Dylan Hughes Evokes the Glory Days of SOV Skate Vids with his Shot on VHS-C Skateboarding Creation URBAN DECAY!
If you grew up skating (or even just appreciating) in the 90s, then you probably have an affinity for the guerilla-style, direct-to-VHS skate videos that dominated that particularly prolific era. This distinct filmmaking aesthetic, replete with low angle camera shots and fish eye lenses, sonically-fueled by indie hip-hop, punk and alt-jazz soundtracks, ooze with a certain inimitable style and nostalgia. Fortunately for us, South Florida skater and filmmaker Dylan Hughes has been hitting the VHStreets, armed with vintage VHS-C JVC GR-AX400 camcorder equipped with a Baby Death Fisheye Lens to recapture the feeling of those analog glory days.
A VHStill from Hughes' Instagram which just might be a part of his upcoming skate vid URBAN DECAY VOL. 2!
Hughes’ most recent video is Urban Decay, which he shot entirely on VHS-C in Ft. Lauderdale Florida between mid-August and mid-November of 2015. The video features the skating talents of Matt Smith, Anthony Garcia, Jamie Foy, and Devin Abreu, among many others. They have yet to unleash on physical slabs of analog, but Hughes and crew have made the whole SOV skate vid available for all via YouTube, which you can enjoy below, dude! If you’re diggin’ on this array of SOV skating, you can check out Hughes’ other videos on his YouTube channel, and if you’re still hungry for more, stay tuned, Tapeheads, because his forthcoming Urban Decay Vol. 2 promises to deliver another glorious rewind-inclined skateboarding time warp! And as if that weren’t enough, Hughes also shared with LM that he’ll be hitting the road to promote his new film, and he’s also working on a mysterious “VHS themed clothing item” that’ll be hitting pretty soon! Stay tuned to Hughes’ Instagram for clips, updates and everything in-between, man! Ted Gilbert