The past few years have been amazing as far as where the level of filming and editing has gone. One name I’ve been seeing pop up more and more over the last year or two has been “Veesh”. I’m sure if you have seen some of the Cult or Yawn edits popping up then you have seen some of his work. I figured it would be a good time to find out more about Richard, so let’s do just that. Don’t forget to leave some love in the comments or “Like” this!
Name: Richard (Veesh) Krumm
Location: Fullerton, CA
Sponsors / Hook ups:Cult Bike Company, Fox Clothing
Years Riding: 10-12
YearsFilming and editing: I’ve
What was it that first got you into BMX? Any early memories come to mind?
I was home schooled my whole life so I would mainly hangout with my younger brother and a few other kids in the neighborhood. We watched MTV’s sports and music festival and I was psyched on BMX after that. I was probably the most stoked on Troy McMurray who is such a badass. I guess my biggest influence when I was first getting in to it was Ryan Nyquist. I loved barspins then, and still love them to this day. I’ve lost the TSG knee pads and I don’t rock sunglasses with a helmet anymore but still have mad respect for his skills. I also I wore out Aitken’s part in the Square One Video but then again, who didn’t. It is just too good!
How about filming and editing? Was it something you picked up because of BMX or what? Because I was home schooled, I pretty much rode and watched videos about riding. I ended up tearing my ACL and I used filming to stay connected to BMX. It became something I really enjoyed and thats when things started to change. I started taking it a bit more serious a couple of years ago and began studying the way video’s were put together instead of just watching the tricks.
What was your original camera setup?
I’m not even sure what setup I started out with. It was some little HD sony home video camcorder or something of that type. It wasn’t the best quality, but it got the job done.
What are you working with these days?
As of right now I shoot with the Canon XH-A1 and I also use a Canon 60D. I have a century fish for the XH-A1 and the 60D I just use a opteka 6.5mm fish. I’ve been using the 60D for most of my filming lately and the What’s Hattin dudes designed a pretty dope rig that makes DSLR’s a lot easier to use. It’s a simple square aluminum frame with grips on the vertical supports and removable handle on the back for low rolling fisheye shots. But the most unique part is the follow focus/zoom feature. If you’re holding on the the vertical grips you just use your right thumb to control the zoom. It seems to work best on rolling shots but you can use it how ever you want.
You have been working real hard on the Yawn video. What’s that all about? Who’s in it? When do you expect to have the video finished up?
The video started as a series of web videos. As we went though the clips we changed our plans and decided to take more time and go on a few small trips. Thats when we began making a DVD instead of just throwing clips on the web.There’s six full parts which include Davey Alvarez, tech king Dave Escobar, Joe Molina a.k.a. Street Joe, Pat Casey, Iz Pulido, and our late entry Andrew Castaneda. Andrew filmed most of his part in 2 months and it’s still crazy good.
Is this your first full-length video you are working on, or have you done others in the past?
I’ve never worked on a full-length before so it’s been a lot of work but I’ve enjoyed every minute. I think the idea of the DVD’s or at least full length video projects are still an extremely important part of BMX. I don’t really care if the DVD it’s self is dying as long as the full-length productions are still being made. The movie industry isn’t going to stop making movies just because people stop buying DVD’s. Even though the distribution of videos is at a transition point, the full length video needs to continue to be made. I’m hoping that I am able to work on more projects like this. I know I’m trying to create a website that produces web videos, which is a little contradictory to what I’m trying to get at, but I feel that web videos play an important and specific role in the BMX community as well. I don’t particularly like the flood of videos that pour on a daily basis. SLOW DOWN! I’m not trying to hate, I just feel we’ve gotten a bit spoiled by expecting see a video every day and when we do, for the most part, it ends up being a short disappointing clip that could have been much better with proper editing.
There’s been a ton of videos coming from you for Cult. How did you get involved with that? What kinds of projects are you working on for them currently?
I’ve known Robbie for a while now. I first met him at Fullerton Skatepark around 2001 and then from there we just became friends. Robbie’s always been there for me even before I started filming.. I’ve also known Dak for a while. I didn’t see him too often but he would ride Vans and Fullerton so it’s definitely cool being able to work with him now. As far as Cult projects go we are constantly working on stuff, but the projects have to do a lot with what’s going on with the brand at the time. Right now the Talk Is Cheap DVD is the focus and Ryan Navazio is heading that up. I’ve seen some of the clips and it’s definitely unreal. I’ve been an Alex Kennedy fan for a while now and I’m sure the rest of the world will be on board after they see his part. Not that I’ve seen it, I just keep hearing about it.
Outside of the Yawn video and Cult projects, what have you been working on? When and where can we see some more of your work.
Well I do some work for Fox Clothing and I’d love to do more. Every time I get an email about doing a project I get psyched. Every dude on the team is awesome to film with and crazy good on a bike so I can’t really complain about that.
