Ben Stoddard and Dave Ehrenreich – partners in crime at the Vancouver-based Don't Sleep Productions – are calibrating their trick-counters for their upcoming free Canadian skate video project, TENS.

"10 tricks was a personal quota for the summer. Myself, Liam Mitchell, and some other friends agreed that getting 10 tricks on film, just for fun, would be really cool," says Ehrenreich regarding the initial spark behind this project. "Me and Benny first talked about it in May '09 while at the skatepark in Squamish, and figured we could actually make a good movie with the 10-tricks idea."

Over a couple coldies, I recently went to one of Don't Sleep's video labs for a sneak-peak at some footy, and of course to discuss TENS – the video that's pushing a very diverse and ample roster of skateboard talent from across Canada.

Keith Henry, Lee Saunders, Dave Ehrenreich, and Sean Lowe.

How did you first approach the TENS project?
Ben: As a concept, we went around to the people that we know who shoot, and the companies that supported us in the past to pitch the idea. Dane Collison got the TM job at Supra Distribution, and he's always filming. He worked on Sophomore Jinx with us, so we got him on board for TENS early...

Dave: Getting people involved filming-wise was a big deal. Chris Quick films a bunch of guys in Toronto, including Hill Sulpher – who we really wanted in the movie. Benny talked to Chris, and he became a contributor. It's a blessing that guy was super down.

Who did you get involved sponsorship-wise?
Dave: Independent, MOB grip, and Jim Fenton at Momentum hooked it up for us. There's also Element, C1RCA and Antisocial. The brands' team managers helped by getting some of their riders involved. For example, Chad Albert at Element Canada helped us get guys out east like Brandon Del Bianco involved. Elliot Heintzman at C1RCA Canada helped us out with getting access to some of their riders in BC who we haven't shot with before.

Ben: OGIO has sponsored us for years. They're slowly building a skate team right now for 2010, and we're helping them with that. Also, Push.ca has been backing our work – Dave and I pretty much started working on web videos for them since the site first went live – and they're the main media sponsor for TENS. We've got some behind-the-scenes videos and bonus footage that will go up on Push.ca.

Dave: Color magazine, Concrete, King Shit, and SBC Skateboard are also supporting the project with ads and content.

How many skaters appear in it, and what kind of diversity can people expect?
Dave: There's around 42 people in the video [laughs].

Ben: Usually we're the dudes at the bottom of the stairs filming for the street videos because that's what kids want to see. TENS is a free video, so we wanted to cover all of Canadian skateboarding. We've got the pool rippers like Richard Sarrazin; we've got the tranny rippers like Bradley Sheppard and Chris Connelly; we've got guys that are more tech/ledge dudes like Derek Swaim, then we've got jumpers like TJ Rogers. There's street line dudes like Bryan Wherry and Cory Wilson. We've also got the Barrier Kult, which is pretty awesome.

So TENS is a little more of a free-form video...
Dave: The standard in skate videos is small. To keep it interesting, we're trying to take a different route within the standard. But we still want it to stay raw and fast – that gets you pumped to skate. We have room to explore with TENS. Maybe having a whole part in a skatepark is a bit much, but it's 10 tricks so we can do that because we're moving on to the next skater and next spot choices so quickly in the video.

What is the criteria for 10 tricks exactly? Does a flatground trick in a line count as one?
Ben: That was the main question asked by every skater. Lee Yankou asked me, Magnus Hanson and John Hanlon asked me – everyone. "So, does a line count as one trick or is it as many tricks as you do in a line?"

Dave: It's pretty soft [laughs]. We're contemplating doing a disclaimer. [Dave grabs a crumpled piece of paper and reads...] "The distinction between a trick and a pure transportation or board setup is at the discretion of the editors. Some trick counts have been fudged for necessary flow or feel. Skateboarding isn't worth structuring anyways...trick count disagreements are welcomed. Enjoy." That was just rough. But for example, a ripping backside powerslide could be considered a trick, just like a good slam could be. "Slams aren't bails." That's the Thrasher quote.

Gaining more experience from polished festival shorts like Downhill Massacre and Hairy Houdini's Hairy Tale, what are a few production elements used in TENS?
Dave: There's some dolly track stuff. The HD we're using is mostly for lifestyle, comedic-effect, and cut-away shots. We're shooting with the Panasonic DVX (Standard Def), and HVX (HD) cameras. We're definitely using the Sony VX-1000, which is cool. We're also working on some 8mm stop-frame animation as well. Art direction-wise, we're stepping it up more than we have before. We have Bob K from Mumble Agency helping us out with that.

You created Bigger And Better Things in ‘06 and Sophomore Jinx in ‘08 – both of which were "for sale" DVDs. In a sea of free content, how did you adapt a strategy for TENS within the rapidly changing framework of video availability?
Ben: Giving it away for free was part of the original idea. But we want an actual hard copy DVD in a proper case that goes in your DVD library – I find those little cardboard sleeves just get lost.

Dave: In the long run, parts from TENS going online is great for us, the skaters, and the sponsors. Just like how small bands get bigger picture exposure from being on the web, we might as well jump on that and promote ourselves. The skaters are really excited because we're going to make their parts really accessible to people everywhere.

TENS teaser, November 2009. 

Bookmark Push.ca/skateboarding and check back for more TENS related updates and exclusive content.

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Related:
TENS: New Video Coming From Don't Sleep
Derek Swain in Sophmore Jinx
The Follow Up: Team Grizzlies' Downhill Massacre