We love videos like these because when you watch a lot of skate videos you see a lot of the same tricks, methods, and song types used over and over. Now, we are not saying this new video by the people who made the VUM VAN TOUR is a revolution in skateboard filmmaking. But it does feel authentic and fresh to our eyes, F.U.N. being the keyword here. At the same time, the fact that Lea Meny – a Berlin local – busted her ass to make a part happen is something we love to see and support. In 2021 we made a promise to try and feature as many skaters from all walks of life and we really hope to further increase our coverage together with the help of people like Lea Isabell Uhle, Piet Hesselmann, Ariana Mamnoon, Wesley Banford, and more. Thank you for working with us! Now, let’s take a step back and let the people who made this video talk for a minute.

Intro text by Roland Hoogwater.

Film Photos & Text by Piet Hesselmann.

VXM

It was decided right from the start that I would be the driver for the Vum Van Tour. It turned
out to be quite a big task for me. Especially the confusing and bustling traffic of Rotterdam
was challenging. Normally I sit behind the wheel of an old VW Polo and not a long nine-seater bus with eight noisy passengers.
Although I always had my cameras with me, the main task of filming was up to Lea Meny. So I was
happy when I got to unload everyone at the spot without demolishing our vehicle. Especially during the first
days of the trip. After my drives, I used the skate sessions mostly to relax… I was still
recovering from the long drive to Rotterdam.
For the others, their energy was almost permanently (very) high. The weather was good and
everyone got along right away. Accordingly, Lea made good progress in collecting
footage for our main video. It was great to see how motivated everyone was and how the
group dynamics caused even the initially hesitant participants to open up.

The idea that Lea had been planning for months with help from Hannah and myself worked out.
Therefore, it was quite easy for me to put my energy into planning and organizing without
being annoyed that I couldn’t skate much or drink in the evenings. Here and there,
however, the situation offered me to film with my VX. I was impressed by Emmy Tema. She seems to be
fearless but dialed in at the same time. I hope to film more with her on our upcoming trips. All
in all, everyone I filmed was straightforward and nice. At the same time, with all this hustle and bustle, I couldn’t
really judge the quality of my clips. Our time was flying by.
The ride back to Berlin was relaxed, as everyone in the back of the bus was fast asleep for
the most part. I finally dropped them off but Lea still had some spots on the list
to film. After she got her clips, I went further on my route back home, to Kiel.
I returned the rental, miraculously, scratch-free and without any other defects. Before
that, I had meticulously cleaned the interior of dirt, chips, chewing gum, and beer stains. After that, I was fed up with Vum for the time being. A few weeks later, I began capturing the tapes… sometimes you don’t realize what a good time you have had until much later. A few months before the Vum trip, I had started filming with Lea for her street part. So after I saw the footage it made me realize just that how good the times had been. So I started to put the edit together and ended up combining both projects. All in all, it was a great fit for me. I hope you like the video.

Piet.