Andy Licardi Interview _ Alien Workshop x Thrasher video
For the launch of its capsule collection in collaboration with Thrasher, Alien Workshop released “Thrasher” a 5+ minutes video starring Sammy Montano, Frankie Spears, Joey O’Brien, and introducing their newest riders Kevin Liedtke and Jordan Powell. The video is Alien Workshop style at its best: the skateboarding, the riders, the spot selection, the music and the amazing editing and filming. The man behind this sick video project is our friend and tireless filmed and editor Andy Licardi, yes, he has been behind the lens of many of your (and our) fav skate videos especially from Habitat & Alien Workshop. We cauhgt him this morning at 4am (US time) while he was exporting the final file of the video, just a few hours before it being released. Enjoy the edit and some stories behind this new Alien Wiorkshop’s “Thrasher”video. Congrats Andy, amazing job.
Interview Davide Biondani. Photos Andy Licardi and Dakota Mullins.
How did the idea for this collaboration with Thrasher came about?
We work with Thrasher on most of our video output. Tony Vitello is a fan of the brand and asked us to do the collab.
How long did you guys film for this project and where did you go?
We spent 8 days in the American South East; Greensboro, Charlotte, and Durham in North Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia. The weather was spotty and we had to dodge some rain, but we still ended up getting clips every day.
Was there a concept behind or you guys went on a filming mission to collect clips and then you edited them?
We haven’t done a proper Workshop trip since I’ve been with the brand, some of these guys haven’t gone on a trip together. This collab gave me the perfect opportunity to pitch a tour video to the powers that be (Joe Castrucci) So we scrounged up what travel budget we had and hopped in the van to film an edit in the dead of winter haha. The Thrasher collab release was near on the horizon so we did as much as we could in 8 days. I then had one week to make the edit happen, I’ve spent the last five days editing day and night, sleeping from 8am to 12pm, it’s 5am here and the video has just been exported and ready to release in 7 hours.
It’s 100% Alien Workshop taste, you told me you’re very very happy with the result right?
I think this is the best video I’ve made for the Workshop so far, I had the songs already picked out, and I was putting the video together in my head the whole time we were filming on the trip. I grew up in Ohio, Alien Workshop is the reason I started skateboarding. I’ve been making videos for the brand for several years now but this is the first one I feel like I filmed 100% of and planned for from its inception. I’m so stoked on the team we have and can’t wait to spend sleepless nights working on whatever project comes next.
Andy Licardi, photo Dakota Mullins.
I really like all the transitions frames…you need a lot of these for the editing. Did you filmed all the lifestyle clips and shoot all side photos?
I did. Right before this trip I bought a couple old digital point and shoot cameras from the thrift store, I had them on me at all times, and Dakota Mullins, the photographer on the trip, would shoot some stuff on them as well. I’m really into film photography and this little Canon digicam we had on black and white mode with the ISO blasted all the way up turned out looking like Ilford Delta 3200 lol. I also used a Sony vx3 hi-8 camera and an old Sony tube camera from the late 60s. I like the juxtaposition of those cameras mixed with the newest Sony 4k cinema camera I filmed the skating with haha.
What was the hardest part? The filming or the editing?
Not gonna lie, being the only filmer on a trip filming the entire team try lines at the same time at a ledge spot on the hottest day of the trip while hungover wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had, but editing was definitely the hard part. Trying my best to live up to what I would consider the greatest most creative video output of any skate brand isn’t easy. I’m neurotic and in my head about every detail of editing, once I’m in a groove I can’t stop, I’ll sleep tomorrow.
The lineup of the team is sick, the addition of Kevin Liedtke made it even stronger! How was filming with the guys?
We’re introducing Kevin Liedtke and Jordan Powell as the new guys in this video, couldn’t be happier. They fit right in with everyone. We have a such great team, this feels like just the beginning of something amazing, we’re all sparked on working together.
Any funny behind the scenes tales from this project?
We brought our graphic design extraordinaire Phil with us on this trip, his first skate trip! He drove the van, took some wrong turns here and there but he warmed hearts and is now an integral part of our trips going forward.
How long have you been working for AW? How many AW videos did you work on over the years?
I’ve been with Habitat for a decade, I started working on Workshop projects when Joe took over in 2018, the pandemic slowed our video output for awhile. I’ve had a hand in everything we’ve put out in that time but I am now in charge of all things video and in the last year working closely with Phil in getting the brand where we want it to be.
Do you have an AW all time favorite video?
Mind Field is so goated but also Memory Screen, there’s nothing like it, Mike Hill really went nuts on that thing.
What’s next for you?
There’s a Habitat tour video that I filmed and Joe is editing that should be out in a couple weeks. I’ve been filming a part with Frankie Spears for the last two years that he’s gone absolutely sicko for, and there might be some ideas running around for a Workshop full length…
Thanks a lot Andy!
Thanks pop, Buona notte.