Jante – 6:33
Photography in Belgrade by Sam Ashley
Fritte Söderström Interview by Axel Lindquist
Here you have it folks. Snare drums and trumpets playing. White doves and fresh winds. An interview as obvious as air. He’s more than the man behind the lens of that clip you remember. He’s also a friend. A son. A lover. That’s pretty much it though. Yet would I lie if I said that he has been part shaping contemporary skate culture? No. So that begs the question, how? Perhaps you would understand it better if you got to hang out more in Stockholm, just close enough to feel the energy around him. So you could actually get touched by it.
Ah… What’s the point of me trying to explain silly concepts like energy and stuff?
Why not come with instead? Maybe the best way for you to get to know this cryptic man is to simply join us over some Kabanos and sauerkraut, crouched up in a booth hiding from a rainy December Stockholm. It’s a Tuesday, and Fritte has just gotten home from yet another filming trip in Marseille. I know that the world is burning, but you don’t meet the pope to talk about the weather.
Instead I asked how the filming went, and Fritte tells me that Gustav Tønnesen has been getting a bit fussy lately. In Serbia, where Fritte went together with the Jante crew this fall, things were different. What is Jante anyways? I forgot to ask about that. In Serbia, anyways, the crew consisted of Alexander Elfving, David Jakinda, Eric Hedberg, Simon Hallberg, Nisse Ingemarsson, Martin Sandberg, Filip Almqvist, Ola Rapace, Daniel ‘Jugga’ Stankovic, Tyler Surrey and Gustav Tönnesen.
Nisse Ingemarsson, kickflip 50-50
Fritte: “Maybe… Yeah, maybe the best Jante trip so far. The locals were all friendly, the food really good and cheap, and spots everywhere.”
The crew never had to go any further than 20 minutes from the hostel, and yet, as you can tell by the photos, the sickest spots were everywhere. Spots they’ve never seen before. If anything they used the Shinner app (actually), and David Soda, the local spot guide, could focus on hooking the crew up with the best dinner places.
Is it that simple? You may ask. Is good food and filming skaters at cool spots enough? What about the rest of Serbia? Well, I told you clearly in the beginning: Fritte is the man behind the lens of that clip you remember. Not the anthropological history-nerd you’ve never heard of.
Food, spots, great skating, messing up the filming at one of Tyler’s lines and Jakinda speaking Serbian fluently is pretty much all Fritte tells me about the trip. I guess we must simply have the clip and the photos speak for themselves.
There is a constant murmur from dusty people at the restaurant. I can take another one, Fritte tells the waitress and points at the empty glass in front of him.
But it’s also hard work being the only filmer on trips like this. Especially if fisheye lines are what’s sought after. When one skater gets his clip, and can finally sit down and rest, Fritte has to start filming the next one.
”That, after a while, in combination with fucking up the filming on a clip, can really mess with my mood… and my feelings.”
Eric Hedberg, backside nosebluntslide
But Fritte has not always been this particular about his filming. There was of course also a time in his life when he did not film. Even a time when he did not even skate. It all started 20 years ago, back in Örebro, a two-hour drive west from Stockholm, where for some reason there were a couple wooden ramps at Fritte’s schoolyard. This ‘some reason’ is probably named Daniel Schön, a local skater in Örebro that helped spark a generation of Sweden’s sickest skaters. Around that time Daniel had just opened the local WeSC store, helped run the indoor park, organise events
and whatnot; you know, the crap that fertilises a local skate scene. Fritte found skateboarding so cool that he got hesitant, but soon he had started. He doesn’t remember his first real board, but one day his mom came home from the WeSC store with two skate movies, Strongest Of The Strange and Ipath’s Summer Preview 2005. For anyone that has seen these videos it might seem self-evident that these movies made a huge impact on Fritte. And they did, eventually. But as any healthy kid, at the time Fritte missed the big hammers. An itch that would soon be scratched with films like Blind’s What If?
Alex Elfving, backside 180 kickflip
What the fuck, you might now think. Here we are all cozied up in the booth of a German Bierstube, with live candles and a steaming sausage in front of us, and suddenly we spoil the ambience by bringing up Blind’s What If? But yes, that’s how it is. Kids like ketchup and despise coriander, later they understand. And later Fritte would also understand. But at the time Fritte didn’t fantasise about filming, but to be filmed. One day, he thought back then, one day he would have his own part, hammers only. But soon his focus shifted. Not that he didn’t get good at skating, as everything past switch tre’s is pretty much side quests, but through a phone camera, soon turned the family’s digital camera, through some analogue point and shoot, to a DSLR that
a friend… found somewhere, Fritte started filming.
