Hey Jacob, I’ll let you introduce yourself below.
Hi I’m Jacob I’m 18 I live in la I don’t know what else to say hahaha
What things do you enjoy outside of skating?
Everything I enjoy is outside of skating. I really don’t even skate that much anymore, it’ll always be there though, I’ve got a special spot in my heart for skating and all the places it’s taken me. I’ve been having fun shooting portraits on my flip phone recently.
Coming off the success of your new video “time kills all things” how are you feeling right now?
I don’t really feel like it was successful. I don’t know. I’m kind of greedy, I always want more out of the things I make or do. Most people assume that making a skate video is just a time consuming process and maybe that’s true for some people but I put my whole self into these things so I don’t think any amount of success will have me on that “post project high”
Did you have any inspiration for going so far away from a core skate video within the editing?
Yeah, I had the concept of a video told through the perspective of a person with dementia, so as their situation worsens you see the video crumble around you. Faces start to get mixed up and confused or even unrecognizable and it feels like the footage is breaking down with all of the glitches and corruptions in the image. Everything in the edit is intentional, I really hate the idea of things being used just for aesthetics sake, but it gets the best of all of us from time to time.
Larry Rosales by Jacob Ortega
The music choices were so great, when thinking of a past video (can be yours or any skate video for that matter) what song shoots to the front of your head?
Cow Boy by Chase Walker and Zak Anders
What would you say to the people who don’t understand your unconventional within the skate industry filming and editing methods?
Me neither.
Following on, What’s next on the list for Dark Nights and Vivid Lights?
Maybe retiring it, hahah. We all try our hardest but it’s a little demoralizing seeing something that you put so much energy into be so stagnant while all these cool people around you are blowing up. At this point we don’t make enough sales to really sustain the lifestyle I want to give all the guys and the people who support (paying for trips, helping out with costs, having cool campaigns and ads, being able to make higher quality clothing, etc..) so I don’t know what the future will bring, but we will see.
Final question because I’m really intrigued and I only really ask this because for me you were one of the first I’d seen to put bands like ‘I Hate Sex’ in a full length. What are your takes on emo/screamo/skramz music within skate videos right now? Overplayed/overdone or still an untouched market for the most?
I’m far from being the first to use any music like that in a skate video, but it rlly was cool for a little while. I really loved how well it blended with a skate video. Both generally are very explosive expressions that mesh great, but now it’s become so mainstream that it’s tainted that image I had of it before. When I see these guys posting skramz song thirst traps on tiktok or a contest skater with an everyone asked about you song in their part Idk it kinda makes me hate it hahaha.
If anyone wants to make a bunch of money, screenprint t-shirts for an emo band that doesn’t exist anymore :)
time kills all things- A write up and interview with Jacob Ortega
Jacob Ortega’s new Dark Nights and Vivid Lights video ‘time kills all things’ would have the franchise skateboard fan shaking their head, from gritty movements of the camera to the constant datamoshing from clip to clip. This video gave me a feeling of excitement for the foreseeable with things such as Jacob’s video in the forefront and obviously with the projects coming from the Edglrd people too. This all dawns a new question within skateboarding, has art style skate videos changed? Since the dawn of a skate video people have tried to find certain ways to get around it being only skateboarding, that’s always been a thing however I feel with Jacobs’ new video we are seeing an approach of Art being one of the leading factors in the video and honestly I’m here for it all the way. Lastly I think it’s really ballsy to make a full length in this style and go completely of the grain of a normal vid but it paid off so well.