Jake Rosenberg interview 【Eng.】

Jake Rosenberg is the filmmaker behind legendary early ’90s skate videos like Questionable (1992) and Virtual Reality (1994). Right at the moment when skateboarding made a massive shift toward street skating. Still active today as a director, Jake has now compiled a photo book of images he shot back then at the equally legendary skate spot, EMB. He calls it EPICENTER, the point of origin.

To celebrate the release, we caught up with him at a signing event at Heshdawgz Skateshop in Harajuku.
Interview by filmmaker Anthony Claravall, who came up inspired by Jake’s work.

ーSo the 1st question is actually about videography and photography. When did you start shooting photos and filming? 

When I was very, very young, when I was around 10 years old, I went to summer camp and I started taking still photographs. When I was very young, I had a camera, and I was always very comfortable with it. Around the same time, I started filming Super 8 on the family film camera. 

I made stop motion, Star Wars battle scenes and stuff on the Super 8. 

ーYou were just kind of shooting photos of your daily life and family stuff? 

Yeah, you know, you'd go to Disneyland and you'd shoot photos. You'd go to an event, you'd shoot photos, it was always around friends and family. You know? 

Then I started taking a lot of photos every summer camp. 

And then when I found skateboarding, I mean, what attracted me was always the filming in the videos. 

ーSo was it mostly video or was it photography as well? 

I mean, you always first see photography with skateboarding because of the magazines. And then the videos were right after. But I was taking photos at skate camp in 1988 and then I started to want to shoot video after that. 

ーWhat skate camp was that? 

That's YMCA Skatecare in 1988. Santa Clara. And I met Mike Ternaski there, and I kind of helped them film the H Street video. 

ーInsane. 

While they were at skate camp. 

ー1988, you were 16, 15? 

15.

ーWhat cameras actually were you using at that time? 

So in 1988, I had a Ricoh, that was my still camera. Then I had my father's Nikon FG, which is a really simple Nikon. Then in 1989, I got a Canon camera, I started filming with a Canon video camera, 8 millimeter, not Hi-8. 

ーWith the still cameras, were you shooting with flash?

Mostly everything was black and white or color, no flash. Then in 1989, I start shooting properly with flash, with black and white and slide film. 

ーDid you have a focal length of choice or a lens that you preferred? 

I mean, I started always wanting to be wider for whatever reason. I had a zoom lens that was 28mm to 85mm F4.

ーAfter Virtual Reality did you film other skate videos? 

So I edited together Secondhand Smoke because Mike Turnowski had passed away. 

And then I did a couple of 411 parts. I did Will Harmon's 411 part, and I did Panama Dan's 411 part. That’s why they had Del songs.

ーTell us about your journey in cinematography and directing, to what you do today. 

I knew what a director was when I was a kid because of Star Wars and George Lucas. 

You knew George Lucas directed Star Wars. You knew that Steven Spielberg directed Jaws. Right? And Raiders of the Lost Ark. 

So I think I always wanted to make movies or be involved in some way, but I didn't really know how to do that exactly. When I got into skateboard videos and I started filming, eventually you want to just make a movie, you want to do more. 

And so I decided to go to film school to learn how to be a director. And, you know, I could always film, so I still kept filming. But then I sort of shifted my focus on directing. 

One of my favorite things about being a director is you get to collaborate with so many people who are so talented. 

Of course, I could hold the camera and I could film, but I much prefer having someone else who's talented and talking to them about, “Oh, this is what I think, what do you think?”

That collaboration gets us someplace that's very unique, and to me, very beautiful. 

But it really was going to film school and taking every opportunity to film and then directing a bunch of music videos for Hieroglyphics, that was sort of the beginning of my formal directing career. 

And then it kind of grows and transitions for a while until I'm doing a lot of editing and post production. 

ーDo you remember any Japanese skaters from that era that might have skated EMB? 

Not off the top of my head. I know some Japanese skaters now, like Yuto. I live close to Hollywood High so I know Funa, who front crooked Hollywood High like 1st try. So to me, the Japanese skaters have like killed Hollywood High. 

But growing up, I don't necessarily remember, I think Lester Kasai is Japanese. Spencer Fujimoto is Japanese.

ーThat leads me into my next question. Your book is called Epicenter, EMB was the epicenter of skateboarding, San Francisco is also the epicenter of an earthquake fault.

Today a lot of people would say Japan is like today's epicenter of skateboarding, what is your opinion on that?

I think the Japanese skaters are very technical and very confident. I really feel that when I see Yuto skate. I feel like you can tell a little bit about his story, with his dad being a taxi driver, right? And knowing humble beginnings from his skateboarding.

