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Joey Northup's First BreathAuthor: Wakeskating.com Staff
Date: 02-07-2009
Visit Joey Northup's website at www.JoeyNorthup.com.
Visit Chapman Bullock's website at www.Chapmotion.com.
View the First Breath photo album here.
When someone decides to produce a wakeskating video, they can take one of two routes: they can make a standard film with riding that’s set to popular music and will appeal to the majority of wakeskaters, or they can create an artistic piece that’s satisfying to themselves but doesn’t cater to the mainstream. When it comes to Joey Northup, his video creations are anything but standard.
Northup grew up wakeboarding on the Bayou in Pensacola, Florida. Today, Northup’s a wakeskater, and he’s working with one of his good friends, Chapman Bullock, on a new wakeskating film titled First Breath. Northup and Bullock are long-time riding buddies, and now Bullock has proven to be an important influence in developing Northup’s skills. “If it wasn’t for Chapman I probably wouldn’t even be making videos. He was always like one step ahead with the video and motion graphic stuff. He’s taught me so much. Probably half the stuff I know is because of Chapman,” says Northup.
With Bullock’s help, Northup has been able to develop a distinct editing style, which can easily be seen in the earliest issues of the Volume Wakeskate Magazine series.
The Volume Experience
Northup is like a lot of riders in that he grew up idolizing the riding abilities of Scott Byerly. Northup recalls, “I have been watching Scott Byerly parts since they first existed. And at one time in high school I had a tape I made with all the Scott Byerly parts from all the videos on it and I used to watch it every day after school and then go ride.” However, Northup’s experience differs from that of your average rider because he was fortunate enough to build a working relationship with Byerly by becoming an editor and filmer for Volume Wakeskate Videos.
Scott Byerly
While Northup has prior filming and editing experience, his role with Volume thrust him into the wakeskate film world. His experience with Volume is also significant because it is the first video magazine dedicated to wakeskating, and many wakeskaters immediately add the videos to their collections.
Having worked on the first four issues of Volume, Northup felt frustrated because the final product was not creatively satisfying. “As far as I was concerned, I wasn’t making the videos I wanted to make. It was always me making the Volume vids how the public or Kim and Scott wanted them. I could try to add in my flavor but it was still someone else’s video,” says Northup.
Northup’s Next Step
Northup’s current video project titled First Breath began in a similar fashion to the Volume video magazine. Northup explains, “The reason we started Volume was me and Scott Byerly were always filming at his house. He has all the best riders come over there all the time and we started filming a lot. One day we both were like, 'Instead of giving all this footage away we can do our own video magazine.'”
Similarly, First Breath took form unexpectedly: “After Volume, I was riding a lot with Ross, Scott, Danny, my brother and a few others. We didn’t plan or try to get anything on film. We really didn’t even know we were gonna do a video. We would just film every time we rode, and before you know it, Danny and my brother were sitting on like 20 minutes of footage,” says Northup. However, this is where the similarities stop, and Northup’s originality begins to take over.
Danny Hampson
Understanding Northup’s Editing Style
Northup’s movie title sheds light on his past experiences and what he aims to do with this opportunity. “It feels good to do my own thing this time. I was locked down doing Volume, trying to please everyone else for awhile. It got to be really exhausting and frustrating. This is the first video I’ve done since Volume, so I wanted to call it First Breath. I’m going to do something new and put the whole video up on my website so everyone can watch it for free, since that’s how I think it should be,” says Northup.
First Breath will be different from most other wakeskate videos riders have ever seen. And Northup is quick to recognize that playing by the rules is a double edged sword because standard films can be popular, though quickly replaced, and anything too avant garde will not appeal to a wide audience. Northup says, “There are so many wakeboard videos out there that just put in the clips on a timeline and put music to it. Those videos only last until the next year’s video with a new batch of tricks. My first two videos I made of just me and some friends in Pensacola were like that. It’s cool if it is like your first video and you’re trying to learn, but I feel like I have a lot more to bring to the table.”
As Northup used his creativity, his editing style evolved to include unique artwork and motion graphics. He has received mixed reviews about his editing, but this has been common for many editors who have pushed against the norm in wakeskating films. “A lot of the hard core wake fans don’t like my videos. I’ve heard people say the graphics and fast style editing get in the way. Like, when I did Scott’s part in Counterfeit This, I heard a lot of people hating on that because of the fast graphics and tricks kind of going fast.” But regardless of the criticism, Northup is not afraid to make himself happy, while also satisfying the viewing interests of those who understand and appreciate his work. “Ross Gardner always says he could spot one of my videos a mile away. I try to stay true to what I like no matter what people think,” says Northup.
Aaron Reed
With First Breath, Northup adheres to his unique editing style, while also trying to improve the product he creates. “With each video I make, I try to make it different and better than my last. All my other videos at the time I thought were good. With First Breath, I feel like it’s the video I’ve been trying to make. I finally feel like I know all the programs really good. I learned about designing and animating, (2D and 3D animation) and motion graphics. I finished school, and Chapman’s been in L.A. working with the best people.”
Only time will tell to see how wakeskaters respond to Northup’s new film, which they will be able to view at Northrup’s website come the end of February. (www.JoeyNorthup.com)
Whether you’re one who loves it or hates it, it’s hard not to respect Joey’s Motivation and inspiration: “I just feel like it’s my responsibility to do a wakeskate video that I would want to see because nobody else is gonna do it,” says Northup.
Tim Kovacich: Classic!
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