Best Web Clips of 2011

2011 was the year of the web clip. Like it or not, full-length skate videos are now a rarity, with the majority of companies preferring the economy and immediacy of shorter web clips. While older skaters prone to nostalgia mourn the age of the skate video, this shift does have its benefits: lots of new, high quality skateboarding is available to watch for free, at your convenience. We decided to pick our favourite clips from the year because we dislike the disposable nature of this format and believe these clips deserve to be revisited. The list below is in chronological order and there is, of course, a London/Grey bias.

John Tanner’s Cliché part

Filmed by Henry Edwards-Wood during the last months of 2010, this part was released in January 2011. Tanner and Edwards-Wood make a good team and this part shows them at their best, working with the rugged and unforgiving London spots both are known to favour.

La Capsule Magenta Bordeaux

Magenta’s Capsule edits focus on specific cities and feature unsponsored locals as well as Magenta riders. The emphasis is on spots and style, rather than technical skateboarding or going big. The Bordeaux Capsule, released back in early January, was filmed and edited by Yoan Taillandier, the night-time fisheye master responsible for the brilliant Minuit video, also released in early January. This edit features Grey favourite Leo Valls, who we interviewed in issue 04.

Brandon Westgate Pro Shoe part

After impressing many in 2010′s Stay Gold, Emerica gave Brandon Westgate a pro shoe and released this new part to celebrate. Full of raw, no-nonsense skateboarding and mainly filmed in the SF avenues, this part firmly established Westgate’s reputation.

Josh Kalis Epicly Later’d

The Josh Kalis episodes of Patrick O’Dell’s excellent Epicly Later’d show kicked off in early February and did not disappoint. Timeless skateboarding and a story actually worth hearing made these epsiodes arguably the best since John Cardiel’s.

Manolo’s Tapes NYC

Manolo was an early adopter of the nineties nostalgia mixtape format and this NYC edit is him at his best. Put together for ABD magazine back in March, this edit revisits RB Umali’s NYC Revisited series and the city’s golden age of skateboarding.

Grey Nights

This was the first edit Henry Edwards-Wood made for Grey Skateboard Magazine. It was put together as a companion to our night issue, and premiered at the launch in March. Grey Nights features a whole host of London locals skating the city’s streets at night, all tied together with some impressive motion graphics and Henry’s signature crisp clean style.

Gangbanging at Ground Zero

Lev Tanju filmed and edited this wildly popular clip, documenting the Palace team’s 201o trip to NYC. Shot mainly on a battered old VHS camera with a fisheye duct-taped to the front, this edit was praised for its originality and raw feel. The skating was amazing too, with the likes of Chewy Cannon, Rory Milanes and Lucien Clarke skating NYC like they’d lived there for years.

Alex Davis Remix

Unofficial remix edits were pretty popular in 2011, and this was our favourite. Put together by Andrew Petillo, this edit features Grey favourite Alex Davis and even includes some previously unseen footage.

Uncommon Places

Henry Edwards-Wood joined Grey Skateboard Magazine and the newly-formed Converse UK team on a two-week trip around Europe back in April. The trip resulted in our Uncommon Places issue and this brilliant edit, which features Harry Lintell, Rory Milanes, Charlie Young and Phil Parker. Offcuts here.

Oxford St

Mark Jackson has been putting out short, London-based skate clips for a while now. Featuring Slam City Skates colleagues, team riders and affiliates, each edit usually covers just one session. Oxford St is one of our favourites, but they’re all really good. Watch more at Jackson’s website.

Neil Smith Going Pro part

Filmed by Jacob Harris and edited by Dan Magee, this part was released to celebrate Smith turning pro for Blueprint (for the second time). It showed a new broader, more considered approach from Smith in terms of spots and trick selection, although the big stuff is still in there.

Fitkin Skate Film

This short conceptual film by Jacob Brown is based around a piece of music by composer Graham Fitkin. Brown wanted to focus on the various stages of performing a skate trick and also different parts of the body. The film features Lucien Clarke, Will Harmon, Nick Jensen, Rory Milanes and Chris Pearson.

Life Splicing Nick Boserio

The fourth instalment of the excellent Life Splicing series made quite an impact. The edit featured some very raw street skating and opened many eyes to the talents of relatively unknown Alien Workshop rider Nick Boserio.

John Tanner One Week in Paris

John Tanner and Henry Edwards-Wood spent a week in Paris early in the summer, resulting in this impressive clip for éS Footwear. There’s even a Gonz cameo.

Lucas Puig TWS part

Released in September, Lucas Puig’s full part for Transworld cemented his status as a world-class professional. His Kurd are my Heroes part released a couple of months was less polished, but the skating was just as impressive.

Tom Knox Blueprint/Emerica part

Filmed by Jake Harris, this edit literally followed on where Neil Smith’s Going Pro part left off. Like Smith’s, this part features lots of new spots and considered, creative street skating mixed in with the big stuff you’d expect from Knox. Check out his interview in the current issue of Grey.

A Berlin Jaunt

More Harris and Knox… Jake Harris made this edit to coincide with the online launch of our summer Berlin issue. Filmed on a Grey trip to Berlin in July, it features Knox, Boots, Will Harmon, Horsey, Dan Clarke, Kieran Heinemann and Gustav Eden.

Joe in London

Renowned DOP Stu Bentley made this edit with good friend Joe Gavin. The emphasis is on pushing from spot to spot and the edit has a fast-paced, almost frantic feel.

Tres Trill

This year Palace took part in the Battle of Normandy and produced this much-anticipated edit as a result. The rough VHS aesthetic and Lev Tanju’s distinctive editing style complement the Palace team’s skateboarding perfectly. The standout is undoubtedly Chewy Cannon.

Quartersnacks Best of 2011

Quartersnacks clips tend to focus on fun and as result, usually make you want to go skateboarding. Their Best of 2011 edit is no exception.