No offense to all of the Filipino skate filmers but just like what Kanye quoted on the MTV video music awards 2009 after stealing the mic to Taylor Swift "UPRISING GODZ IS THE PHILIPPINES MOST INFLUENTIAL SKATE VIDEOS OF ALL TIME!" drops the microphone and that's it end of the story.
And on that note, filming is not as easy as it sounds. We've reached that age of understanding that behind every great skateboarder there is a great filmer. There's a lot of things to discuss before we say that someone landed a gnarly trick on a spot without seeing it - you may have heard the cliche, "I won't believe it until I see it." This shows that we all need a filmer in our life who will document it for us for everyone to see. Ramir Denzo is one of the creative filmmakers who is 100% devoted to skateboarding in our country and he is the first Filipino skater who documented all our local heroes way before anyone started picking up a camera. This segment is to pay respect and honor to Ramir and find out how was skating and filming back when we were still a baby.
Please Enjoy This Q and A
Why did you name your own skate video Uprising Godz?
Yeah, it started as a school project that no classmates want to join when I was in college [laughs]. It didn't catch up on the deadline because I only had ideas and I didn't have any equipment. I was just really inspired with the skate videos that I was watching in Betamax back then which was Questionable by Plan B. Uprising Godz, I can't remember why I named the skate video but the first one was Militia, there was a cover of it on a VHS made my Jon De Guzman [laughs] I still have the copy of it in my house. I hanged it on my wall when I made the skate video for inspiration [laughs]. My reference before was the song of Gang Starr, Hip-hop was my music before and I like the movie Braveheart and Platoon, war and medieval movies. No one was making skate videos in the Philippines at that time.
"IN THE 90'S MY MENTALITY IS REALLY UNDERGROUND. I JUST SKATED AND NEVER JOINED COMPETITIONS"
Did you have any issues with other religions because of the name of your brand?
I never had an issue it's kind of like we were very underground that time like looner, That's why it's Uprising Godz because Filipino thrashers have potential in my time [laughs]. It sounds badass and it needs to be proved on the video. Back in my time, the skaters were not called skateboarders but Thrashers [laughs]. My ideas were very simple like skate music and film and I never thought anything about religion.
Let me be frank, you are a hell of a ripper when it comes to skateboarding but why did you choose to be a filmer?
[Laughs] I have no idea but I love filming back then, I was so happy if my homies landed the tricks especially if I documented it. No one was filming at that time, I was the only one filming and I balanced it which I skated after I filmed. In the 90's my mentality is really underground. I just skated and I never joined competitions so if I'm in an event I just videoed them and then after that we skate the streets.
"ALL OF A SUDDEN I MISS JUNE CASTOR, WE ALWAYS TALK ON THE PHONE AND ALSO MICHAEL TORIO. WE CALL EACH OTHER ON THE PHONE THEN WE SET THE DATE AND TIME WHERE WILL BE THE SPOT TO FILM"
I'll be honest with you, if I'm in the level of Ansey Flores, Raymund Wong Lorenzana, David Valino, Mike Torio, and other pros I'll be pushing myself to the pro rankings but I'm not. Since you are also one of the pioneers in the Philippines, did you ever think about pursuing the pro career back then?
Me [laughs] pro career? That never even crossed my mind [laughs] it's just me so I'm not sure about other skaters. I just want to skate before. I just want to land all the tricks that I've watched on foreign skate videos, my learning never ended on doing tricks and it made me excited because there's always new stuff to learn but if there were a lot of benefits back in my time like what's happening now [laughs]. I'll probably be down for it and I'll be very focused because when I was younger there were a lot of things that I wanted to improve on [laughs].
How was working with the pros in Uprising Godz? before the messenger, unlimited text and call never existed and the load was very expensive so how do you guys all work together because if it's a landline it's gonna be hard since it's only available at home right?
[Laughs] it was just a landline. All of a sudden I missed June Castor, we always talk on the phone and also Michael Torio. We call each other on the phone then we set the date and time where will be the spot to film then after that anything goes. With Ansey Flores he usually says like "Mir, just go to my house, I'm just at home" [laughs]. Then once we all linked up that's the time we will plan what we will do which anything goes. The never-ending finding a spot then film and edit [laughs].
