Uhhhh ... hi. The new TransWorld Anthology video is out. There's a huge stack of 'em in our office. We're giving them away to the people who send in the dopest letters. Uhhhh ... bye. TransWorld SKATEboarding, 353 Airport Road, Oceanside, CA 92054. Skatemag@twsnet.com.¿Shad FUTURE FILMER Help! I really want to start filming my friends and making videos. Can you tell me what kind of video camera and lenses they use to film videos? I know most people use the "death lens," but I don't know its real name or where to buy it. Please tell me!¿Eric Thompson, Phoenix, Arizona
Eric, the word on the street is that Sony VX 2000 is the weapon of choice. It's a three-chip digital, has the sick view screen, and you can slap a death lens on it. The death lens is actually the Century Precision Optics .3 fish-eye, although there's a new .4 lens out that's supposed to be really nice. You should be able to get those through mail order¿check out some video magazines. Just be sure to shop around, get a warranty, compare prices, and then have your friend Primo a kickflip and shatter the lens.¿Shad
FUTURE PHOTOGRAPHER I just want to know what kind of camera equipment Atiba uses and what kind of camera Ryan Gee uses. Also, I think Rodney Mullen is rad. Bye.-¿Zsaggyone via e-mail
Gee and Atiba both have Cannon EOS 1N and EOS 1NRS setups. Those are dope because they have the fast motor drives for sequences (at least six frames per second) and a fast 250 flash sync for stills. The Nikon F5 is also a nice camera for skate photos. For lenses, they usually rock the fish-eye 15 mm and some long lenses like 50¿200 mm. Stay away from the wide-angle lenses (17¿35 mm) for skating because Grant will body-slam you and then dis your photos. The color photos you see are usually Fuji Velvia or Provia slide film because they've got the ill chromatics. Atiba and Gee also have a huge army of medium-format cameras, flashes, radio slaves, tripods, filters, light meters, and camera-commando backpacks.¿Shad FUTURE FILMER OR PHOTOGRAPHER? I decided to write you because you have both amazing photographers and videographers. I love both equally, but I don't know what to get. All my camera gear got stolen so I'd have to spend around 2,000 dollars to buy all of it again, and I would have to spend even more money to get a video camera. I'm only sixteen and I do have a job, but ... sorry¿I stray from the subject a lot. You make more money filming, at least at the start, but anybody can film (not saying that it's easy.) That really doesn't sound right, but there's no standard. Anybody (not saying any of you) can put on a fish-eye and get as close as possible, but with photography, you have to put all your effort into it. I'm sorry, this is coming out all wrong! You must prove yourself in photography and it takes a long time. I'm not looking for an easy way to make money, but if I film I'll make more money to buy my camera. Thanks for your time.¿Chris Bergin, Canoga Park, California
Chris, photography is harder to learn, but if you've got the patience you can make it happen. These days a lot of photographers and videographers actually mess around with both mediums, so maybe you should try doing both. The only lame thing is that the gear is so f¿king expensive you'll have to sell one of your kidneys! Oh yeah, it seems like camera gear gets stolen all the time. Most photographers get their equipment insured through renter's or home-owner's insurance.¿Shad
ADRIAN STALKER Okay Litterbox, I'm a seventeen-year-old chick who has an obsession for Adrian Lopez, and what I want to say is he is so f¿king hot! What I want to know is if he has any official Web sites on him with interviews, bios, or whatever! I bet by now you think I'm a freak, but I'm not. Let's just say it's kind of like a celebrity crush.¿Aileen DeJesus, Manitoba, Canada
BAM STALKER All right, ever since I have seen CKY2KK I just can't stop watching it! I have to also say that Bam is the hottest guy in the entire world! Anyhow, I'm just curious, how old is Bam?¿Kelly
SKATEBOARDING VS. GIRLFRIEND My boyfriend likes skateboarding way too much. I think it's stupid, and that's all he ever does so I never get to see him! I think you should ban it. He also reads your magazine while I'm talking to him on the phone¿he doesn't even listen, he just acts like he does.¿Katie via e-mail
Huh? Did you say something? Oh, okay. I just renewed your boyfriend's subscription and sent him a stack of videos. Have fun.
SPONSOR US ... ME Hello, my name is Tim Mallett. I am with The Church Of Later Day Saints. We would love to make your magazine our official sponsor for the Nun Games 2000. The events would include penguin hopping, waffle-sauce throwing, exorcise the vomiting little girl before she tears out your eye, etc. This would mean a lot to us, and if you print my dumb-ass letter I'd like to say hi to myself, Greg, Jonis, Drew, and all you other pigs from Grandin.¿Li'l T
DR. SUESS' LOST TONGUE TWISTER This is hard, see if you can do it. Read this out loud:
This is this cat This is is cat This is how cat This is to cat This is keep cat This is a cat This is dipshit cat This is busy cat This is for cat This is 40 cat This is seconds cat
Now go back and read the third word in each line from the start.¿Sk8manson via e-mail
I AM A SKATEBOARDERI do not run with the "in crowd"I am my own crowdI am a skateboarderI make my own choicesI do not care about what I look likeI am a skateboarderWhile someone is telling me to pull up my pants or cut my hairI am not paying attentionAll that is going through my mind is thinking about when I busted That switch hardflip down the 15-stairI am a skateboarder.¿Drip via e-mail
FINGER FRUITS Not to be rude, but I have something to say to fingerboarders. Fingerboarding is not skating¿Landing a heelflip varial over ten stairs is. So get the hell out of here and go play with the six-year-olds at McDonald's!¿Curt Boonsboro, Maryland
GIMP TRISCUIT First off, I know everyone says this, but I think your mag is the best. But I was flipping through the October 2000 issue, and I saw an ad with Fred Durst burning a pair of shoes with a blowtorch. I realize if they want to pay to put a fruitcake like Durst in that's their business, but it's Fred Durst. Talk about a trendy idiot¿don't put anymore ads with Durst in.¿Rudiger
