Tag: Alex van Zwietering

The VX1000 and the colors of the Netherlands are a perfect match and it’s even better if it’s filmed by the master lensmen Sneep and Ziggy. Lean back and enjoy some very fine skateboarding presented by Vans.

Alex van Zwietering is back but is this truly his “Last laugh? We surely hope not! He has been doing some good stuff out in AGGA for a while now.

Some of which, now includes finding a downhill in the flattest country in the world, and filming one of the nicest Suski grinds we have seen since Aaron Suski.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K_7Ym8fy2w

Ziggy is blessing us with another episode of his Horizontal series, which is becoming a weekly thing it seems like.

Feat.: Pascal Moelaert, Rob Maatman, Justin Wagener, Robbin de Wit, Rens Verbruggen, Jan Maarten Sneep, Thomas van den Hoeven, Dana van der Geer, Sebastiaan Vijverberg & Alex van Zwietering.

https://youtu.be/5T-Tc5DM9Cc

Ziggy‘s second installment from his “Horizontal” series is here, a weekend with Bastiaan & the Jumpramps. Featuring: Justin Wagener, Remco Stolze, Pascal Moelaert, Mike van Anrooy, Billy Hoogendijk, Jip Koorevaar, Bastiaan van Zadelhoff, Jeremy van der Eijk, Alex van Zwietering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlCmRXXtjJY&feature=youtu.be

We usually don’t talk to police and even when in court did not say a word but our very own Roland Hoogwater recently broke that rule while he was visiting a few friends back in his motherland, just to get a few clips for Ziggy Schaaps new series “Horizontal”. Fair enough!

The first one comes with Sebastiaan Vijverberg, Pascal Moelaert, Alex van Zwietering, Myself, Jip Koorevaar & Noah Bunink skating Amsterdam & Den Haag.

After the Promo and the Interview now it is time for the full length.

Enjoy all the dutchies and their indoor hills!

If you don’t know Ziggy Schaap by now you might not follow European skateboarding. Over the years he has been a Dutch mainstay, first and foremost as a photographer but now it seems he has found his way through the world of moving images. We have had the pleasure of premiering multiple of his video works in the last 2 years and with his latest video on the horizon, we wanted to ask him some questions.

Images by Ziggy Schaap & Martijn van Velden.
Interview by Roland Hoogwater.

Facetime rings… Ziggy picks up.

Hey man, how are you?
I am good, just came home, slept in Rotterdam, about to start working. Skatedeluxe costumer hotline! If you want you can call me via the Skatedeluxe line (laughs).

(laughs)… Let’s shoot, first question: Why did you make this video?
Why did I make the “No Service” video? Well, basically it was to get people to skate outside of the skateparks. Indoor parks are cool to practice and film for Insta but they do get repetitive and you can’t really make something there film wise.
So this project provided me with something to do during the winter time.

So I started thinking and concluded that there haven’t been many videos that have been filmed completely inside a (multiple) parking garage.

To me skating a parking garage is pretty Dutch. People do it often especially in places where there are no indoor skateparks and it rains a lot over here.

I also thought it would be fun to limit myself to one particular type of thing and the number and sorts of spots a garage provides.

Makes sense, so how many places did you visit during the making of this video?
We went to different cities… I think we started in Den Haag skating with Justin Wagenaar en Sebastiaan Vijverberg around station De Laan van Nieuw Oost-Indië. That day we skated 2 or 3 different locations and that is when I got the idea for the video.

So during the filming, a lot of people heard about the idea and decided to join our sessions.

I think the video is mostly Den Haag because we found a large number of underground garages there but we also went to multiple in Rotterdam, one in Amsterdam which was filled with spots, Utrecht, Leiden where we have the deepest underground garage in Europe, Antwerp, Tilburg & Haarlem.

No service_pascal moelaert_martijn van velden
What was the best spot?
Hard to say probably the whole area where we started in Den Hague because there a multiple spots, it is not a place where people really live, so fewer complaints but it depends on what you like.

The thing is there where “spots” but a lot of the places you can skate are curbs and mannie pads. Which some people can skate great but others don’t really like or can’t. So it depends on the skater.
How did you know which cities to visit? Or did you randomly go to places to check?
The one in Tilburg, for instance, I knew because I had filmed a “day in the life” there back in the day. Bram van Halteren showed me that garage because it was raining and we wanted to show his skating during his DITL.
Inside there is a long near perfect ledge and to top it all of, the police came and said that they liked what we where doing so we could stay and film uninterrupted.

We all knew a couple and as the project went on people like Bastiaan van Zadelhoff went in a couple to check for spots but we also went randomly looking for spots or used Google-Maps. In Haarlem, for instance, we visited a place and afterward, we googled Q-park and sometimes people add foto’s to the google thing and we found some spots that way too.

How long did the whole process take… start to finish?
I think the first clip was filmed at the end of November the start of December. So, a little over 2 months, which is pretty fast for a 12-minute video.

