By Karla Mendoza-Ochoa, Cover Photo By Daniel Vivolo
On November 17, 2023, Gang Tapes and Pharmacy Boardshop premiered their full-length skateboarding video Run the Tapes at The Beverly Theater located in downtown Las Vegas. Featuring over 25 skaters, this collective brought their gnarly tricks from the pavement to the big screen capturing the essence of street skateboarding culture and the community it envelopes.
What the F*ck is Gang Tapes?
“It started off as a series of montages (Gang Tapes Vol. 1-3) and then it took off and we made a full length video (Monocles of Doom 2017), then another (Street Cooler 2020), and now Run the Tapes” said filmmaker and skater, Evan Sedoti. “It started as videos that turned into a crew that puts out products sometimes, but is not a brand, it’s a collective.”
With the help of editors and skaters Kemper Mix and Kyle McCurdy, countless hours went into creating Run the Tapes. Although the project was not originally meant to be a full-length video, Mix was able to convince Sedoti to extend the cut. McCurdy explained, “luckily Kemp was able to nudge him hard enough, and Evan was willing to put in the time and the work to really get it done.”
Crew Convos
Joined by featured skater Carlos Lopez, Sedoti, McCurdy, and Mix delve into everything from camera and stylistic choices to memorable moments and experiences during the filming of Run the Tapes.
What inspired the style of this skate video?
Sedoti: “Just a lot of older videos, videos from the early 2000s are my favorite… I can’t just name one… I like pretty much anything VX1000.”
The Sony DCR-VX1000 is a well regarded cultural symbol in the skateboarding community
Why did you choose to film with it?
Sedoti: “I like the look of it a lot better than HD cameras… All the older videos were filmed on it. I think it’s perfect, the way the lens looks and the audio. Filming a line down the street will always look and sound so much better on the VX1000 than high definition.”
What new things did you guys bring to such a classic way of filming?
McCurdy: “It’s all about the filmer and being able to use it good—getting it in the right positions to make the spot, the trick, and everything look amazing. Evan was super on top of all that, and I had full faith every time we went out that if you’re trying something, Evan was going to make it look good. That’s why VX was so amazing when it first came out—just the way that it looks and the way that it sounds. It’s incomparable to anything else.”
The VX has revolutionized skate videos, how has it evolved or remained the same?
Lopez: “The industry almost as a whole has evolved to newer cameras, HD cameras, even cell phones. The VX is just a classic. It looks better. It looks grittier. As much as we can go out and make an hour and a half of HD skateboarding videos—some pretty sunsets and landscapes—there’s always going to be that other side of what the streets are really like. Whether it be downtown, east side, anywhere. Almost like a complete opposite of what an outside consumer would see.”
Can you talk about the locations featured in the video?
Sedoti: “A lot of downtown skating, some on the strip, and then random spots throughout the entire city. We actually didn’t take any trips anywhere, so this clip is 100% in Las Vegas. Most of the time, we would meet up at Pharmacy, watch a video, get hyped, and then grab a beer and go cruise around to see what we find.”
How does the video reflect the skate culture and community in Las Vegas?
Sedoti: “I hope in a good way; I hope it just makes people want to go out and skate. Capture the fun we have out skating, doing it, and hopefully, people want to go skate more and skate more street and downtown spots. That’s the goal.”
Rolling Down Memory Lane
What was the experience of being in this project like?
Lopez: “In the group setting, it’s always great. We’re always picking each other up, encouraging each other, pushing each other. There’s also that ‘artist dilemma’—where you get in your own head, and everything you do isn’t good enough. But there’s always that reassurance from everyone else; it’s like, ‘hey, you’re looking like a beauty out there.'”
Mix: “It was a lot of fun, but it was stressful at the same time… Editing every day, hoping the video gets done at the right time…You just keep wanting to do it every time you finish making a video, like you just want to start a new one already.”
Sedoti: “It was awesome—[skateboarding] is the most fun thing ever, and hopefully, everyone likes it.”
What moments stick out?
Lopez: “My favorite thing—it’s a very specific thing—is after somebody lands a trick, a trick that they’ve been trying for a long time. There’s this five seconds of silence after they land it right away, and everyone is just looking at each other with really surprised and shocked faces. It just erupts to just cheering, yelling, and laughing. That specific thing is always going to be my favorite.”
Sedoti: “All of them. I’ll say that Carlos Sanchez’s last trick. I think we had to go back like three times to get it… The tre flip CSN 12 stair.”
Mix: “Carlos tre flipping the CSN 12 stair was pretty sick. I called him on FaceTime, so I could see him landing it. One of the tricks at the end of my part was dropping in on this Hoover Dam replica. Dropping in on that was pretty fun—well, not fun, but a good memory because all the homies were there.'”
McCurdy: “The drop in the Hoover Dam was next level and such a mission. Skating to Fremont from the skate shop and just being out there with the homies—those are all just special moments. Then, filming was beyond. Everything was done in Evan’s apartment—from putting the tapes onto the computer, all the editing, and actually printing the DVDs himself. He touched every DVD; it was literally all done by him, and that’s super rare.”
Premiere Night
A long line of new and seasoned skateboard enthusiasts stretched down 6th Street awaiting admission. The all ages event hit capacity at 400 reservations which led to the showroom backing up their standard seating and pulling out hundreds of chairs for the attendees. “The amount of people there was scary, but also super heartwarming,” said McCurdy. Extra bar service was in place for the 21+ crowd and a merch table was set up to display Gang Tapes gear.
The energy was palpable and surged through the entire venue as the crowd sprung from their seats and erupted into thunderous cheers for every trick that landed on the screen. “It’s like a sporting event” added Mix, “everybody’s cheering for everybody’s part, it’s a lot of fun.” The premiere proved to be more than just a showcase; it was a unifying experience that celebrated skateboarding and its community coming together for a shared passion.
Pick up a copy of Run the Tapes available at all Pharmacy Boardshop locations.
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