Over the years you have had the chance to film with a ton of people. Who are your top 5 favorite riders you have had the chance to film with and why?
Filming with any of the Cult dudes is awesome. However, Trey Jones kind of stands out to me as being the person I’ve had some of the best times with during filming. I like his style of riding and just like hanging with him. He’s simple, doesn’t seem to care about much other than riding, and has a good time doing it. It’s hard for me not to have a good time with him around. Scotty Cranmer is another dude that is great to be around, although he can make me a bit nervous when he calls out a line or a trick because its usually something crazy and I don’t want to mess up. I’ve known Pat Casey for a long time but I really didn’t start filming with him until around two years ago. I started shooting some stuff with him to help him get out there a bit more. I thought he was super talented and people needed to see him ride. The first day we filmed he blew me away and has gotten better every day since. Seeing him in the X-Games this year is pretty amazing. He’s accomplished a lot such a short time. Sean Sexton is another guy that comes to mind when I think of riding/filming and having a good time. His riding is at another level and he’s always smiling. I guess if the rider’s having fun then it makes things more fun for me and I have a great time filming. It doesn’t feel like work that way. My next choice includes two riders. I know it’s two people and you only asked for five, but I can’t bring up one without the other. Iz and Andrew are probably the best dudes to film with ever. There’s nothing better then going out with your good friends, getting clips, and laughing the whole day.
Who are 5 riders you haven’t had the chance to film with, but would like to?
Off the top of my head Chad Kerley is a guy that I would love to film some day. He is tech, tech, tech, and super consistent. I love watching him ride so it only makes sense that I would love to film with him. Dan Foley is another dude who is always coming out with original lines both on the ground and in the air. You really don’t see his line choices to much these days. Ty Morrow is a for sure because his street riding is on another level from anyone else and thats all I have to say for him. I’ve always like Seth Kimbrough. He was one of the first riders I ever read a interview of in the first RIDE I ever bought. I thought he killed it then and he’s still killing it today. Last but not least is I would want to film with Joe Cox. His parts in Voices and Tomorrow We Work are too good. Enough said.
Let’s say you get a big budget for the Yawn crew to take a trip anywhere in the world for 2 weeks. Where do you go and why?
For pure riding spots my first thought is Barcelona but that’s not really my style to just go to a known spot like that for a trip. I want to find something more original and try to tell the story of the whole trip the best I can. So when I get that big budget I’ll let you know where we are going.
Who are some of your biggest influences when it comes to film work? Where do you look for inspiration usually?
I don’t really watch very many Hollywood productions so most of my influences come from other BMX videographers. My two largest influences would have to be Ryan Navazio and Will Stroud. I grew up watching Will Stroud’s videos and I always respected and appreciated his video style. I have been able to work with Navaz a bit on some of the Cult projects and it has been a great experience to film with someone who has inspired me to film BMX for what it is.
Do you do any work outside of BMX? Joe Simon seems to prove there’s some money to be made in the wedding industry.
I haven’t really done any work outside of BMX. I’m sure I’ll need to start looking for work to pay the bills but I don’t really see myself as a video guy. What I mean is I like BMX and that’s what I want to film. I don’t enjoy filming or editing stuff outside of riding I so just try to focus on that but if doing a little bit of work on the side is what it takes to keep me in BMX then I’ll be going side work too.
Did you ever go to school for film? Do you feel college is important for a job that relies a lot on the creativity of the filmer and editor?
No, I never attended school for film but I definitely plan on taking some classes in the next year to learn a few more things. I feel that college is important and there are a lot of things that I learned the hard way by not attending school. The problem however, I feel that sometimes the riding gets overlooked and film students get to critical of filming techniques and specific shots rather than focus on the riding. I think that a balance between school taught filming and self taught filming is very important especially for sport like BMX.
Outside of filming and editing and riding, what are you usually getting into?
I grew up playing music. My dad first taught me how to play the bass when I was around ten years old. From there I learned how to play guitar, drums and a little piano. I would make my own recordings by playing all the instruments on the track but I never really made anything that great so I just let it go. I really would like to start playing again.
Where would you like to take things in the next few years?
I want be a part of a production company that produces bike videos by riders for riders. I would love to make videos that connect all riders in our sport. This is a dream of mine that I hope to achieve one day. What kind of advice do you have for kids looking to get into filming and editing?all in the filmingFirst off, filming correctly makes editing work much easier. Focusing on the trick and making the trick look good or fun to watch is much more important than an artistic shot, That doesn’t mean that artistic shots are bad, it just means that the angle of the camera needs to compliment the line or trick that’s happening. Some of the best video parts come from capturing the essence of being at the spot with the rider. One of the most critical points is that you can never film too much. There are so many times where I walk away from a shoot and feel that I have filmed more than enough but when I get to the editing I wish I had another angle or another clip. Watching and studying other videographers is a good way to pick up techniques that will start helping make your own videos look better.
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