Filming your official take (and why there are no retakes)

In a real game of SKATE, you don't get to go "wait, that one didn't count" after you've already rolled away. Global SKATE keeps that rule. Every attempt is one official take, filmed in the app. Here's how the camera works so you're not figuring it out mid-game.

Why it's app-camera only

Official attempts come from the app camera only. No clips from your gallery, no editing, no picking your best one out of twenty. If you could upload anything, people would just send their best clip from last summer. One take keeps it honest, the same as your friends watching in person.

The sequence

When it's your turn:

1. Two minutes to set up. Prop the phone, find your angle, roll back to where you push from.
2. A ten-second countdown. Get on the board.
3. One take, up to 25 seconds. That's your attempt.
4. Call it yourself: "Landed", "Missed" or "Not sure."

Then your opponent makes the call on your clip. If you disagree with their call, a person reviews it. See How to play SKATE with a friend anywhere.

Two minutes goes fast

Some stuff that helps, from just filming yourself a lot:

• Pick your spot before you hit the button. Don't use the two minutes to look for flat ground.
• Get the whole board in frame. Feet and board matter way more than your face. Your opponent has to see the landing.
• Leave room. Frame wide enough for the roll-up and the roll-away, so nobody argues about whether you stuck it.
• Stable phone. A bag, a shoe, a curb, anything so it's not lying flat staring at the sky.
• Light behind the camera, not behind you, so you're not a silhouette.

If setup times out or the app closes

If your setup time runs out, or the app closes in the middle of a take, the docs cover what happens to that attempt. Check them so you know before it happens in a game that matters. Short version: plan your setup so you're not racing the clock.

Uploads and bad connections

You don't need perfect signal at the spot. Clips go into an upload queue. If your connection drops, the upload resumes the same clip when you're back online.

So the big one: don't film again to fix a failed upload. The app already has your take. Filming again doesn't replace it, it just confuses things. Let the queue finish.

Worked example: one take at the park

It's your turn to set a pop shove-it at the local park.

1. Before you tap anything, you pick a smooth patch of flat ground and decide where you'll push from.
2. Inside the two minutes, you stand the phone against your backpack at about knee height, a few meters to the side, so the board and the landing are both in frame. You roll back to your start.
3. The countdown runs. You step on and push.
4. Your take. You pop, the board spins, you catch it with both feet and roll away. You leave the frame before the 25 seconds run out.
5. Your call. You tap "Landed".
6. The upload. The park's signal is weak, so the clip sits in the queue. When you get home, it resumes and finishes. You don't film again.

Calling your own take

Be honest with your own call. If you landed clean, say "Landed". If you obviously missed, "Missed". If your back foot came off or you rolled away sketchy and you can't tell, "Not sure" is there for that. Your opponent makes the call either way, and a person reviews it if you two disagree.

Common mistakes

• Framing too tight. If your feet or the landing are out of shot, the call gets harder.
• Starting your push too far away. A long push eats into the 25 seconds.
• Filming into the sun. You end up as a silhouette and the board disappears.
• Re-filming because the upload stalled. The queue already has your take.

FAQ

Can I trim or edit my take?

No. Official attempts are filmed in the app camera, with no gallery clips and no retakes.

What if I lose signal at the spot?

The clip waits in the upload queue and resumes the same clip when you're back online.

What does "Not sure" do?

It's your honest read of your own attempt. Your opponent still makes the call.

Quick recap

• App camera only, one official take, no retakes
• Two minutes to set up, ten-second countdown, up to 25 seconds
• You say Landed, Missed or Not sure, then your opponent calls it
• Frame the board and the landing, keep the phone steady
• Uploads queue and resume the same clip
• Never re-film to fix an upload

What's your go-to phone stand at the park? Everyone's got a weird one.

Next: The spots map: finding parks, water and Wi-Fi

Join the testers at skatelabs.app/testers and play a Game of SKATE with your friends. Global SKATE is free and in testing on iPhone and Android.