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Visual poetry: surf filmmaking --
Tue, 18 Aug 2015 10:58
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SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: As winter in South Africa draws to an end, so many of us find ourselves longing for those things that have had to take a hiatus in the shivery months between May and August. For some of us that might be melting mojito s, sand-crusted sandals or a signature Joburg afternoon thunderstorm. For others it s a GoPro, surfboard and an oceanic blue curl to slice through. At the recent Durban International Film Festival, which ran from 16 to 26 July, the Wavescape Surf Film Festival invited audiences to share in this culture and featured a diverse line-up of films including documentaries, shorts and features within the genre. Steve Pike, the founder of the festival and the Wavescape website, gives Screen Africa the lowdown on surf filmmaking.
What in your opinion makes a great surf film?
Unless there is something unique about the subject that demands a documentary narrative, such as a compelling story or other attributes, you need beautiful waves being ridden by good surfers shot with high-end gear that is cleverly edited, and set to a deeply evocative soundtrack. Most surf films in the general sense of the genre depict adventures to find amazing waves in remote or interesting locations. Nowadays, of course, incredible tech advances make the footage increasingly insane, from drones to super HD to extraordinary angles by POV action cams. The most important factor, however, lies in the films ability to evoke a deep wanderlust where we lose ourselves in a symbolic quest for the perfect wave - the surfers Holy Grail of course is getting tubed in a curling crystal cavern of superlative shape and form. The quest is an ancient metaphor, and I think it resonates with everyone - that feeling of freedom, discovery and self-actualisation when we trek to far-away lands, strengthened by wizards to vanquish monsters and conquer other human frailties. The rarity of finding all these things of course is just as elusive, which is why the Arthurian knights never found the Grail as a physical object. It was more a metaphysical construct representing spiritual perfection. Same for surfers!
Do you have any favourites?
I love Timmy Turners film Second Thoughts. It has elements of the above, but there is a narrative that combines humour and hardship about a bunch of guys going feral on a remote Indonesian island. I love Come Hell or High Water, an unpretentious film about body surfing that beautifully combines great waves, beautiful music and soulful storytelling. As a feature doccie, Riding Giants was a fascinating account of the birth of big wave surfing, while Step into Liquid was another great example of a historically pieced together documentary narrative. In terms of traditional surf films, perhaps the most evocative were films like September Sessions, Thicker than Water or Castles in the Sky. The best films control the pace - keeping it languid and relaxed - with the use of beautiful music. As a director Taylor Steele is a master of this, as well as the Malloy brothers.
Do you know of any which have been shot at least partly in South Africa?
Lots of films feature South Africa because we are an important part of the surfing world. Perhaps the most seminal of all surf films, the granddaddy of the genre, was Endless Summer. This featured South Africa, as well as Bruces Beauties. Overseas surf films will often feature a segment on South Africa. A recent example is Attractive Distractions. Since many films are about travel, it figures that our shores are featured. We have some the best waves in the world; cheap ways of travel; and exciting things like lions and sharks to keep surfers interested. We have had very good surfers coming out of South Africa, such as Martin Potter, Shaun Tomson, Jordy Smith and Bianca Buitendag, and that always sparks projects involving films. Tomson has been involved in films like The Pure Line, Bustin Down the Door, Free Ride, In Gods Hands and Many Classic Moments. Jordy has been in plenty films featuring South Africa, such as Now Now and Bending Colours. Then there are the more serious feature films. Nicolaas Hofmeyr directed a film about big wave surfers Cass Collier and Ian Armstrong called Taking Back the Waves (2003), while the fiction film Otelo Burning (2011), directed by Sara Blecher, and documentary film Kushaya Igagasi (2013), had Zulu surfers at their heart. We have loads of young filmmakers shooting documentary feature and short format films in South Africa, but also Mozambique, Namibia and Angola. A lot of projects are short action films shot around southern Africa. A few other locally produced films include Surfers and Sharks (how surfers deal with the shark threat) and Ocean Driven (the story of big wave surfer Chris Bertish) among others.
How big is the surf film industry? Are there a lot of people making these kind of films?
The surf film industry is not huge by any means around the world, and particularly in South Africa. However, its in a much healthier state than it was say 10 to15 years ago. This can be attributed to the ubiquitous rise of the POV action cam and the drone. Its undergoing a bit of a boom because of the amazing array of new angles you can get, which is perfect for action or extreme sports such as surfing.
Who are some of the top filmmakers in this genre?
Overseas you have guys like Taylor Steele, Chris Malloy, Jack McCoy, John Milius and the three generations of Browns, from Bruce to Dana to Wes. In South Africa, Jason Hearn has done well, and you have the experience of guys from Fixer Films (Neil Webster, Richard Moerdyk and Adrian Charles). There are quite a few young guys producing great stuff, such as Steven Michelsen, Dave van Rensburg and Dan Mace.
What are the major differences in creating this kind of film versus creating a traditional
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