5 Questions with John Testa
1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?
I had originally got into filmmaking through skateboarding. I was really young and just running around with my parents Hi-8 camcorder filming my neighborhood friends and I launch ourselves off a plastic ramp. Eventually we started experimenting making really terrible little movies, just rewinding the camera to record over the bad takes. From there both my love for filmmaking and skateboarding just kept progressing and never stopped.
2) What was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?
The initial idea was put together from fragments of different memories of me and my friends searching for skate spots. I think it came down to the realization that a lot of the things that shaped us kind of happened in those in between moments that we tend to overlook. The world felt bigger and we definitely ran into a lot of problems for the first time. The one spot mentioned in the video was real, and definitely a safe haven for people like us, but it's gone now and the rumor is they plan is to build a fast food restaurant on those grounds.
3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the most?
I think the biggest challenge in making this film, and really any film about skateboarding, is keeping true to its core. I think skateboarders are very cautious about accepting narrative films about skateboarding - which is fair. Personally, I think being honest about your experiences and the feelings you had is the only way for a film like this to come off as genuine. Did we accomplish that? I'm not sure, I hope so - ha! I am really in love with the whole process of film, but solving problems is definitely my favorite, and there's never any shortage of them.
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
Picking a Scorsese film might seem like a cop out, but I really loved Mean Streets. I think the super eight intro that looks like a home video is absolutely perfect. The dialogue between Harvey Keitel and Robert DeNiro in the back of the bar is iconic, and just the overall theme of the film is so honest. I'm also really stoked on the HBO series, Betty, and I am really looking forward to seeing more.
5) What’s next for you?
Right now just trying to use this quarantine time to put stuff down on paper and prepare for the future. We have some episodic and documentary projects that we have been working on for a while, hopefully we can get back to finishing those up soon!
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http://www.sixth-cents.com
IG: @john_testa