Filmmakers Drea Cooper and Zackary Canepari made a moody video called Cannonball about skateboarders in Fresno who've taken over the pools in homes left abandoned by foreclosure. It's like the 1970s all over again. Some of the guys, who drain and clean the pools before turning them into makeshift skate parks, express sympathy for the plight of the former homeowners, others not so much. One says, "It was the age of building this style of California dream for people out here and you know, it's hot as fuck, so it's like, we all want swimming pools and at that time maybe there was a little bit of money flying around this city so everybody could afford to build the pools."
Another guy takes jabs at Fresno homeowners, saying, "I don't feel bad for them, I feel glad for me... last summer I had over 30 pools going at once." Another skater, a bit more thoughtful, says, "This same thing is happening in LA, Phoenix, and Albuquerque, San Diego and all these zones where this kind of lifestyle existed at one time." The movie is part of Cooper and Canepari's series "California is a Place," which includes short films about a faded TV commercial actor, the border fence, and biking enthusiasts in Oakland.
· California Is a Place [Official Site]