Where do you see surf films going in the future? Do you think the more content driven films are the way to go and do you see a decline of feature length surf shred films due to the rise of all the shred web clips of late?
I think films will split between brand-backed films and more creative endeavors. It’s a bit like the wranglings that are taking place in the world of publishing with digital publishing versus traditional books. I think the growth in online is helping to spur an appreciation of seeing crafted movies on the big screen. With the birth of new digital cameras and the boom in creative talent within the wave-riding world it’s a brave new world of movies on the way. Just look at the impact Uncommon Ideals has made! It was made for our LSFF Shorties contest. It won the Best Short category, had 88,000 views on Vimeo and now has a Surfer Magazine Surfer Poll nomination. I also think brands will have to be more creative in how they deliver messages to their audience. Just watching Kelly and a few mates on a boat trip through Indo only reaches so far. A brand that puts its hand in its pocket and says to a creative filmmaker “go and make something beautiful and thought provoking” is always going to stir more interest and generate more respect.
What I wonder is how will a lot of the surf filmmakers monetize their films? Is it realistic to make a living as a surf filmmaker without big brand backing?
My guess is some filmmakers will do money projects for the cold hard cash and then do separate creative projects for their souls. The price of filmmaking comes down and allows better results for less outlay. Again, we’ve seen this in publishing. There’s no way I could have financed all the travel in Cold Water Souls without doing some freelancing on the side. You just have to be creative about being creative. There’s a danger in being too tied in with brands, there’s always the conscious or subconscious danger you’ll “toe the party line.”
What is a common mistake surf filmmakers make and what suggestion would you give to filmmakers submitting films?
Have a narrative. Know what your story is and tell it. There was one film I can think of that didn’t make the cut for the festival. When I saw the trailer I was really excited about it, and visually it looked amazing, but when we watched the submitted film we were disappointed because it didn’t have any narrative or direction. It doesn’t have to be a narrative in the traditional sense, ie telling a story by voice over, it just means knowing what you want this film to say. Also music plays a massively important role in the feel of a film. Choose a soundtrack carefully. It doesn’t have to be expensive or by famous bands. One of my favourite examples is Andrew Kidman. In the Irish section of “Litmus” he recorded a local band and used their amazing voices over the footage. Perfect.
Some people think that the organizing of the festival’s nuts and bolts is the hardest part, I’d say that the sitting through and choosing of the films is probably the most difficult because it is the most important part of the festival. What are your thoughts on that?
I’d agree that at the end of the day choosing the right films is the most important part. Yes, the nuts and bolts HAVE to work, and the venue is very important – that gives the event its soul. But choosing not just the right films, but where they fit in the schedule, is the most important factor as ultimately we’re curating an exhibition of films. We deliberated long and hard about the final selection of films for the festival.
Do you have a favorite film from this year’s festival?
I’d say I have two. “Finnsurf” and “Through The Whisky Barrel”. Finnsurf felt somewhat like a discovery – we saw a trailer somewhere, there hadn’t been a big shout about it, and when we watched it we were pretty blown away. It’s a much deeper film than you’d expect and it goes to heart of why we are surfers and makes you stop and consider why we surf. It won our Spirit of the Festival award. With “Through The Whisky Barrel”, young Scottish filmmaker Allyn Harper showed us his rough cut. It was his first film and he’d been working on it flat out for months trying to get it submitted on time. We were so impressed we gave him a deadline to meet and he delivered. To see a first time filmmaker from the UK getting a standing ovation from a capacity crowd at the end of the screening was my highlight. It’s one of the reasons why we wanted to do this event – to give UK filmmakers a platform on a global stage.
Speaking of UK filmmakers. What is your assessment of UK Surf Film scene? It seems like every few years a film comes out of Ireland or the UK that garners attention but then it seems to drop off again for another few years. Do you think the time is ripe for the UK surf filmmakers to really start putting themselves out there?
I think the problem is there hasn’t really been a platform or support for filmmakers. There are many creative talents, great waves and some great ideas – but it’s getting them made and seen, that has been the difficult bit. We ran a Shorties short film contest to help filmmakers get their projects seen, to help reignite British filmmaking. There’s a lot of talent here. We hoped we could give people something to build on, get it seen, maybe attract sponsorship or backing. We invited all the Shorties filmmakers to the event, introduced them to the crowds before their screening. They could come and mingle and meet filmmakers like Keith Malloy and Adam Pesce, meet brands. The UK waves are just about getting recognition through things like the O’Neill Coldwater Classic in Thurso and UK filmmakers I think will be next. I guess I’d say it’s a bit like you guys in NY had, you have amazing creative talents there, some great waves, but you still got asked “Are there waves in New York?” It’s taken films like “Dark Fall”, the Quik event, the amazing images from guys like Tommy Colla and Rich McMullin and then people go “Oh, OK, you got waves.” I think the UK is on the cusp.
And your plans for the future with the London Surf Film Festival?
I think we took a lot away from this year’s event. We have some interesting plans. We’d like to do it over more nights, have more filmmakers present. I think people really loved having the chance to meet the filmmakers, ask them questions. The venue was a massive hit. We want to grow the festival but ensure we keep the vibe – after all just because it’s in the big city, doesn’t mean it can’t be a core event.
How was the come down from the Festival?
When it finished it was such a buzz, so many great people all stoked on surfing, talking about creative projects, great socializing, we said “We could it again next week!” Then we woke up on Monday morning broken and said “We need a holiday”. I had a three-week break from going online. Just the odd email check. lots of surfing and a little bit of DIY I’ve been putting off. Can’t wait for next year now, so many ideas!
Tyler Breuer organizes surfing events in New York. To see his latest happenings check out www.SMASHsurf.com.
