Tanner Pendleton: 11 Things

The LANDLINE. Director Answers the Call

Tanner Pendleton has been at his computer for very long hours recently, finishing LANDLINE., shot primarily on 16mm and documenting a cadre of Vans riders’— Pat Moore, Bryan Iguchi, Darrell Mathes and Jake Kuzyk—global exploits. “Crazy Loco,” the short Pendleton made following Jed Anderson for a season, cemented Pendleton’s style, which owes as much to old skate videos as it does Jim Jarmusch. LANDLINE. blows it out with another world tour and feature length.

After we promised we weren’t a telemarketer, the snowboarder-turned-filmmaker got into it.

When was the last time you made a call on a landline?
Tanner Pendleton: I honestly can’t remember the last time I made a call on a landline. My grandparents still have one and they just get hit up by telemarketers all the time.

Best and worst things about coming up snowboarding on the east coast?
TP: Best thing about growing up on the east coast was all the people you meet. Everything is spread out so we’d end up driving around to check out different resorts and meet so many different people. I feel like it didn’t matter if you lived in MA, NH, or Vermont, if you lived on the east coast and snowboarded you probably knew each other. Worst thing is probably the ice and not riding powder. I think that’s the reason why so many good riders come out of the east. You have to learn how to maneuver your board in some sketchy conditions.

What makes for the best music to accompany snowboarding footage?
TP: Anything really. With a film, you get so picky with what works and what doesn’t.

How do you find songs you’ll edit to?
TP: Sometimes I’ll have a song stored away I want to try out. I usually put the footage in a timeline and watch it over and over to different music until something starts to feel right.

I’d rather see a photo of Terje smoking weed in the hotel bathroom than another method photo or something.

What’s had the biggest influence on you as a filmmaker?
TP: Growing up I was obsessed with snowboard and skateboard videos. Robot Food, Absinthe, KidsKNOW videos, I watched all those on repeat. With skateboarding, I was really into older Transworld Skate videos like “Mind Field.” I go back and watch videos from this era all the time to get hyped. Also, I think the way that guys like Ari Marcopoulos and Cole Barash have documented snowboarding via photography is really inspiring. They focus on the moments in between as opposed to just action shots. To me, that stuff is more interesting. I’d rather see a photo of Terje smoking weed in the hotel bathroom than another method photo or something.

Ok, somebody brings you a project. It’s your dream project. They say you can either shoot or edit. Your choice. What do you say?
TP: After editing LANDLINE. nonstop all last-summer I really hate the computer. I’m going to go with filming!

Crust, corduroy or canned corn?
TP: Love corduroy.

Filming has brought you all around the world. Where have you had your most memorable meal?
TP: I love the food in Japan, I will go on a trip to Japan at any moment just to eat the food. There’s this soup curry they only make on Hokkaido that is unreal. Also, Korean barbecue is always amazing. And sushi of course. Not a huge fan of Japanese hotel breakfast though.

We’re in Tokyo for one night, where do we go?
TP: I wish I could remember the names of all the places. Just walking around Harajuku or Shibuya is always really cool. There are a ton of little side alleys with cool stores and good food.

Three things everyone should be following? (blogs, instagrams, newsletters, zines, etc… dealer’s choice)
TP: A decent news source such as The New York Times. Jake Durham makes really nice snowboard videos. Kookslams!

Our Netflix queue is empty. What should we watch?
TP: I almost never watch TV I don’t have a Netflix account or anything like that. I did watch Stranger Things and loved it. I really enjoyed Breaking Bad and the Sopranos back in the day as well.