You could say they are self explanatory, but I’m gonna explain some of them anyway.
The Zero videos have mostly had somewhat appropriate and well chosen titles that can be applied to the act of skateboarding or as Meta commentary on the company and it’s video productions themselves.
Thrill of it all, being the first video, is an easy phrase to give to someone when they ask why you like skateboarding and potentially hurting or damaging yourself so much. It’s simple, it’s not too deep and it encapsulates that youthful energy of young ams and pros chasing their personal bests on a board.
Por que?
For the thrill of it all.
Misled Youth, albeit their second video, is similar to the first production’s title in that it poses an easy answer to those questioning why adults would start and stick with what at the time was seen as an outsider hobby+subculture. It’s self aware in terms of how skaters (and moreso professionals / lifers) were viewed at the time by larger mainstream society, and absolutely speaks to the younger skaters looking to these videos for inspiration, stoke and the highest level of (Zero’s particular brand of) skateboarding at the time.
Dying to Live, as melodramatic as you could take it to be, has two meanings for me. It states what the by (now well established) Zero brand of professional skateboarder was doing - slowly killing yourself as a means to make a living.
The other way I always read the title, is similar to their first video’s title; it’s a statement and answer to those looking for reason behind a seemingly self-destructive act: For the utter thrill of it all. Like Joey Ramone saying “I want to live” those featured in the video are just chomping at the bit to live their lives. And it’s skating that makes them “feel alive”.
New Blood is easy; Lopez and other notable names from the previous video had gone on to Mystery.
Hill, Cervantes, Sandoval and Brockman hadn’t been in previous productions. And Cole, well this is the part that showed just how inventive and talented the guy truly is. This was reestablishing Zero as a team of ridiculously talented skaters pushing the envelope of hucking + handrails. The company was spilling the blood of new faces of the brand, while maintaining, furthering and promoting Zero’s identity / branding.
As far as their more recent nomenclature has gone, Zero seems more self aware than ever;
No Cash Value with its messy release (I’m not even sure it was a fully put together cohesive release) came at a time when Zero / Blackbox was facing more difficulty in the market as the landscape of skating shifted in the 2010’s away from handrail, hammers, after black slowmos. After every contribution to our world, did this brand born before the turn of the millennium still have value and worth?
Damn it All is , I think, Jamie et al at their most confident - at least as far as titles are concerned. Which is ironic considering the video and premiere was anything but confidently presented.
It harkens back to the very beginnings of what made Zero recognisable, and what it meant when Zero riders put their skills on display; Gnarly skating, fast editing and man-ams with no regard for their bodies. This was a full length (VX) release of days gone well after the establishment of single parts being the format du jour. Hell, they even had the old “Guess who’s now a pro!?” at the premiere.
Anyway, promo (2006) is the worst name for a video in their catalogue and I have no idea why “Cold War”.
Topic: Why is that Skate Video Named that Name? (Read 2074 times)