Film Boards – The Art of Rolling Capture

Ryan filming JJ Palmere on Road Fools 18.

Ryan Navazio

Age, current occupation & position?
Age 28, freelance videographer.

What is you current film board setup?
Current board is a Habitat Fred Gall deck, 8.25 with Indy Trucks, 65mm 78a wheels (not sure which brand). Usually I run Ricta Clouds but I picked these up in a rush. But I always use 65mm/78a wheels regardless of brand. The bearings are Bones Reds.

Wheel size is definitely important and the 65mm/78a wheels are fast, smooth, and quiet. If you’re following someone on a bike, odds are you’re going to be skating through some not-so-perfect ground. So the big soft wheels make a huge difference on rough concrete. The wheels are soft but still fast enough to keep up. I’ve tried softer wheels but they usually just feel sluggish. Big wheels are also a huge help for rolling long lens shots as well. You can roll over cracks and still keep it steady.

I’ve also got a GoPro mount on the front of the board, just been messing around with that a little too.

Ryan’s current board setup.

Is there any particular reason for your choices? Was board and wheel size a factor?
I use the 8.25 deck because it’s really wide and I have pretty big feet, I’ve always liked wider decks in general but wider boards are definitely better for filming. I also run the trucks tight to avoid wheel bite.

Are there any moments you can remember off hand that your board has been invaluable to your filming?
At this point, I try and have my filming board with me at all times. Sometimes it’s not always possible and in those times I feel almost naked without it. I’ll end up thinking of shots I wish I could get but with no board it doesn’t work.

A filming board is always invaluable to me when I have to start out filming a line from a dead stop. On a bike it’s really difficult to start out a line from a dead stop so having a skateboard makes that possible. I try and have it with me at all times no matter what I’m shooting.

Ryan’s keeping the VX dream alive.

Ever have you board broken or stolen while out filming?
My biggest problem with film boards is people always want to skate them (myself included), so they end up getting worn out way faster than they should. I probably go through 2 – 3 setups per year. They always end up with pretty bad razor tail, and the wheels/bearings start to squeak. I’ve never broken one or had one stolen but I’ve left them behind a few times. I hope my old board is still in Austin at T1, haha.

For your next film board setup what do you think you might considering changing up?
The main thing I want to do with my next board is get it as light as possible. The wheels are always going to be heavy but there are lighter decks and trucks out there. The main reason I want to do this is because 50% of the time I have the board strapped to my camera bag and it ends up being pretty heavy.

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