been used by ESPN, several awards ceremonies, talk shows, and 60 Minutes. It’s been in a McDonald’s TV commercial, and runs on a loop on my roller coaster ride at Six Flags amusement parks. The best part is that a lot of little kids have e-mailed me to say they’ve been inspired by the old footage of me as a scrawny skater in goofy shorts.
Dust Devils and Big Gaps
Every so often I wake up with an idea for a skateboard trick. When I was a kid, it was usually some kind of combination of maneuvers that had never before been melded, like a kickflip McTwist. As I got older, I’d envision bigger tricks. Some of them were more properly called stunts, like the Hot Wheels–style full loop. Or the time I used a launch ramp to jump between the roofs of two six-story buildings. And if I was going to risk getting maimed, I made sure it got documented. I mean, I like a good thrill as much as the next fool, but I’m not an idiot.
In 2000, I got the idea to build a big contraption in the desert that would enable me to clear a gap between two side-by-side quarterpipes. The key was to make one of the quarterpipes portable, so we could adjust the size of the gap. We got a builder and rented some land and we headed out with a film crew. Adio, my shoe sponsor at the time, and Birdhouse helped cover part of the cost, but I went out of pocket on most of it. My idea, my money. The ramp took a few days to build, and we were able to widen the gap by removing pieces of the ramp. The first day it was 12 feet wide, with a piece of coping spanning the void so I could grind across it. The next day it expanded to 18 feet and I pulled some scary tricks (like a 540) before we removed the last section to create a 24-foot gap. I attempted it a few times, made it once, and called it a day. This footage has been used over and over, and I feel lucky that I could afford to build the thing, pull off the stunt, get it all on film—and not get hurt. You can see it here: youtube.com/watch?v=C2VG8ZtC8KU .
I’ve wanted to film a 3-D movie for a long time, and over the years we pitched the concept to several studios. In 2006, I came up with the idea of going back to the desert, this time with the main part of the HuckJam ramp, including the long jump and a pair of massive quarterpipes, also set side by side with a scary gap between them. We found a studio that wanted to partner up with us, so we moved ahead, building a monolithic setup in the middle of nowhere. We had cameras on cranes, and made plans to rent a helicopter to shoot from above. Shaun White and I would be the skaters. Just as we got the set rigged, our deal with the studio fell apart. But by that time it was too late, so we tossed out the 3-D idea and used high-def cameras instead.
We set up our entire ramp system in the middle of the Mojave Desert, and the resulting photos and video were spectacular.
It turned out to be one of my favorite shoots ever, complete with dust devils and some nice doubles routines with Shaun. We used it in the Birdhouse video The Beginning. To see a clip from that day, go here: shredordie.com/video/tony-hawk-new-birdhouse-video .
Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now
Things have changed dramatically in recent years for 900 Films. Sales of DVDs and videos have begun to evaporate. Kids who want to see action-sports footage could pretty much get their fill on the Internet for free. When we distribute DVDs these days, it’s usually given away as an add-on with a retail purchase, like the time we arranged with Target stores to include a free Secret Skatepark Tour DVD with my video game.
As video moved online, the 900 Films crew began spending most of its time producing short pieces for various Internet sites. It helps to have a small and nimble crew that can get good footage with none of the overhead attached to most high-profile productions. My guys have slipped unseen into the restaurant at the legendary Chateau Marmont hotel in West Hollywood to interview
Dust Devils and Big Gaps
Every so often I wake up with an idea for a skateboard trick. When I was a kid, it was usually some kind of combination of maneuvers that had never before been melded, like a kickflip McTwist. As I got older, I’d envision bigger tricks. Some of them were more properly called stunts, like the Hot Wheels–style full loop. Or the time I used a launch ramp to jump between the roofs of two six-story buildings. And if I was going to risk getting maimed, I made sure it got documented. I mean, I like a good thrill as much as the next fool, but I’m not an idiot.
In 2000, I got the idea to build a big contraption in the desert that would enable me to clear a gap between two side-by-side quarterpipes. The key was to make one of the quarterpipes portable, so we could adjust the size of the gap. We got a builder and rented some land and we headed out with a film crew. Adio, my shoe sponsor at the time, and Birdhouse helped cover part of the cost, but I went out of pocket on most of it. My idea, my money. The ramp took a few days to build, and we were able to widen the gap by removing pieces of the ramp. The first day it was 12 feet wide, with a piece of coping spanning the void so I could grind across it. The next day it expanded to 18 feet and I pulled some scary tricks (like a 540) before we removed the last section to create a 24-foot gap. I attempted it a few times, made it once, and called it a day. This footage has been used over and over, and I feel lucky that I could afford to build the thing, pull off the stunt, get it all on film—and not get hurt. You can see it here: youtube.com/watch?v=C2VG8ZtC8KU .
I’ve wanted to film a 3-D movie for a long time, and over the years we pitched the concept to several studios. In 2006, I came up with the idea of going back to the desert, this time with the main part of the HuckJam ramp, including the long jump and a pair of massive quarterpipes, also set side by side with a scary gap between them. We found a studio that wanted to partner up with us, so we moved ahead, building a monolithic setup in the middle of nowhere. We had cameras on cranes, and made plans to rent a helicopter to shoot from above. Shaun White and I would be the skaters. Just as we got the set rigged, our deal with the studio fell apart. But by that time it was too late, so we tossed out the 3-D idea and used high-def cameras instead.
We set up our entire ramp system in the middle of the Mojave Desert, and the resulting photos and video were spectacular.
It turned out to be one of my favorite shoots ever, complete with dust devils and some nice doubles routines with Shaun. We used it in the Birdhouse video The Beginning. To see a clip from that day, go here: shredordie.com/video/tony-hawk-new-birdhouse-video .
Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now
Things have changed dramatically in recent years for 900 Films. Sales of DVDs and videos have begun to evaporate. Kids who want to see action-sports footage could pretty much get their fill on the Internet for free. When we distribute DVDs these days, it’s usually given away as an add-on with a retail purchase, like the time we arranged with Target stores to include a free Secret Skatepark Tour DVD with my video game.
As video moved online, the 900 Films crew began spending most of its time producing short pieces for various Internet sites. It helps to have a small and nimble crew that can get good footage with none of the overhead attached to most high-profile productions. My guys have slipped unseen into the restaurant at the legendary Chateau Marmont hotel in West Hollywood to interview
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