"IT WAS SIMPLE BACK THEN AND EVERYONE IS WELCOME. THERE WERE NO HEADS UP, IT'S ALWAYS UNEXPECTED THAT SOMEONE WILL GO TO A SPOT AND SKATE"
The skate scene was very small back then so how did you meet the top skaters in the Philippines because you can't just meet a skater unless they wear skate shoes right? also, Facebook never existed.
It was word of mouth in our time, I was just hearing about someone that's doing gnarly tricks in a spot then I will go there and skate as well. It was simple back then and everyone is welcome. There were no heads up, it's always unexpected that someone will go to a spot and skate and I didn't know anyone [laughs]. Then once you are there we just talk a bit and joke around then after that we all became homies [laughs] I really miss those days.
Before if you see someone wearing skate shoes with the interior, glue stick or any kind of plaster on their shoes you will be amazed but nowadays almost everyone wears it so what are your thoughts on someone wearing skate shoes that don't skate?
It's all good for sure. Fashion is also part of the skate scene. I was a broke-ass back then which the shoes I was wearing is not for skateboarding. What I buy first was the deck before the clothes and skate shoes. I was just quite back then and I never think about those kinds of things [laughs].
I'm a huge fan of 411VM, is that also your influence?
Yeah, that was my pattern before. I was always watching 411 and I tried to make a welcome remark in my intro [laughs] the audio was terrible. Hopefully, someone will talk on the video that I will make in the future.
On our chat you said that you have unreleased footage, how many should we expect? because Beagle has a Youtube channel now giving all of us free unreleased footages. Are you also planning to do the same?
Woah I didn't know about the Beagle videos I'll check that out. That was my plan is to release the other videos that are blurred. Per hour was the fee in the editing house in my time but I already trimmed the other videos like the master it was on the VHS and the raw files were on the Hi8 but there was a huge loss of the quality [laughs]. If I digitize my old videos it will be too much work but I will try again [laughs].
"THERE WAS NO PROPER LEARNING BEFORE REGARDING IN SKATE VIDEOS, IT WAS NEVER THOUGHT IN OUR SCHOOL."
When did you realize that you wanted to produce your own video and how may Uprising Godz you have released?
Anything goes on my time when I was starting. The plan was a little bit of cover burning content then release [laughs]. It was self-fulfillment only to release and I just recently realize that regardless of what I did in the past is I contributed something from the skate scene [laughs]. I created 7 or 8 skate videos. Volume 1, 2, and 3 competition issues 1 and 2 then 2 or 3 compilation videos.
Back then there's no Youtube, Facebook and the internet is not even that big when it comes to self-producing content, how hard is it to be a filmer back then? because nowadays it's easy to release videos in an instant.
BROKE ASS! [laughs] there was no proper learning before regarding in skate videos, it was never thought in our school [laughs]. It was trial and error of the editing style that 3 VHS is only working, 1 Hi8 player and then DJ mixer was the one I was using [laughs]. It was all about good times. I just enjoyed it and every time I think about my persistence and patience before as in [laughs]. I don't have anything to do when I was younger and I was very happy every time I make the skate videos.
How long did it take you to edit a video and what were you using to edit before?
It was a very long process and it depends on the runtime of the video, It takes months for volume 1 and 2 but for volume 3 advance copy Ansey Flores was only days. Because we were in Tarlac that time in his house and after I came home from Manila I worked on it immediately [laughs]. The style of my editing was so difficult because the raw files were in the Hi8 then I will transfer it to VHS then after I put on the song that is the only time I will go to the studio for mastering the VCD so the money will be spent wisely for the studio time.
"THE SECURITY GUARDS WERE GETTING MAD BECAUSE I HAVEN'T ASKED MY MANAGER IF I CAN HAVE THE PREMIERE. I ONLY ASKED WHEN THERE WERE PEOPLE ALREADY"
Since there were no social media before, all of us who started skating in the early 2000s never knew if there was a release party. Did you have a video premiere?
[Laughs] I worked for almost 6 months in Quicksilver store in Megamall as a sales rep. That's where I had the premiere of volume 2 [laughs]. There was a 50-inch TV there then there's a VHS player so I invited few of my friends to watch and all of a sudden I got shocked because I didn't expect that there will be so many people that came out [laughs] everyone cannot fit in the entrance of the 3rd floor and the security guards were getting mad because I haven't asked my manager if I can have the premiere. I only asked when there were people already [laughs] I'm thankful because Ms. Bing was nice [laughs] it makes me laugh so hard every time iI think about it. It was a success and very funny.
