How Cameron Fraser made the Aerosol promo

photography by Jack Patterson, Chase Collins, Riely Walker, Sam Stephenson and Sam Coady

Around three years ago, Cameron Fraser messaged me, as we have done basically every day for the past seven years, saying, ‘How’s it, Sean, Riwaz and Sparkes asked me what my thoughts were on starting a company.’ 

With Riwaz Kazi, being an incredible graphic designer; Cameron Sparkes, having two decades of industry experience; Sean Ryan and Corey Young, to be the first team riders; and Cameron, coming off the back of his video, Arcadia, making the videos (Noah Fuzi got involved later, assisting with everything behind the scenes). My first thought was: this is a no-brainer. I really hope it isn’t just a fleeting idea. 

Over that time, Cameron and I have talked about the Aerosol video more than anything else. I’ve watched early edits, clips filmed off the back of his HPX screen, b-roll and animation ideas, and we’ve sent each other hundreds of song ideas. Now that Aerosol is live, with the video and products released, it’s been such a pleasure seeing how well it’s come together and been received. 

With so much thought and effort going into Aerosol’s first promo, I wanted to sit down with Cameron, check in and talk about the video.

How are you feeling now that the video is out?

Very relieved, but at the same time also a little empty. We’ve been working on it for basically three years now, and it's consumed so much of my time and my energy, so it feels weird for it to be over. Also, compared to Arcadia, this is obviously getting so many more eyes on it, so it naturally feels like a much bigger deal.  

Yeah, how does it feel to have so many people see it?

It’s daunting and scary, honestly.  

I feel like it's something you hope for but don’t really think is actually possible.

Yeah, and then when you have this many eyes on the one project, it’s a bit overwhelming, the instant reaction is ‘fuck we have to keep this momentum going.’  

It’s nice that all the effort you put into it paid off. Watching the video and looking at the range, it’s clear that a lot of time, energy and thought went into every element.   

It really makes it all worth it. There wasn't a single aspect that we half-assed. We all put so much effort into the range, video, edit, soundtrack, launch and everything. It’s been really nice to have people say that they appreciate and resonate with the effort that’s been put into it.  

We’ve spoken a lot about how different it is to make a video that is your own compared to a video for a company. How was it trying to navigate that with the first promo?

It was a very different way of working. With Arcadia – this is something I’ve noticed people bring up – my inspirations and influences were so much clearer in the way the video was, and I didn’t feel as much pressure to remove myself from them, as it was a video for myself. Now, with Aerosol, there is so much emphasis on it being its own original thing; there was no point in making something that already exists. Even though I’ll be the first to admit that with the Aerosol video, it’s very clear what skate videos I like. Also, I was twenty-three when Arcadia came out, and now, I’m almost twenty-seven; a decent chunk of time has passed since, so my tastes and standards for myself have changed. Naturally, it feels like a reaction to that.  

Arcadia also fit into the classic skate video formula of VX1000 and 16mm.

Yeah, it was me wanting to make a classic skate video. Then, going into Aerosol, we were all pushing from the start that it needed to be different. Also, knowing that it was just going to be Sean and Corey with a montage in the middle, it was fun to see what we could do with that formula.  

Being a board company too, you need a cohesive image where the video aesthetic aligns with the graphics, which you did really well. Was that something that was at the front of your mind once you saw what Riwaz was doing with the graphics?

That was probably the most difficult part of it because it came a lot later. Once the video took shape and the first range was done, Riwaz and I were discussing how to make the video and graphics cohesive. We spent a lot of time discussing where I had to expand to meet his graphics and how we could bring animations into the video. The face-tracking animation also feels like a central focus of the video.  

Yeah, the face-tracking animation explains a lot about what you are going for aesthetically with the company, where it’s this hybrid of dystopian futuristic technology and nature.

Well, yeah, it’s still something that’s evolving and not anything that we’ve confirmed, and it’s something that will keep growing. If you look at the graphics, it is very nature-focused. Face-tracking is something I've always been interested in, and the idea of putting it over 16mm film footage, which was shot on a camera that is totally mechanical with no electronics at all, excited me. It felt like the incorporation of futuristic tech with something more natural being film. I feel that encapsulates the company; referencing AI, but at the same time rejecting it.  

Yeah, that was something that stood out to me when you showed me your early edits, where you were experimenting with ways to distort your 16mm footage. Do you think having three years to work on the video has helped shape what you want the video to look like?

Yeah, even looking back to a year ago, I’ve had so much time to flesh out my ideas and also be inspired by new ones.  

Even though it seemed like a burden while it was happening, having that long to work on the video was honestly for the best. 

I’m glad it took this long because it wouldn't be the same thing. It wouldn't have been as thought out. It felt like the perfect amount of time. We didn’t want to run the risk of launching too early. I think starting with what I think is quite a clear image and aesthetic for the company was really essential to the launch of it. I would’ve hated to put out a video where people couldn't tell the direction or what it was going for.  

It also gave you time to think about meaning; there’s so much meaning in nearly every decision in the video.

Because of the time, I’ve been able to incorporate so many influences from far-reaching places into the video, and I’ve tried to be as conscious and as intentional as possible with what I include. There are years between some of the decisions I’ve made in the video that are still there. 

What are some of those?

The reference to Corey’s Private Joy part I’ve had in mind for about two years; the intro from Caché has been about a year; then Chase’s guest clip was a decision I made two days before the premiere.  

Yeah, that worked perfectly with the song.

I’m so glad we decided on that. It seems like such an obvious thing to do, but Sean and I didn’t even think about it.  

What was the idea of putting the credits in the intro?

That was from this movie called Caché, by Michael Haneke. Corey told me about him, and I binged most of his movies. I watched Caché at the cinema last year, and it blew my mind. I loved the idea of having the credits in the intro because it feels very humble. Not to say I’m humble in doing that, but with him having all the credits in the introduction over a static shot, he isn't putting himself as a director and filmmaker on a pedestal; his name is the same size as the costume designer, which I think is really cool. It amplifies that the movie was a group effort, which this video really was too. 

The fast-forward of the street scene into Corey’s part in the intro is also borrowed from Caché. There’s a moment in the film (spoiler alert) where you realise what you’re watching is surveillance footage, and it fast forwards suddenly. I tried to replicate that by suddenly fast-forwarding into Corey’s part after a slow minute-long introduction. 

I’ve seen a few people comment on the intro, saying it was an interesting thing to do and comparing it to what people's attention spans are like now, and it’s like, yeah, that was an intentional part of it. People can skip over it, too, if they want to; that's the good thing about something like that, you’re not forced to sit through it all.

What’s the deal with Grimace?

I can’t answer that... Let’s just say he’s part of the company.  

Do you have anyone you’d like to thank or any last words?

Thank you to Sean, Corey, Riwaz, Noah Fuzi, Sparkes, Trent Evans, all the photographers, filmers and everyone else who have helped out along the way. It means the world to us. It’s all around you.