That's one of the positive things from the Olympics is that you have a wave of cultures that are embracing skateboarding because it's now on a global stage. But I think Japanese skateboarders in the last decade have made a mark, saying “we're important contributors of this culture”, and it's undeniable. The Japanese female skaters are insane. The level of technicality and the level of tricks, so insane. I think it's fair to say that there's a really incredible movement of skateboarding in Japan, it’s a scene that influences all of skateboarding.

ーMy last question is if you had advice for someone who wanted to start shooting photos or filming? 

-I get asked this question a lot, and the answer is kind of simple but it's a little bit hard as well because it requires you to learn how you feel about making things. A lot of times when you make things, you're motivated by trying to do what someone else has done. You go “Oh, you look at what someone else did... I want to do that”. But the trick is to be inspired by them, and then you find something that you think is cool, or you think is important, or a story that you want to tell, and then you kind of make it the goal to finish that. I think that in the process, if your heart is in that process, in the effort, there's no way you don't sort of win in that scenario. 

I feel like filmmaking and filming, you fail up. 

Because the first time you do something is always very hard, but the second time will be a little bit easier. And even if the first time wasn't like a hit, you know more of what you're doing the second time. 

The beautiful thing about filmmaking is you never stop learning, and learning your own taste. Yes, you can be influenced by others, but the thing that everybody wants to see is one person's unique point of view. When we think of the movies that mean the most to us, it's an interesting filmmaker who told the story and what it meant to them. 

Going to film school, Kurosawa is one of my all time favorite directors. He has one of the most diverse bodies of work of anybody in the history of cinema. He has action movies, thrillers, dramas, he has crime movies. He has samurai epics, but there's this common theme of somebody who has a unique life or unique life experience. I think you feel transported in Kurosawa's work, whether it's in the past or within the present.  But Yasujirō Ozu is very different, right? 

All of these different filmmakers are trying to be true to something that they feel. 

So my advice is search for feeling and put what you have into that feeling. And know that the more you do it, the easier it gets. And then it gets really hard, because once you really know the feeling then you have to try to capture it. 

ーThank you, thank you so much. 

I just want to say everyone here is a huge fan of your work and a lot of what we do; Iseki is a photographer and I'm a videographer, Mouse is a videographer, Charlie is a videographer, is because of your work and we are all influenced in a huge way from all those videos you made.

 
I deeply appreciate hearing that because when I was a kid, I was just doing what I loved with people I loved, and to know that people saw something that they could take inspiration from, that's great, so thank you.

1992年「Questionable」 1994年「Virtual reality」など90年代初頭にそれまでのスケートかたストリートスケートへの大変革が起きた数年間の伝説的なスケートビデオを制作したジェイク・ローセンバーグ。現在も映像ディレクターとして活躍する彼が、これまた伝説のスケートスポットEMBで、当時撮り溜めた写真集を一冊にまとめた。名付けて『EPICENTER』（震源地の意）。これを記念してHeshdawgs skateshop（原宿）のサイン会にて突撃取材。インタビュワーはジェイク氏の、いわば後輩に当たるフィルマーAnthony Claravall。

──最初の質問は、映像と写真について。いつ頃から撮り始めたんですか？

10歳くらいかな。サマーキャンプに行ったのがきっかけで、スチル写真を撮り始めたんだ。小さい頃からカメラが身近にあって、扱うのも自然だった。
同じ時期に、家にあったフィルムカメラでスーパー8も撮り始めてね。ストップモーションとか、スター・ウォーズのバトルシーンとか、そんなのを作ってた。

──日常とか、家族の写真を撮ってた感じ？

そうそう。ディズニーランド行ったら写真撮るし、イベント行っても撮る。基本はいつも友達とか家族の周り。
それで、サマーキャンプのたびにたくさん写真を撮るようになって。
スケートボードに出会ってからは、スケートビデオの“撮られ方”そのものに惹かれていった感じかな。

──最初は写真がメイン？それとも映像？

スケートの場合、まず目に入るのは雑誌の写真だよね。そのあとにビデオがくる。
1988年のスケートキャンプでは写真を撮ってたけど、その後に映像を撮りたいって思うようになった。

──どのスケートキャンプ？

1988年のYMCAスケートケア。場所はサンタクララ。そこでマイク・ターナスキーに出会って、H-Streetのビデオ撮影を少し手伝ったんだ。

──ヤバいですね。

キャンプ中にね。

──1988年って、15歳とか？

15歳

──当時はどんなカメラを使ってたんですか？

1988年はRicohのスチルカメラ。それと、父親のNikon FG。すごくシンプルなニコンだった。
1989年にはCanonを手に入れて、8ミリ（Hi-8じゃない）で映像も撮り始めた。

