Frank Guidoccio and SK8 Life

Sault-born Frank Guidoccio was once a skateboarder.

He admitted to me he only got back into it after seeing Dogtown and Z-Boys, the 2001 documentary about the birth of modern skateboarding.

Guidoccio's love for the sport was solidified through his involvement in SK8 Life, which he accompanied to Sault Ste. Marie for its showing at the Shadows of the Mind Film Festival Saturday afternoon.

He was co-editor, visual effects artist and music supervisor for the film.

His own band Memory Bank appears on the film's soundtrack.

But Guidoccio is no stranger to the world of film.

After moving to Toronto 10 years ago and joining the band Made, his interest in film was piqued as he watched the post-production processes for the band's music videos.

When Made disbanded in the late 90s, Guidoccio went to school for film editing.

Through his music connections, there was no shortage of work for him as he cut over 100 music videos in his first year.

"I had one Saturday off that first year. It was a good Saturday," he laughed.

He then moved on to working for CITY-TV editing their series Movie Television and later to Corus Entertainment.

While doing all this and maintaining a music career, he also freelanced.

Guidoccio is a busy fella.

It was while working on Edge Codes, a movie about the art of film editing, that Guidoccio met SK8 Life's director Wyeth Clarkson.

And the rest is history.

Mostly scripted, SK8 Life was filmed documentary-style using actual skateboarders like Alison Metasi, Jarvis Nigelsky and Kris Foley.

Over 600 hours of footage was shot for the film and it took three years to edit.

And as the film states, "all the tricks are real", including tasty footage of the infamous "Foley 26" during which Kris Foley successfully landed possibly the longest handrail in North America.

Guidoccio had the pleasure of attending the Sundance Film Festival where all four showings of SK8 Life sold out.

He says the film was very well received and drew the attention of the media, which is quite a feat for such a comparatively low-budget film.

"(SK8 Life) was shot for less than most of the other Sundance films' catering budgets," joked Guidoccio.

So, where is a film guy to go after Sundance?

Well, Guidoccio has two major projects in the works.

He will be directing a horror flick called Hunted, which was delayed due to SK8 Life's post-production.

And he is currently co-writing another film he will also be directing.

"It's about three metalheads who wake up in a burned-out basement. That's all you need to know," said Guidoccio about the yet untitled project.

And music still remains a big part of his life as Memory Bank is set to release a new album this spring.

Yes, he is very busy.

But he still finds the time to ride his board now and then.