30 countries, 7 judges, 1 chance…
Jesus Can’t Skate is a new film by world-champion skater and first-time film maker Jayson Sutcliffe. www.jesuscantskate.com Rollergroove recently caught up with Jayson for an exclusive interview.
RG: Who is Jayson Sutcliffe?
JS: Well, he's a regular kind of guy, umm; hang on this ain’t speed dating is it? No, seriously… I'm an all rounder that in general is pretty focused. I've been a skater for more than 25 years and promote the sport as much as I can.
RG: How did you get involved in skating?
JS: I found an old pair of skates in a garage, strapped them on and started tagging along with my sister to the local rink, where she went to check out guys and I fell in love with skating.
RG: What was the inspiration behind the movie?
JS: Well, I simply decided when approaching my last world championships that I should capture it on film. The idea snowballed and became this mountain of footage and ideas. Initially it was to be something very small and intimate, now it’s just this huge project, while maintaining that personal element.
RG: Do you have any background in filmmaking?
JS: Does going to the cinema every week count? Umm, honestly – no.
Although after I shot all the footage, which took three months, I started taking film part time at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne.
RG: How difficult did you find directing and at times did you think you had taken on too much?
JS: When I came home from Italy with 60 hours of footage I thought, 'hang on - this is way too much', especially when the first rough edit came about. And this was before I even had a producer, everything was so very, very raw and all over the place. I was completely overwhelmed, yes. As for directing, that actually never occurred to me as what I was doing, given I had no experience, I just figured I was shooting all this footage on the fly.
RG: How much of a struggle was it to get the project off the ground and what are your aims for the film?
JS: Nothing with this project came easy. I knocked on quite a few doors to begin with, and while there was interest, no one quite had the same vision as the team I have been lucky enough to come to work with. The first edit that I entered in the Australian International Film Festival took me nine months to edit and it was at that time that I teamed up with a producer and basically found myself back at the beginning in redevelopment, re-shooting and travelling back to Europe. It's now almost been two years since I started filming and we are still working our butts off.
RG: What is the movie about?
JS: The movie is essentially following six characters (who obviously skate - from Europe, USA, and Australia) including me, in preparation for a world championship event, at the same time learning about the adversity they have overcome to achieve... or in some cases, as you will learn, do not. It's about discovery and the quirky & wonderful world of roller sports.
RG: What's with the wacky title?
JS: The title simply came about because of a t-shirt a friend of mine made me of the same title some years ago. At the world championships in Rome, a few people also had badges the same. When I was having coffee with Melissa George (former champion now Hollywood star), she asked me what the title was... I mentioned the t-shirt and badges, she loved it and voila... the title was born. Melissa is amazing and it’s completely wonderful that she is on board. Her love of skating, regardless of her fame is just so genuine.
RG: Are you planning any other film projects, skate-related or not?
JS: I have worked on two short films, but that’s it for now. I would like to do another 'skate' oriented piece that is very, very different altogether, but we'll see. This baby certainly has to get up and running first.
RG: How does it feel to be an award-winner in film? (Audience award at the 2006 Australian Film Festival)
JS: Well, I was completely honoured and stoked to be in the festival to begin with. I thought at best, my film would get on YouTube or a home DVD. So, to be in it and actually win an award was amazing.
RG: Seriously, how cool is it to be listed in www.imdb.com as writer, director, actor, editor, stunts..?
JS: It's great being on imdb.com, it makes it feel a little more real when I see it though and I feel proud that a film about roller skating is amongst it all.
RG: What is the longest you've gone without skating?
JS: Well, I've not really 'not' skated since I was eleven. I did retire from skating in 1997 for two years, but I still skated on ice in between and also taught roller, so I was always on skates. In the last year I've not skated so much, but as I will be re-shooting some footage next month, I will start 'training' again now, and that will kill me!!!
RG: What does skating mean to you and what have you gotten out of the sport?
JS: Skating means so many different things to me, it’s my lifestyle... It's offered me so many luxuries that I perhaps may not have experienced in any other way, who knows? The experiences that come with travelling around the world year after year are priceless. Sharing the knowledge I have with others is also very rewarding and I love teaching skating... Financially, I don’t look to our sport as a means of survival, it just doesn't happen that way.
RG: Roller-skating seems to get less media coverage than ice-skating- has that been your experience?
JS: Yes, true, but I have found that if you don’t give the media something to talk about, they wont. In my career, I've been fortunate enough to have constant representation with the media and the support has been great. I've always been willing to put myself out there and having online access via the sites I run, certainly increases public awareness. So, for most parts of the world, yes there is limited exposure but hey - send a media release to any agent and you're sure to get a response.
RG: What involvement do you hope to have with the sport now you have retired from competition?
JS: I will continue coaching. I teach two children exclusively and one elite athlete. I will continue with these two skaters until they no longer have a desire to be involved, or have reached their dream. Beyond that, I would like to again work in a country like China or India and help develop the sport as grass roots level.
I lived in India for four months in 2004 and worked with the national team and the experience I gained from that was amazing.
Jayson, thank you for talking to us.
Jayson Sutcliffe’s achievements include 4 world titles. His autobiography Rolaboi - Renegade Skater is available from www.amazon.com
www.jesuscantskate.com