I got my Uprising Godz skate video through the homies and we usually exchange skate videos and before you can't just sit on a computer or use your phone to watch it. Was there a point in time where you just wished that social media existed?
Yeah of course. You have all the info if you want to do something. Every motivation is already on Youtube. It's on you if you want to do it.
Outside of skateboarding, you are also a great Dj. Please tell us more about it and when did you start Djing?
Oh, thank you [laughs], great DJ? I'm still working on it [laughs] show and prove a bit. When I was in high school we were already doing sound system with the homies. It changed my life and that was also the reason I have a few backgrounds in producing skate videos. I'm very thankful because that is my work today which is I am my own boss and I have a sound system business, I am a wedding DJ.
"I AM VERY THANKFUL FOR MY FILMING AND EDITING BECAUSE THAT WAS THE ONLY WAY FOR ME TO BE WORKING IN THE PRODUCTION HOUSE AND A TV NETWORK."
Are you also a producer or DJ/Producer?
In the future maybe. That's part of my goals but I'm trying to save money for the equipment [laughs]. Right now I'm focusing on video editing, the studio then that will be the next.
Muska was huge back then and he had Muskabeats, is he the reason why you became a DJ?
I love music even before Muska became popular [laughs]. Only a few of us were listening to hip-hop in the skate scene before, we just influenced the other skaters. The good thing about the skate scene is you will know other types of music of the skaters and just skate. It was all about sharing the earphones for a sound trip while we were taking a rest in a skate session [laughs].
Let's talk about your family for a second, do you want your kids to be a skater as well?
I'm down if they want it. Thinking about my age, skateboarding made me a better, thought me to never quit in life and knowledge in the streets. Fall and rise. game on as always [laughs] I hope that I can pass it to my kids.
I'm not sure. Maybe not [laughs] I am very thankful for my filming and editing because that was the only way for me to be working in the production house and a tv network. It was not skateboarding but I'm still happy, I've got to work and hustle [laughs] but my body is still looking for it. I just need to sway or move slowly because I'm already a family man. But now I'm getting older and I think I want to release a 3 skate video parts or less. I have 200 pieces of skate videos and Hi8 tapes that it's not yet digitized but I forgot those contents [laughs] I'm hoping to digitize it this year. I already have ideas but it's difficult to execute but I still need to do it.
I'm looking forward to that. Let's go back to skateboarding, Have you ever had an issue with a skater that keep bothering you to film him/her for a sponsor me?
Not yet, maybe? I can't remember. All the homies before but it's part of the job so work both ways so it's all good for me.
As an old school skater, please tell us the difference of the scene today and in your early days of skating.
It was simple back in my time and as time goes by it got complications. I think it's all ok now and make it as memories [laughs] my new rule is to be happy and that's all I think about now and I don't want to bother thinking about negative stuff [laughs]. I'm not in the scene anymore but I've been hearing bad pieces of information. It's about fixing things and work it out. It's a problem and every problem has a solution [laughs] the scene now is great, just play with it, enjoy and have fun.
What will be your advice to all the skaters who want to be a professional filmer and how to make it?
Thanks for the respect but I'm also not sure how to succeed in professional filming [laughs] but if I really want what I'm doing I'm just going for it and enjoy it daily. Being paid on what you love to do is luxury every people doesn't have so perchance who knows.
Are you now using HD or you still want to use VX for new projects?
My dream camera is VX1000. In my previous work, I was using VX2000 and 2100, I've handled a lot of camcorders before but now I hope it's Redcam [laughs] I saw a foreigner in an event that I was DJying and I saw that he was using it and I got goosebumps [laughs].
Damn man that's a 4 million camera. Any shout out?
Yo! take care always everyone, we will overcome this pandemic soon. Thank you so much to Efron for this segment and IPIS Crew. To all my friends, homies in skateboarding I miss you, brothers, you guys are a lot but you guys already know who you are let's all see each other in Baler. Special mention to all the people who helped me in Uprising Godz, Benedict Manzano who always letting me borrow the video 8 camcorder, Jack Nonato, Jon De Guzman, Llyod Briones, Dj Arbie Bulaong for helping me with the music, Denzo family especially my Mama I LOVE YOU MA. My 29-year-old wife who's turning 30 next month [laughs] I love you mommy ko. Arabella and Rupert everything I achieve is dedicated to you both. Peace Out And Enjoy this Journey of Life.