”Skål!”
Skål!
Simon Hallberg, 360 melon
To understand the path from that first DSLR to where Fritte is today a key figure is Sebastian ‘Sebbe’ Ström. He was the one to ask Fritte to film him in the indoor park, which had Fritte focus on filming during the winter. And when the summer came they decided to film a full-length; a sponsor-me tape for Sebbe. Soon an idea of perfect days was formed. Out skating and filming all day, every day. Every Swedish krona saved was soon spent on trips to Barcelona or other warm cities. A DIY was built. Then another winter of clips from the indoor park. Then another summer making a full-length. All that the gymnasium gave him was access to Premiere and that one found camera. Örezoo, Berg, Semko.
“But I’m never happy. Maybe that’s the driving force. It was with 13:37 that I really set out to make it perfect, to finally be happy. It was supposed to be my last clip.”
But It wasn’t.
I pull up my phone, because it is supposed to be an interview we’re doing.
The guys over at Free sent a question! Dan Magee has apparently mentioned that he thinks it’s really cool that you are so gifted with the fisheye, and that it’s not this €7000 Extreme lens. “Using cheaper fisheyes makes it more accessible. That skaters don’t have to be rich kids to get good clips and make great videos. He was stoked on that. Might be worth touching on.”
Filip Almqvist, switch heelflip
“Don’t touch me. No, I’m kidding. It’s actually a bit interesting. It’s good to bring this up because I’ve thought about this a lot. You know, I have a heavy camera-insecurity. I’m almost ashamed of filming with my ugly little…”
Really? Like here’s Tao with…
“Definitely. Like here’s Tor Ström with his fucking HPX and his fisheye. It’s such a sexy camera. Looking like a professional. And it is a really good camera. And with that fisheye, like wow. I’ve always had issues like, here I am with my little camera. And the… I’m reading SLAP you know… Like now I read about this new skate video, and people had a lot to say. And I agree, I watched the video, and also thought – this is way too ‘cinematic’. The framerate is a bit weird, they’ve used a 180 shutter, gimbals, dollies, exported in 24 fps so you barely see the flips… It just does not do it for me.”
Gustav Tønnesen, noseslide transfer
I mention a filmer for reference and Fritte nods while sipping from his beer.
Two things to remember during the interview.
1. There was way more direct confidential trash-talking.
2. This was a four-hour conversation, here distilled to make it seem like Fritte talks a lot.
“The same issue. I’m like, are we back in 2012? Here we have the world’s greatest skaters, my favourites, and like, how can you mess this up? And they have not messed up per se, but the feeling is missing. Music uninspired… And this filmer is using the same camera as me. A cheap camera, with a cheap fisheye (Note: everything is relative). And people had a lot to say on the internet, like ‘DSLRs are killing the skateboarding feeling’, and I’m like, well I use pretty much the same camera. And I can just hope that people don’t get the same feeling with my clips. I get so insecure. And people are writing that HPX and Extreme is ‘the only thing that works’.
And I can agree, it gives such a feeling. It just looks so good. But you know, it costs hundreds of thousands of Swedish kronor. And that’s only the fisheye. It’s too much. And so people are saying that this movie is bad just because it’s made using a DSLR, and I don’t agree, though I can agree that this specific movie is bad. And then… of course… someone has to comment ‘What the fuck do you even mean’ and link one of my clips, pulling me into this whole mess. ‘Thanks for proving my point. The quality is off.’, was the response, I guess just saying that my clips look like shit. But I know that I could have just commented that actually this is not a DSLR, just to see the reaction. I wonder what this person would have commented then. Some people already believe that I film with an HPX. When I set the colours I try to imitate HPX, at least the contrast. I don’t want it to look too smooth and cinematic. I want it to look… skate. VX and HPX has that. I want that feeling, those colours, that sharpness. Reynolds wrote to me like, ‘You’re filming with an HPX, right? How do you do it?’, and I’m like, no, I have the same camera as Beagle has now.”
Tyler Surrey, backside 50-50
And this ‘Reynolds’ has watched numerous skate films, paid attention and cares?