Plus a 6-minute promo.
True, I like that too but in some ways, it is not really a promo because I basically used all of Rob Maatman’s footage in the video so he is not a real presence in the promo. They both have their own vibe.

 

No service_ziggy schaap
What about the vibe of the project, obviously a parking garage is mostly void of sunlight.
Well, it did really take shape during the making of it but the VX camera truly has a different look when you take it inside. The video quality becomes crusty but at the same time that fits the environment because these places were dusty, oily and generally dirty. We often came home with our hands black with all kinds of dirt.

What about the limitations? Was filming on a sunny rooftop allowed?
We discussed that multiple times, the clip is called “No Service” because underground our cellphones would not be working but in fact, we were filming on a garage rooftop where we had 4g and 4 bars of connection. Only Rob really has outside clips but I felt it worked within the video, I did think about taking it out but it ended up feeling right to leave it in.

Is this video your version of Yoan Taillandier’s Minuit, where people start in the night and the last clips end when the sun comes up?
Maybe in some ways, it is, I actually edited some parts inspired by that video. An example is after the first part there is a segment where it shows the guys leaving the garage (3:08) and then we see some rainy shots and that ends with the guys going back inside. I don’t know if people will see that inspiration because it is abstract but it is there.

Now they will (laughs). What about the crew?
I never start anything with a crew in mind, it always seems to grow organically.
I actually never really filmed a project with Rob Maatman and Robbin de Wit before and that is always exciting to film with new people and see what they bring to the table.

What about time, because of the lights there is less of a sensation of time, did you guys get caught up in some real late night sessions?
Well, a lot of the times we went in when it was light and because our cell phones did not really work we often ended up skating together for a way longer time. Obviously, we would still be able to tell time but you don’t really get disturbed by messages as much as you normally would.

no service_jelle maatman_ziggy schaap
In a way, you are more together when you don’t have people looking at their phones.
It did feel like that at times, also you had to be at the meetup-spot on time because you could depend on a quick message or call.

With the amount of fencing and security at some of these places, it was important to know the right way in. Even though we would obviously, drop a pin before going in things were not as usual.

Last year you released “Alles Wisselt”, The End & Memories all three have a concept behind them, this one does as well. Is that a coincidence?
Well… I have too many ideas and often I end up just doing something. “Alles Wisselt” and “No Service” both had a plan behind them but The End & Memories just happened. They are connected but not outspokenly so, for me they have to do with Love. “The End” has that song “Skeeter Davis – The End of The World (1962)” which is about the feeling when someone leaves you. Memories has a Leonard Cohen song which looks back on relationships of the past singing “won’t you let me see your naked body…” but with this video I kind of left that idea for a bit.

Alright, what about the music, this video features only Dutch music.
The first Instagram trailer did not have a Dutch spoken song but even at that stage, I knew I wanted to finish the video with a Herman van Veen song.

So two weeks back we were editing and Bastiaan van Zadelhoff put on some crazy Dutch tunes and proposed only using those type of songs. To be honest, between the rainy days, skating indoors it felt right to use Dutch music with this video, it strengthened it as a whole.
Did you learn anything weird about parking garages during the making of this project?
The Netherlands is known as a flat country but through this project, we found out all our downhills are hidden indoors.

Gx1000 could have happened in the low countries.

Closing question, you had a goal to do something in the winter and stay out of the beaten path (indoor skateparks) but at the end of the project, the sun started shining again. Where there ever times where you reluctantly entered a dark garage when you really wanted to skate outside?
That happened for sure! (laughs). We really had a couple of days where we would have skated outside had it not been for this. People were complaining “it is great weather, do we really need to go inside?” but we all knew we needed a bit more to finish the project so we did stay true. In the end, we really did survive winter the best way possible*.

I believe you, thanks Ziggy!

*Editors note:
Besides flying to a warm country

no service_pascal moelaert_justin wagener

Want more? Check out Ziggy’ full length “Likkie Wax” that we launched together last year.

 

 

Next week Ziggy Schaap will be premiering his new video “No Service”, today we have the promo to hype you up. Tomorrow we have a full interview with Ziggy about his upcoming project, past projects, and even the future.

Now, get a coffee, sit down and press play to watch some underground ripping.

A while ago we’ve been posting each part separately, but here’s the full thing.

‘Creating Lines’ took place in September of 2018, as a three-day event in Rotterdam. We explored how skateboarding in the Netherlands is constantly changing. With an exhibition about Rotterdam’s skate history, the premiere of our full-length skate video ‘Momentum’ and panel discussions about skateboarding in the Netherlands.

‘Momentum’ consists of five main video parts, made by multiple talented Dutch filmmakers. They were given 6 weeks to make a short video, in which they had to incorporate the theme ‘change’. Jan Maarten Sneep edited all the footage into one coherent piece through various Rotterdam memory screen segments.

