Article by Daniel Nodzak
Images provided by Stan Kogutyak and Rafaëlle Stavisky
Ukranian born French skater Stan Kogutyak recently released his second VOD ‘Minimalist’ under the LaRue project which is meant to document the French skating scene. I had the opportunity to chat with Stan about his background in skating and pick his brain a bit on his approach to filmmaking. If you’d like to support Stan and LaRue you can find the link to purchase this VOD immediately below and again at the end of this article.
Stan Kogutyak
Hey Stan, thanks for taking some time to chat, let's start from the beginning for anyone out of the loop. Tell me about yourself and LaRue.
My name is Stan, I live in Paris but I'm from Ukraine, Lviv. I arrived in France back when I was 13. I started rollerblading already back in Ukraine and when I arrived in France it really helped me socialize and find myself, my friends and to learn French. I remember my first time in Bercy, I had never seen so many rollerbladers at the same time. I felt like it was heaven and I finally found the right place. I stayed there my whole childhood and met so many riders coming to Bercy. When I was a little older, I was picked by Nomadeshop and Razors who sponsored me. By creating content for them, I discovered a new world of filmmaking. In parallel, I decided to create LaRue without really knowing what I wanted it to become but I thought it would be nice to document the parisian rollerblading scene. I released the first video "LaRue Book" which was free of cost and got a lot of positive feedback which made me want to do more later.
Stan Kogutyak at the Louvre museum in Paris, France.
You released the first La Rue VOD almost two years ago, back in January of 2019. So besides filming for Minimalist, what have you been up to since then?
The money from LaRue VOD 2 years ago helped me to invest in a nicer filming equipment: Panasonic AG-HPX170. After that, I took advantage of the year to film, learn, and get more content. LaRue also released during Winterclash 2020 like a "capsule collection" of long sleeves shirts and beanies. It came to my mind first because a friend offered me a customized shirt with LaRue's logo and people were telling me "I want one too!" when seeing me so I made pre-orders for 2 merch products. The money that came out of it helped a bit for a bigger project, a new product that will soon be released. But we still needed more to make it real.
Stan Kogutyak filming
I'd love to hear about your approach to making this skate video. Did you start with a general vision for the Minimalist VOD or did you just decide to start filming and let the skating shape the final product?
I already had the "Minimalist" name in my mind, and I think it actually influenced my filming approach and skating for this VOD.
Back in the days, doing hammers was THE big thing. When watching a video, you were looking for the riders that would do the biggest tricks on the highest spots. Today I have reached a point where I take more pleasure by skating uncommon spots, and to enjoy a good session with my friends. Now, I'm more looking for the technique and style than just big tricks. Which by the way doesn't mean there's no hammer in this VOD for people who prefer that!
So I literally wanted something "minimalist" for this VOD because I think it's more what I'm looking for now in my skating.
John Vossoughi - statue tap
I think some of the most interesting parts of a skate video don't actually make it into the final product. Those moments when the camera isn't rolling and you're just hanging with the crew having fun. So do any specific moments stand out to you as particularly memorable or important from filming for your VOD?
Each moment, clip, and session was memorable to me, I really enjoyed every session, filming, skating.
I appreciated a lot skating with John Vossoughi when he was living in Paris (during 1year). As you could have noticed in the other LaRue VODs, there's always an international guest. Minimalist didn't make an exception for that. For LaRue Book, it was Sam Crofts. For LaRue VOD, it was Adam Zurawiecki. John was the one for Minimalist.
Stan Kogutyak and Cavin La Macon - photo by Rafaëlle Stavisky
Every filmmaker is different but when you look at the catalog of one individual filmmaker no two projects are going to be exactly alike. However there are usually common aesthetic signatures or themes that connect the dots along the way. So if you had to look back at your own projects up to this point what, if anything, would you hope that people take away from your work?
To be honest, this video is completely different from what I did before in the filming style and my approach. But I still kept my habits, even if I filmed with my digital new camera, I tried to keep a "vintage" side of the video, by adding some VHS images. Which could be the signature of LaRue's filming.
In the first place, I created LaRue to give more visibility and highlight the Parisian scene because I've always thought it was amazing and diverse. There is something for everyone, all taste and style. And if I had a main message to share from this VOD, it would be to simply enjoy skating. Skating should always be fun.
Jon Matter - Fishbrain
In the description for this video you hinted that 100% of the proceeds from the Minimalist VOD are going to help create something brand new, a "real product." I'm sure everyone's as curious as I am about that so what can you tell us about it?
Indeed, by buying the Minimalist VOD, you will be helping to create a bigger project. I don't want to give too much details for this as I want to keep the surprise and let people discover what the product is in the VOD. But it's something completely new for LaRue, that we've been working a lot on and that we're very proud of. It's also a way to officialize the LaRue brand and to bring it to a new level, not just a content platform anymore, but let's say... a new chapter? But for that we need more funds, that's why 100% of the proceeds from the Minimalist VOD are going to help create this new thing. We can't wait for you to discover what it is!