“Exactly. So what if I had commented on SLAP like ‘No, it’s actually HPX. I’ve just zoomed in to remove the edges.’ You know like Pontus Alv did. Have you thought about that?”
No.
“Well, anyways, the worst in this SLAP thread was someone comparing me with a GoPro filmer. And that was it.
If someone actually thinks that then I’ll quit. Then I’m genuinely sorry. But that like, Pretty Sweet and GoPro alike, you get seasick watching it. In the end what matters is what you do with what you have. The white balance, the light when you film, the music, the spots. A good example is the GX clips. No fucking extra. The spots speak for themselves. And you can tell that it’s like a timeline with good songs. It’s so simple and so fucking sick. And this new Magenta clip Hill Street Blues III.. It was like my eyes started tearing up. That first Old Woops New Groove, that clip and that filmer made me want to film like I am today.”
I’ll ask Free to highlight that quote: “Right before Leo lost it!”
“I didn’t even say that.”
Well.
Vincent Huhta, switch crooked grind
“But Ben Gore… When we joked about that question, ‘Who’s your favourite skater?’ Ben Gore. Ben Gore and Jens Andersson. But back to the topic. I just could not afford an HPX, or an MK1 for that matter. So I just used the camera I had, and learned how to use it. How the sensor and the fisheye responded together. I think it took three years to find it. Filming every day. And there are so many aspects to consider, speed, distance, where and how the trick is done in regards to the spot. But in the beginning we were just happy if you made the trick and you could see it in frame. And it has happened that I’ve ghost recorded. I once lost a really sick line of Matt Ransom. That is just not ever okay. But regardless I’m never really happy. Nothing is perfect.”
Eric Hedberg, frontside 180 kickflip
Three years ago Fritte dropped 13:37, which was a defining moment for his career as a filmmaker.
“It was the first to be the final one. Like, I really wanted it to be perfect, and then I was going to quit, though in the end I was not perfectly happy. But striving for that perfection really made me progress a lot. And people seemed to like it. But people are so good at filming and skating. Like watching a Tao clip… I can get all broken. Like this is so fucking good. Tao, Jacob Harris, the guy that filmed the Magenta clip now, Grant Yansura. Grant is really good at ‘sweeping it’. GX, and that’s like five different filmers, but the edits are so good. You want it to feel authentic. And that’s how it started, you know. That’s what I want. The joy of being out skating and filming.”
Alex Elfving, overcrooks
It’s a life for dreams. It’s hard to have the time and money to do it on your own terms. If you’ve used your skateboard and camera to escape reality, then as these have become your reality, you better enjoy it.
“But Serbia was nice. Sam Ashley was in a really good mood, because he got so many killer photos.”
How do you pick the music for your edits?
“I want it to be unique, dynamic, so something happens when I’m editing. Oftentimes I have one song in mind when I’m filming, but when I put it together with the clips it just does not match. Then I’m trying stuff out. Working a lot with tempo and feeling. And sarcasm or irony. Those are good tools to bring out a feeling. What I’m most scared of is pretentiousness. And sometimes I get a sense that I’m on the very edge; as I’m very serious about it. But it should be serious for me, the product can’t be too serious. Like that first song in the Sicily clip, it’s a serious song, but those who know the reference get that there’s a layer of distance to it. You know, I love inside jokes, but also that can get too much.”
Some brands were named. Then we joked about how good I am at burning bridges, so I have decided not to mention these here.
Gustav Tønnesen, 360 flip to fakie
“But imagine if Gustav just did Sour Films instead.”
But how much would you pay to see GX continuing doing their stuff completely independently? Like, whatever they get from Patreon goes to produce skate videos.
“It depends on how much I have. But I would pay. Because that is the best out there. Like if someone asks me what skateboarding is I’ll just show them a GX clip.”
So when did you start taking filming seriously?
“When I started getting paid.”
But your early work is also so good. Like Sebbe’s part in Berg, and Semko, those are some of my favourite clips.
“Okay. Well actually, when I started getting paid, that’s when I started getting anxiety. I’ve always been serious.”
I’ll ask Free to highlight that.
