Is This The Most Perfect Skateboarding Clip Of All Time?

In "The Making Of A Perfect Skateboarding Clip | Arto Saari MACBA", we explore what goes into creating a clip that becomes burned into the memory of an entire generation. Shot by Anthony Claravall in the early 2000s, this skateboarding video clip strikes a chord and brings a warm, fuzzy feeling to the hearts of millions of skateboarders worldwide.

For our Jeremy Wray Artist Series, we sat down with skate legend and Flip Skateboards and éS Shoes alumni Arto Saari — and Skateboarding Hall of Fame recipient Jeremy Wray — to unpack what makes this trick so iconic.

It turns out, this was just another day skating around Barcelona, Spain with friends — no plans, just magic in the air. Arto linked up with Bam Margera, Frank Gerwer, Ray Barbee and more to casually cruise the city and collect clips for 411VM, while simultaneously filming for what would become one of the most celebrated skate videos of all time: Flip "Sorry" — featuring Geoff Rowley, Tom Penny, Mark Appleyard, Bastien Salabanzi, Rune Glifberg, Ali Boulala and Alec Chalmers.

The iconic Fakie Kickflip down MACBA 4 — groundbreaking at the time — was, by Arto's own account, a walk in the park. He nailed it in a few tries, while also landing a lofty Switch Kickflip in the same session. So why does the Fakie Flip carry such weight in skateboarding history? Arto and Jeremy break down the key factors: the rollup with the girls in the window, the reflection off the pavement, the flawless trick execution, the clean roll away, and of course — the David Bowie soundtrack. French Fred masterfully edited the sequence to preserve nearly the entire moment, letting it breathe.

In an era when skateboarding exploded following the launch of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, fans worldwide were glued to their TVs at home and at skate shops, watching Flip "Sorry" on repeat — studying every clip, singing along to every song. All of these elements created an aura around this trick that has never faded. Arto would go on to receive the coveted Skater of the Year award from Thrasher Magazine shortly after.

Now, on to the art. Jeremy faced a unique challenge applying his scratch art technique to this trick: despite its legendary status, there is no great still of the board catch. His solution? Jeremy scratched an entire 8-frame sequence of the trick — a first for the series. This masterpiece is now available on signed decks and prints, signed by both Arto Saari and Jeremy Wray, exclusively on our store.