'The Nature of Skateboarding' is the skate movie you didn't know you needed

When we think of a skate movie the first images that come to our minds are probably urban frames where large city squares and grey buildings are the great protagonists, along with that concrete ground that hurts so bad when you hit your face on it. The new skate movie powered by G-SHOCK Italy, written and co-directed by Davide Martinazzo and Niccolò Rodighiero, changes completely the classic concept of a skate movie, taking the ramp in an unprecedented location, set among green valleys and pristine lakes.

Shot between Lago del Corlo, Asiago highland and Monte Grappa, The Nature of Skateboarding brings to life Martinazzo's (crazy) idea, the Vans Italia team manager author of one of the most acclaimed skate movie of the year, How To Survive a Skate Tour. This time Martinazzo decided to challenge the physical and mental limits of four riders, taking them to unconventional spots, to say the least, as the author himself told us:

The idea comes from my constant need (shared by all skaters) to find always different and new locations. The more alternative the skate mission is the more fun, challenging and interesting it gets.

In the different shots of the movie alternate images of lakes kissed by the sunlight, luxuriant valleys, winding hairpin bends that remind of some beautiful scenes of the film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The locations are definitely evocative, but were they practical as well?

The difficulty was finding locations that were in line with the project but also made to be skated. We see a lot of different spots during our trips, we usually stop with our van but then we later find out that for one reason or another we can't skate there. For this movie we chose visually powerful locations but that were also suitable for skating.

In front of the camera, we find four pro skaters, different for style and characteristics: Fabio Montagner, one of the best and most well-known skaters in Italy, winner of nine Italian skateboards championships; Fabio Bottelli, who skates with the same talent both bowl and street; Nicolò Bromo, one of the faces of the new generation, able to adapt to every ground, especially if the spot is not easy; and finally Niccolò Fabris, a free spirit who trained on the concrete.

I wanted to involve skaters coming from this territory but not only. Some of them knew and loved these places, while for the others it was the opportunity to discover new spots. Speaking of their technical features, they all like transitions, with completely different nuances though. Their different approach towards the ramp is what adds flavour to the video.

We can't imagine the reaction of these four riders when they saw the ramp built on a green meadow surrounded by the mountainsides.

Of course they were all very excited! At first they kept asking me if I was sure of what we were doing. But when the ramp was finally ready and the session began they realised they were in the right place at the right time. Another matter is the difficulties we faced in reaching those locations, and they were very vocal about it with me too.

Skating where no one has ever done it before, facing new limits and challenges with passion and commitment, this is the motto of G-SHOCK, Challenge Your Limits, which became also the mantra of the talents in this movie, who all wear the unbreakable watches of the brand. A real challenge towards our limits that Davide Martinazzo wants to explore also with other skate movies in other unexpected locations.