Nisse Ingemarsson, frontside nosepick
“I’ve always been pedantic. I never understood stretched VX footy. But watching Martin Karlsson’s Bellows clips, I was like ‘this, this is cool’. I remember their indoor clips, like Freeze-tried 3, using the The The tune. Fuck, I don’t think I’ve watched a skate clip that many times. And like Bellows’ Lurking Class, good music, good editing, good filming. Humble and down to earth. And it stood out to all other stuff at the time. Now that I’m thinking about it, Martin Karlsson is a huge inspiration. Like really.”
I’ll make sure Free highlights that.
“Fan vad du ska hålla på. But I wonder how his stuff was received at the time. Today, for me, praising comments on YouTube is nice, but what really matters is a compliment from someone like him. Or like Vincent.”
You don’t think Vincent (Huhta) likes your stuff??
Alex Elfving, bigspin
“Maybe if I used a VX. VX is the least pretentious, and Vincent is the least pretentious.”
I think VX is the most pretentious at this point. It’s like smoking a pipe.
“Maybe you’re right, but, when smoking a pipe the tobacco tastes the best.”
I can take another one, Fritte tells the waitress and points at the empty glass in front of him, again.
But being particular with filming can be sensitive in a situation with adrenalin and time cramps. How do you balance that?
”Slowly people around me have started to understand. Like, if the lighting outside is bad, and I tell them that it’s not a good time to film, then they trust me now. I make sure to get everything that I can right in camera. You can’t fix it in post. And like, good lighting can make a clip. Lighting matters a lot. Like the Ipath movie, the light in it is so good.”
But how do you keep that balance? A good trick with bad light/filming vs simpler tricks but being able to control every aspect of the filming.
Simon Hallberg, frontside 180 fakie 50-50
“Well I know that if someone goes to a spot and knows what they want to do, that’s what matters. I should not intervene and tell anyone what or what not to do. Maybe I can suggest a detail, like to take an extra push, but I should only focus on the filming. You can’t do much about the light. I can only say if it’s good or bad, and if it’s bad enough to potentially ruin the clip. But definitely I’ll sometimes argue for the make that the skater might not be the most satisfied with, if I feel that light and the feeling of the clip is better. And I understand that it’s skateboarding, the skater wants to prove themself and skate as hard as possible, but I remember also as a kid watching skate videos thinking that it’s the entirety that matters, the music, the style, the filming. It’s all about feeling. Nate Jones doing a simple kickflip to the Stones. But… the trick also affects the feeling. Now when I think about it, maybe the trick is the most important aspect for the feeling of a clip. But like, we compared the parts of a skater in this new movie I talked about earlier, with an old part of his filmed with a VX. And though
the tricks in both parts are absolutely mind blowing, the old part just looks and feels so much cooler. You can also kill stuff trying for perfection.”
David Jakinda, backside nosegrind
But you as a skateboard nerd, what does the future hold for skateboarding?
“I just know that the only thing I have is skateboarding. But I’m in a crisis. What’s cool? I’m losing it. I think… I want… I don’t know. Like these series things, like Jante, GX, Atlantic Drift. Like, when I watch a GX clip I actually don’t care what boards they ride. That whole thing with product brands feels a bit dead. What do I know…
But then again, I watched the new Polar video. Had to write to David Stenström to tell him what a beautiful part that was. And Pontus… Pontus… Pontus is the best. No, I’m kidding, you can’t put that in there. But like no one can talk shit about Pontus. Whatever, anyways, I just hope to see less corporate made films that look and feel corporate. Like, I have huge respect for those who make it, but I don’t watch it.”
Fritte laughs.
Alex Elfving, backside lipslide
“And like… skateparks. I hate skateparks. Build a house or something. I don’t know.”
We finish our glasses. The murmur of voices around us have died down, and so the rain makes itself reminded against the windows. Now you might think, But wait! What? Is this it? I still don’t know anything about him?
Well… What do you want to know? About Fritte being a son? A lover? Now you know some more about the guy behind the lens of that clip you remember.
As Martin Karlsson once said: “You have to keep ‘em hankering for more.”
Tyler Surrey, frontside 270 nosepick
We sit there in the empty restaurant, slowly replacing the words with moments of silence, letting the conversation die out. Somehow we end up talking about if skateboarding has actually ever been really cool, or if we were just kids.
“I don’t know anything,” Fritte says.
You know what Bukowski says, from the Pontus film, “Beware the knowers.”
“I still remember my first kickflip. I’ve never… Still to this day I’ve never felt such a rush.”
Is that what you’re chasing?
“Yeah… Hvala i izvini.”
