by Mel @troubleon8wheels
This week's tutorial is less about something to learn regarding roller skating, and more about being careful what you capture.
Please know that I am not trying to be a party pooper or suggest that all video should be taken from the same angle forever, it is the variety of angles and way they are put together that makes a video engaging to watch. A tutorial video will also call for a very different style of filming compared to a skate park edit of the latest cool stuff that went down. It is fine to use any angles as long as you are aware of how they can potentially distort how something looks.
Can I just take this opportunity to remind you that the fact you have even put roller skates on and then stuck it out to learn how to control those wheels is pretty cool in itself.
We live in a world that connects us more and more through digital means, with the internet in all its glory making sharing images of ourselves for friends and family ever easier. However, we probably have all experienced how it feels to compare ourselves to others', particularly when learning a skill as an adult. I know I've written a blog post about this recently, but Ms Comparison has reared her head again in people's social media comments, and I have noticed she is affecting some people more than others, possibly because everyone is tired.
If you notice your mental health deteriorating due to Ms Comparison being an unwelcome visitor in your head, I would urge you to digitally detox. I do also realise this is easier said than done.
You know what I'm saying though right? The #skateeveryday hashtag is a huge commitment, but I do sometimes think when I see this hashtag used, is this day 27 of #skate365 from zero previous skate experience, or is this the third time the individual has attempted #skate365 with a whole load of practise in between? Has this individual actually been a champion ice skater and is now converting their balance to quads? It makes a difference to how fast they can learn.
As an aside, I believe that #skate365 should be consecutive days in a row. It is not, take a bunch of video footage one day to share over a week when you don't have time to skate. Ha, now who's tired and cranky! It is a huge commitment to put your skates on every single day for a year, take a video clip and share it somewhere. I have never tried and honestly I would really struggle, so massive respect to those who attempt it, and even bigger respect to those who succeed.
The only comparison you should ever be making is the journey *you* are making. Compare yourself to yourself. Could you stand up on roller skates last week? Could you stop? Well then. Be proud of what you've accomplished.
Those angles.
Anyway, most of us take video on our phones.
Here are a couple of phone clips Jess took of the same move from different angles on our skate tour in September. These clips were filmed at Concrete Waves in Cornwall, and I'm so pleased we went!
The 'honest' view.
The low view.
In my opinion the level view is the more 'honest' view, while the low view looking up is the 'inflated' view. This angle makes jumps look higher than they actually are, because you are jumping further away from the camera lens.
Here is our Gangster Jess riding a pretty gnarly concrete bowl in Penzance from a couple of different angles. Notice how the angle of the camera makes the same movements look bigger or smaller, depending on where the videographer is stood. In these clips, I was using a Go Pro Hero 7 Black to video, with a slightly fish eye lens that makes movement look great, and a wide angle to capture everything.
Top of the bowl.
Bottom of the bowl.
Take progress videos for yourself
I would highly recommend video as a learning tool, as without someone to provide coaching tips, you can see if you are bending your knees enough or standing up too soon (usually the causes of why we fall over).
When you are videoing yourself, there is much less choice about angle - it will usually be whatever you can prop your phone up on - maybe you have a little phone socket or stand, gorilla mount or maybe just a shoe!
If you have got a pal to take videos for you, I would suggest videoing the same trick twice from different angles, so you have both the progress video and the cool-as-heck angle. Yeah, we do all want to look awesome. I just wanted to remind you that you already are.
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