──スチルはフラッシュ使ってました？

ほとんど使ってなかった。白黒かカラーで、ノーフラッシュ。
1989年から、ちゃんとフラッシュを使って白黒やスライドフィルムも撮り始めた。

──お気に入りの焦点距離とかレンズは？

理由は分からないけど、最初からワイドが好きだった。
28–85mm F4のズームを使ってたよ。

──『Virtual Reality』のあともスケートビデオは？

マイク・ターナスキーが亡くなった後に『Secondhand Smoke』を編集した。
その後は411もいくつかやって、ウィル・ハーモンとパナマ・ダンのパートを撮った。だからDelの曲が使われてるんだ。

──今に至るまでの、映像・ディレクションの流れを教えてください。

子どもの頃から「監督」という存在は知ってた。スター・ウォーズのジョージ・ルーカスとか、ジョーズのスピルバーグとかね。
映画を作りたい気持ちはずっとあったけど、どうやってそこに行くのかは分からなかった。

スケートビデオを撮り始めると、「もっと映画的なことがやりたい」って思うようになって、映画学校に行くことにした。
撮影はずっと続けてたけど、徐々にディレクションに軸足を移していった。

監督として一番好きなのは、才能ある人たちと一緒に作れること。
自分でカメラを持つこともできるけど、「こう思うんだけど、どう？」って話し合いながら作る方が好きなんだ。
そういうコラボレーションから、すごくユニークで美しいものが生まれる。

映画学校に行って、撮れるチャンスは全部撮って、Hieroglyphicsのミュージックビデオをたくさん撮ったのが、本格的なディレクター人生の始まりだった。その後、編集やポスプロ中心の時期に移っていったね。

──当時EMBで滑ってた日本人スケーター、覚えてます？

正直、すぐには思い浮かばないな。
今ならユウトとか知ってるし、ハリウッド・ハイの近くに住んでるから、フナが一発でフロント・クルックしたのも見てる。
今の日本人スケーターは、ハリウッド・ハイを“制圧”してる感じだね。
昔だと、レスター・カサイとか、スペンサー・フジモトは日本系かな。

──次の質問です。あなたの本は『EPICENTER』。EMBはスケートの震源地で、サンフランシスコは地震の震源地でもある。今は「日本がスケートのエピセンター」だと言う人も多いですが？

日本のスケーターは、すごくテクニカルで自信がある。ユウトを見てると特に感じる。
タクシードライバーのお父さんの話とか、スケートを通したバックグラウンドが見えてくるんだ。

オリンピックの良いところは、スケートが世界的な舞台になって、いろんな文化が入ってきたこと。
この10年で、日本のスケーターは「自分たちもこのカルチャーの重要な担い手だ」ってはっきり示したと思うし、それは否定できない。

日本の女子スケーターは本当にヤバい。技術レベルもトリックの難易度も異次元。
日本には、スケート全体に影響を与えるすごいムーブメントがあると思う。

──最後に、これから写真や映像を始めたい人へアドバイスを。

よく聞かれる質問だけど、答えはシンプルで、同時に難しい。最初はどうしても「誰かみたいになりたい」って思う。でも大事なのは、影響を受けつつ、自分が“いい”と思うことや、伝えたいストーリーを見つけて、それを最後までやり切ること。

そのプロセスにちゃんと心が入っていれば、結果的に負けることはないと思う。
映像って「失敗しながら成長する」ものだから。最初は難しいけど、2回目は少し楽になる。
一発目が当たらなくても、次は確実に理解が深まる。

映像の良いところは、学びが終わらないこと。
影響を受けるのはいいけど、みんなが見たいのは“その人だけの視点”。
心に残る映画って、結局は作り手がどう感じていたか、なんだよね。

映画学校では黒澤明が一番好きだった。
アクション、ドラマ、犯罪映画、侍映画…幅がとんでもなく広い。でも共通してるのは「唯一無二の人生」を描いているところ。一方で、小津安二郎は全然違う。
みんな、それぞれ“自分が信じている感覚”に正直なんだ。だから、アドバイスはひとつ。感情を探して、それに全力を注ぐこと。やればやるほど楽になる。でも、本当に分かってきた時が一番難しい。その感情を掴もうとするからね。

──ありがとうございました。本当に影響を受けています。ここにいる全員、あなたの作品のファンです。

ジェイク：
そう言ってもらえるのは本当に嬉しいよ。僕はただ、好きな人たちと、好きなことをやってただけだから。そこから何かを受け取ってくれた人がいるなら、それ以上のことはない。ありがとう。