Main parts by: Ziggy Schaap & Alex van Zwietering, Edward Cook, Marc Bolhuis, Kadir Küçük & Jan Maarten Sneep.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. “Alles Wisselt” Dutch for everything changes is the final part of the “Creating Lines” Momentum series. This one really combines people of all ages and styles from young Jayden de Lange al the way up to an older and way underappreciated skater like Damiaan “Paco” Winkelman. We would like to thank all that participated for their hard work and great content and we hope you “the viewer” enjoyed it as much as we did.

Intro by Roland Hoogwater.
Film & edit by Ziggy Schaap en Alex van Zwietering.
Photography by Ziggy Schaap, Martijn van Velden

Alles Wisselt is a short video that translates the theme ‘change’ to different generations in skateboarding. What changes in a normal human life and that of a skateboarder? Our crew consists of skaters with the age of 12 to 36 who all have the same passion, namely skateboarding. We used b-roll shots from the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision to show a number of typical things that people of the same age as non-skateboarders do.

After sitting in the car for an hour and a half to Rotterdam, it turned out that Damiaan had forgotten his board, so the session started somewhat disappointing. The majority of the crew was already on their way home but after the hope was almost lost, we came across this spot in a metro stop. Paco (Damiaan) saw his chance and picked up some rad clips on Ziggy’s board, including this nosestall.

Check out all the other “Creating Lines” parts by clicking here.

Sebastiaan Vijverberg, Rob Maatman, Justin Wagener, Robbin de Wit, Pascal Moelaert, Patrick Reins, Woody Hoogendijk, Jelle Maatman, Remco Stolze, Bert Roeterdink, Nick Bax, Bram Schlangen, Jesse Voerman, Billy Hoogendijk, Alex van Zwietering, Jan-Willem den Haan are featured in Ziggy Schaap’s newest video “The End”.

The title of this video is not related to Birdhouse in any way. Instead, it is a way to get some footage out before it ages like milk. Joking…joking there is some really top-notch stuff in here press play to see what we mean.

Alex van Zwietering never fails to deliver. Great filming, editing and song selection.

Featuring: Sebastiaan Vijverberg, Jayden de Lange, Dwight Hoogendijk, Jip Koorevaar, Jaïr Gravenberch, Pascal Moelaert, Ziggy Schaap, Bram Schlangen, Justin Wagener, Jan-willem den Haan, Robbin de Wit, Rintje Jansen, Marko Maricic, Wouter Molenaar, Maurice Abath.

Alex van Zwietering is not sitting still, here’s another train-themed clip featuring Evandro Martins, Bjorn Barendse, Lucas Jankoschek, Izzy Mccoy, Justin Wagener, Pascal Moelaert, Jesse Voerman, Jamy van Holstein, Bram Schlangen, Thom Geraeds, Jair Gravenberch, Fabio Witkamp, Gijs Visser, Simon te G, Dwight Hoogendijk, Billy Hoogendijk & Jip Koorevaar. Keep ’em coming, Alex!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWcFtHpeYyk

Switching from an NTSC- to a PAL-VX1000 forced Alex van Zwietering to release this footage earlier than was planned. But why do we care, we can enjoy a new Intercity clip!

“Wisselstoring”
features Remco Stolze, Jair Gravenberch, Justin Wagener, Gijs Visser, Bram Schlangen, Woody Hoogendijk and more.

A few days ago Alex van Zwietering and some homies were in Berlin to film some skating, and the clip is already out. His broken wrist, in a cast, didn’t keep Alex from filming, if needed he went switch handed and you’re not going to notice.

U-Bahn” features Remco Staak, Bram Schlangen, Fabio Witkamp, Gijs Visser, Schaldi Scharbaar, Pepijn van Houdt, Ruud Rijkers & Peter Buikema.


Video by Alex van Zwietering
Photos by Ruud Rijkers

A new one by Alex van Zwietering. “Spoor 1” is a clip filmed in Rotterdam and The Hague, The Netherlands.

Featuring Huib Verduijn den Boer, Justin Wagener, Marko Maricic, Buddy Swinkels, Sebastiaan Vijverberg, Ritchie Eversteijn, Izzy McCoy, Sven van Kempen, Erik Wieten, Simon te G, Marc-Francis van den Arend, Kadir Kucuk, Thomas Burger, Bram Schlangen, Joey Verberkt, Rick Den Ouden & Gijs Visser.

Sprinter is a clip filmed in the Hague and Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It features a lot of young dutch rippers, like Jair Gravenberch and Jip koorevaar, as well as some guys that have been around for a while. All captured with the VX of Alex van Zwietering who put it together really well.

Featuring Bram Schlangen, Gijs Visser, Billy Hoogendijk, Daniel Doran, Simon te G, Glen Fox, Mike van Anrooy, Jip Koorevaar, Justin Wagener, Maurice Abath, Izzy McCoy, Tom Delion, Pascal Moelaert, Jair Gravenberch and Sebastiaan Vijverberg.