Late Arrival: SPOKE$ by David Sizemore
Although David's full-length was released more than two years ago, it’s never too late to give such a wonderful piece its flowers.
When I first saw SPOKE$ at Blading Cup, the beer garden was so packed for the premiere, I had to stand behind a window and watch the whole film with no sound. The second opportunity I got, well, I didn’t actually watch the video at all: I was cooking for the homies and could only listen to it through the open kitchen while it played on the living room TV. So it took a third time to finally take it all in, and then many more after that to finish writing this review.
About the images first, since that’s how the video initially presented itself to me.
By now, we all know David Sizemore, the videographer, is a highly skilled filmer and masterful editor, too. Here, he uses glitches to create interesting textures and shapes, while his fisheye clips stay perfectly crisp around the edges. Through such contrasted images, he offers a full visual experience and, as a storyteller, gives us blips of sights and scenes, without lingering much, and then takes the time to emphasize standouts tricks and the work (and hard slams) that went into those. As we’ve previously seen in Fifth Floor, this editing is an especially efficient device when it comes to translating the creative process of someone like Dom, for instance.
When you’re stuck in another room, you get to focus on the sound design itself.
With only five songs for this whole 30-minute piece, beyond the soundtrack, it’s truly the sound bites that make this video. David pays a lot of attention to acoustic details and sonic atmosphere, indeed, with the first few notes of Nissim softly scoring a quick transition between two parts or the comments of the crew narrating Quinny’s intense battle with a curvy fishbrain. And while David initially wondered if spending money on new microphones really made sense, it was undoubtedly worth the investment, if only to witness the crazy laughs and genuine excitement when the homies finally land their tricks.
“You get rewarded for sweeping bricks and waxing cobblestones with a hug from the homies, a cheer from random people passing by, and even some cold beers from strangers.”
Put all of this together, and you’re left with some incredible skating, of course.
And, of course, the whole crew delivers. Killing it as always, the OG Kåre Lindberg drops some serious bangers, and Theodor Reumert is back on blades; truly a pleasure to see! Scott Quinn's incredible strength and consistency shines through, while David seems to always pick the hardest approach to the hardest spots, his tiny frame barely fitting in the tinest of spots. The last part is a collective heater, where once again, a pre-Mesmer era Dom Bruce steals the show as he freestyles his way at full speed through some of the most unlikely stretch of urban terrain the streets of Copenhagen have to offer to such a creative soul.
So yes, a word about the place before we wrap this up.
More than a crew video, this is a ‘scene video’, for it speaks not just of the people but also of the city as a whole. There’s a certain benevolence to these Danish streets, where you get rewarded for sweeping bricks and waxing cobblestones with a hug from the homies, a cheer from random people passing by, and even some cold beers from strangers. Copenhagen is a truly special place, and the lovely people that inhabit its lively streets, the blokes that keep the wheels turning, the central connection. With SPOKE$, David managed to convey all this through the screen, better than he ever did before.
A fine adventure through the streets of Copenhagen, indeed.
PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID SIZEMORE
Timeless