Victor being the ender made perfect sense. The video is a mix of profiles and tour footage, which I've come to expect from the team. As far as the footage shows, Valo is constantly touring! I just want to grab some gear and shove some friends into the backseat! You will too after seeing the whirlwind of spots they skate in this video. Every video Valo release has spots near and far, domestic and international. It makes you want to drop everything and pick up your blades in a foreign land.
They are living the dream: traveling, blading, and enjoying life. Valo is on their 5th video and 10th year as a company, so must be doing something right.
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