CHARACTERS
WRITTEN BY DANIEL COCHRANE PHOTOS BY BOB PLUMB
Brock Nielsen and I sit on the back patio of the Sugarhouse home he shares with long time friend Cale Zima talking about growing up, filming, editing, and stories from being on the road; all the expected bio piece fodder. I wonder to myself if the proximity of the house to Salt Lake’s Fairmont skate park was a determining factor on signing the lease for this particular property because for Brock, long time filmer and now primary editor for Absinthe films, it all starting with skateboarding. “I always loved skateboarding. I didn’t get into snowboarding until later on,” he tells me as we enjoy the late fall morning. It is a typical Salt Lake story. In this town most people do both, skateboarding and snowboarding, but they always associate themselves as one or the other. Here you are either a snowboarder who skates or a skateboarder who snowboards. Brock’s love of skateboarding was undeterred by his admitted lack of skill, and eventually transferred itself into a roll behind the lens instead of in front of it. “I quickly realized that I was not that good at skateboarding but I loved it so much. I loved watching videos, and loved everything associated with skateboarding you know. Eventually that made me into the filmer.” I jokingly asked if he had fat kid syndrome and he instantly agreed, “Oh yeah man I was definitely a little fat kid, and that was for sure a factor in getting behind the lens. At first I wasn’t very good at filming either. My friends would give me shit because I’d have them out of frame and miss shots.” At the age of 16
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