Switchfootage
Encyclopedia
Switchfootage are two documentary
DVDs based about the behind-the-scenes life of the alternative rock band Switchfoot
. They were funded and distributed entirely by the band Switchfoot with help from E.E. Kennedy for the first one and Andy Barron
for the second.
friend and film-maker, Elizabeth Kennedy (credited as E.E. Kennedy). Despite its short runtime, the film took the band nearly 8 years to create as they steadily pushed its release date further and further into the future. The film includes a short film written and directed by Jon Foreman
entitled "Red Tape", film of the band members surfing, skateboarding, and concert footage.
Switchfoot was inspired to make a documentary by E.E. Kennedy (who they credit in their thanks as "the fire starter" at the end of the film) who supplied them with some of the footage for it from her independent documentary, "Everything to Lose," filmed from 2000 through 2003. "Everything to Lose" won "Special Mention" at the Damah film festival and was an official selection at the Fort Lauderdale and Annapolis Film Festivals.
The DVD also features hidden segments of film. One short is footage from the behind-the-scenes filming of their first major music video for "Meant to Live
". The second shows a young Switchfoot (consisting only of Chad Butler and the Foreman brothers) then known as "Chin-Up" performing in a friend's basement at a party. Eventually this fades into a home video of a very young Jon and Tim Foreman in their Led Zeppelin cover band, "Joker's Wild", that they formed with their friend from junior high, Todd Cooper.
who has been touring with the band.
Besides behind the scenes stuff similar to the first Switchfootage, the DVD is also includes two previously unreleased music videos from Nothing Is Sound
, "Happy is a Yuppie Word" and "The Blues".
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
DVDs based about the behind-the-scenes life of the alternative rock band Switchfoot
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman , Tim Foreman , Chad Butler , Jerome Fontamillas , and Drew Shirley .After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream...
. They were funded and distributed entirely by the band Switchfoot with help from E.E. Kennedy for the first one and Andy Barron
Andy Barron
Andy Barron is a photographer best known for his work with the band Switchfoot, with whom he has worked since 2002 and now tours regularly with. He currently is in charge of video content and photography for the band, and is behind their periodic video podcasts and films, such as...
for the second.
Switchfootage
Switchfootage is the 30-minute documentary written, funded, and distributed entirely by the band Switchfoot. The film is directed and edited by both the band members and their USC film schoolUSC School of Cinematic Arts
The USC School of Cinematic Arts, until 2006 named the School of Cinema-Television , is a film school within the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. It is the oldest and largest such school in the United States, established in 1929 as a joint venture with the Academy of...
friend and film-maker, Elizabeth Kennedy (credited as E.E. Kennedy). Despite its short runtime, the film took the band nearly 8 years to create as they steadily pushed its release date further and further into the future. The film includes a short film written and directed by Jon Foreman
Jon Foreman
Jonathan Mark Foreman is the lead singer, lead guitarist, main songwriter and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and bassist Tim Foreman ....
entitled "Red Tape", film of the band members surfing, skateboarding, and concert footage.
Switchfoot was inspired to make a documentary by E.E. Kennedy (who they credit in their thanks as "the fire starter" at the end of the film) who supplied them with some of the footage for it from her independent documentary, "Everything to Lose," filmed from 2000 through 2003. "Everything to Lose" won "Special Mention" at the Damah film festival and was an official selection at the Fort Lauderdale and Annapolis Film Festivals.
The DVD also features hidden segments of film. One short is footage from the behind-the-scenes filming of their first major music video for "Meant to Live
Meant to Live
"Meant to Live" is a single by alternative rock band Switchfoot. It peaked at #5 on the US Modern Rock chart, #6 on U.S. Top 40 radio, and #18 on the U.S. Hot 100. It is the first track on the group's 2003 major-label debut album The Beautiful Letdown, and was also featured in a UK version of a...
". The second shows a young Switchfoot (consisting only of Chad Butler and the Foreman brothers) then known as "Chin-Up" performing in a friend's basement at a party. Eventually this fades into a home video of a very young Jon and Tim Foreman in their Led Zeppelin cover band, "Joker's Wild", that they formed with their friend from junior high, Todd Cooper.
Switchfootage 2
Switchfootage 2 was released for Christmas 2006, and is a continuation of the behind the scenes look at the band Switchfoot that they had started with the original Switchfootage. Most of the filming for Switchfootage 2 was done by photographer Andy BarronAndy Barron
Andy Barron is a photographer best known for his work with the band Switchfoot, with whom he has worked since 2002 and now tours regularly with. He currently is in charge of video content and photography for the band, and is behind their periodic video podcasts and films, such as...
who has been touring with the band.
Besides behind the scenes stuff similar to the first Switchfootage, the DVD is also includes two previously unreleased music videos from Nothing Is Sound
Nothing Is Sound
Nothing Is Sound is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band Switchfoot. It was released on September 13, 2005, and début at number three on the Billboard 200. The first single from this album was "Stars," which was the number one most-added song on Modern Rock Radio, and received...
, "Happy is a Yuppie Word" and "The Blues".
Trivia
- At one time a 2-minute trailer for "Everything To Lose" was available but was later removed due to personal footage that showed portions of Tim Foreman's wedding and Chad Butler's then-infant son.
- The increasingly delayed release of "Switchfootage" created an expectation among fans that future projects would also be delayed as well. This was true of Switchfoot's 2005 album, Nothing Is Sound, which had a release date of Spring 2005, then August 2005, and finally September before it was released.
- "Switchfootage" was first released in 2003 as a part of the band's annual "Christmas Package" offered at shows or at their online store during the holiday season.
- "Switchfootage" features their friend Willis Chin who was the inspiration for the name of their first album, "The Legend of ChinThe Legend of ChinThe Legend of Chin is the first studio album by the alternative rock band Switchfoot. It was released on June 17, 1997 under independent label re:think Records, which was distributed by Sparrow Records.-Track listing:...
". - The band's technical assistant, Todd Cooper, was also featured during the "Red Tape" segment of the film.
- Glimpses of the band's future and then touring guitarist, Andrew Shirley, are also in the film.