Page "Catherine Hardwicke" Paragraph 7

She went on to direct Lords of Dogtown ( 2005 ), a fictionalized account of skateboarding culture.

The film is based on the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys by Stacy Peralta, whom Hardwicke worked with on the film Thrashin '.

She lived near Venice Beach and knew most of the Z-Boys well from surfing with them, so she was a great resource for telling the story she was so personally connected with.

Unfortunately, David Fincher was already set to direct the film ; but while still in the process of pre-production he and Sony had a parting of ways.

This was Hardwicke's chance -- she knew she was the perfect person for the job, and luckily she convinced the producers of that, too.

Lords of Dogtown follows Peralta, Tony Alva, and Jay Adams as they revolutionize the world of skateboarding.

She emphasizes that this film is not trying to be better or compete with Dogtown and Z-Boys, but rather is its own story from the perspective of the people going through the events when they were happening, instead of retelling them.

In a way it's more exciting and personal to watch the characters as the events unfold.

The technical work is great, too, from the skate tricks to the tricky camera work.

Lance Mountain, legendary skater, cameraman and long time friend of Stacy Peralta, shot the action while riding along behind the skateboarders.