In 2014, we released Mikropolis, RajonTV’s first full-length video, with Kaspars Gobins closing it out with the final part. After that, Kaspars mostly stayed under the radar when it came to releasing street footage—until his friend Emils Šenbergs, who also had a part in Mikropolis, got hooked on VX1000 cameras.
Emils dug up a couple of VXs, learned how to fix them, and started filming. Thanks to his dedication, RajonTV got its hands on a VX1000 too (huge thanks, Emils!). With a close homie behind the lens, Kaspars started working on his next part.
There was no pressure and no obligations, so they took their time—about five years—to slowly gather clips. That’s a pretty remarkable feat, especially in today’s fast-paced skate scene.
We asked Kaspars a few questions about his motives and the process of filming. Enjoy the read—and check the part below.
Cover photo by Arturs Bogdanovičs
This is your next part since Mikropolis, right?
Yeah, you could say that.
How was the process of filming Mikropolis different from filming this one?
This one ended up taking a lot longer—when we were filming Mikropolis, there was way more free time and a bigger motivation to film and skate overall. Filming this video was more complicated because I had to plan my time more carefully, balancing it with life, school, and everything else.
A lot has changed since the Mikropolis days. Back then, Instagram videos were just starting to appear.
Yeah, things have changed a bit, but maybe that just comes with getting older and seeing everything from a broader perspective. Of course, it also has to do with how accessible everything is now, with a new video dropping every day—there’s this oversaturation, and it becomes hard to know what to watch and what not to. Honestly, I think it’s exactly because of that oversaturation that I don’t really feel like watching skate videos anymore.
Do you think it’s still worth filming full parts these days? Feels like posting on Instagram gives you more reach anyway.
I think it’s worth it. Filming a full part has a different kind of value—it’s a much bigger effort, and you can feel that. I enjoy watching video parts way more than short Instagram clips.
Filming in the streets is a tough process. What difficulties did you face while filming this part? And how long did it take you to finish filming it?
It’s tough, yeah, but that also makes it more interesting. The difficulties were the usual ones: you have to deal with the ground quality, people around you, traffic, noise, lack of time, laziness, etc. Overall, filming took us about five years, but it’s probably also worth mentioning that we didn’t go out filming that often—just a couple of times a year.
Why do you think you even film? You’re not a sponsored skater, and I assume you’re not planning to become one either. So what’s the motivation to go through all the effort in the streets?
Good question—I often ask myself that when I’m going out to film something, especially at more public spots. I guess it’s a kind of personal challenge: can I actually pull something off? Sometimes the streets are even easier, especially at quieter spots, because in skateparks you have to deal with like five other people doing the same thing or a group of kids crashing into you.
Can you share something you tried but didn’t land?
Hmm, I don’t think there were many clips that I tried and didn’t land. Most of them I did land, just not as well as I’d have liked. The most memorable one was probably at the library, where I was doing a BS 180 nosegrind to switch crook. We went there to film that trick twice, but the granite really caught my truck—especially on the transition to the switch crook. Then a few days later, I saw the same trick done perfectly in a video and thought, it’s not worth it.
What’s the main lesson you learned from filming this video?
The main thing I learned from filming this video was probably planning. When we started filming, I didn’t really understand how it all works—I wasn’t thinking about editing, composition, the vibe, etc. It was just about tricks and spots. Now it’s probably different.
Can you tell us how the premiere was for you?
The premiere event was really great—almost a bit surreal. I truly felt a lot of support from the community, and I’m grateful for that! It also inspired me to keep going and to do even better.
Will there be another part?
Hopefully—I’d gladly film another video. This time, in a more thought-out way. Just have to hope someone else still wants to film too.