Kraków Bulls (Byczki) / "If You Don't Skate, Don't Start" / Repeat / PREMIERE
In just the span of a few months, Polish skate filmmaker Krzysztof Godek really has become a LIVE regular; we've featured his works quite frequently and even introduced you to his new brand: Repeat. Well, after the recent presentation of one of the sections from the new Repeat video (starring quite the unique creative individual too, and not just on the board - but LIVE will cover that as well, soon...) via our peers over at Free Skate Mag, for today, here's a new one, led by the charge of the "Kraków Bulls".
Said animals are, in fact, the local young blood - including some names LIVE readers should be familiar with already, most notably via Kuba Kaczmarczyk's Grey Area videos (also definitely worth a peek for those still somehow oblivious to them despite their effervescence over the past decade).
Well, this all sounded too intriguing not to catch up with Krzysztof around the bend - once more - as to ask him a few questions and, hopefully, clarify everything you may be curious about!
"I bought a van in order to live wherever I want without having to pay rent"
LIVE Skateboard Media: Yo Krzysztof! May you please recount your background in skateboarding, skate filmmaking and now in the industry with your new brand: Repeat? What kind of vision and motivation was it that prompted you into starting such a new adventure?
Krzysztof Godek: I started skating around seventeen years ago in my hometown, Gniezno. After only a little while, I started feeling the big need to film everything what was going down around me. First, it was just via one-day edits at our skatepark and then, in 2008, I released my first local full-length video called "W SZOKU MAX". [editor's note: Krzystof's former videos can for the most part be watched on the author's - quite rich - YouTube channel].
I then moved to Poznań, then Warsaw and around that time period, spent four years filming a video called "PROBLEM?" all around Poland - eventually, it premiered in 2012). That was the time when I'd meet all my Polish idols and just like that, start to film with them.
From then on, I wanted to only do skate filming because I had found out that it was what would give me the greatest joy, so I tried applying for jobs related to skate filming and photography what I thought was the classic way: building portfolios, sending out resumes... But it proved to be very difficult going at things like this, so I gave up and moved to Oslo, to try there. I ended up not filming there that much, due to being mostly focused on working and saving money for future in order to become able to live off savings for a while, and just film.
"I called it 'Repeat' because it's a keyword in our lives"
But after six years of recreational filming after hours, I was able to put together "LUNCH" in 2018. Eventually, I came back to Poland with some savings, so I bought and fixed a van in order to gain the ability to live wherever I want without having to pay rent. That move enabled me to focus on nothing but filming for a whole year, which I decided to put to use by trying to make a full-length skate video within the time span of one calendar year (mind you, Poland gets a good four months of winter weather).
So, literally every single morning during that year, I was asking my favorite skaters if they wanted to film something, without any idea of who might have parts later down the line - I just wanted to film every day, and see what would happen the next.
After almost a year living like that, I was really exhausted and kind of over it... Especially after going some fruitless times where for instance, we'd try to film all day, every day, yet still come home empty-handed, for over two weeks in a row... That's when I decided to name new video "If You Don't Skate, Don't Start". And then I started to consider the idea that I might eventually have to come back to some shitty job again, that would only get in my time and way of doing things... But then my friend from our trip to Ukraine - Vlad Petruchek - gave me one motivational speech I'll never forget. He essentially convinced me to try and run some merch, so I made a few t-shirts, hoodies, a video and twelve paid premieres of said video all around the country. I called it "Repeat" because it's a keyword in our lives: same faces, same spots, same actions, reactions, sketchy landings - repeat... You catch the drift.
"Everyone in the crew [...] keeps their eyes wide open"
Eventually I sold all the videos, every premiere was packed, the t-shirts and hoodies are going quite well and in the end, all of that provided me with lots of new energy to invest into working even harder. I'd like to be able to profit off the brand enough to be able to afford taking most of our talented skaters on trips, in order to make road trip videos, skate and meet with locals worldwide and in the end, all end up working together on cool new stuff. That's my idea and motivation behind Repeat.
LSM: Can you introduce us to the individual skateboarders featured in this "Kraków Bulls" [editor's note - "Kraków Byczki"] segment? How did you end up filming with them in particular, and how did those sessions go down?
Godek: The common denominator to all the skaters in this part is that they are very young. This part happened very organically. It all started with Kuba Brniak who wanted to stack some clips for an O.J. Wheels welcome montage - so I moved my van to Kraków for a week. While filming there, Andrzej Palenica would join in on the sessions and, naturally, also filmed something. Then we went to Bielsko Biała, a city nearby, for a weekend during which Marcin Myszka was our host and I filmed some of his skating, too. From that point on, we just kept visiting each other between Kraków and Warsaw. That's pretty much the story behind this part.
And, basically, behind the whole video - honestly. Just freestyle from A to Z - whoever wanted to skate would join, and I'd film everything I'd find was attractive. I've always wanted to make videos that I'd like to watch, myself; mostly thanks to the introduction of new ways of skating popular spots, or just finding fresh nugs. Everyone in the crew shares the common denominator that they keep their eyes wide open whilst exploring their neighbourhoods, when it all comes down to it.
LSM: Thanks for your time, Krzysztof! Let's wrap this up with one last question - which Polish skate productions would you recommend, in particular, for the rest of the world to start and check out?
Godek: The Filharmonia Skateboarding videos by Krzysztof Poskrobko - the brand is defunct, but the videos are still up [editor's note - and LIVE will be covering them very soon] ; the Grey Area videos, of course; Barrier Skate Mag and the general works of photographers Kuba Bączkowski and Rafski; also, local skateshop SH Store has quite the huge team, and is always working on new things, including some cool stuff just right now... Finally, we also have a network of local brands that produce videos: Passage, Raw Hide, Hamsterwax, Uliczne Świrusy, Siano Skate, Couchraiders, Fajvo, 3Station and many others!
