When it comes to surf films, we’ve sort of reached a state of stagnation. Maneuvers have more or less stayed the same, EDM still finds its way into at least one person’s part, skits are no longer “cool,” and resolutions are getting so damn high that you often pay more attention to the clarity than the surfing. For those feeling the monotony of today’s surf films, boy, do I have the flick for you. The movie is called Forbidden Trim, and it’s probably the coolest thing I’ve seen since that one time Jesus turned water into wine. And I love wine. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before. I caught up with the director and friend of The Inertia, George Trimm, to get the full scoop. Here’s what Mr. Trimm spoketh:
What inspired the ’60s and ’70s film vibe with the Vietnam War-like setting?
I started shooting some of the storyline-based concepts in Costa Rica during one of our surf trips. We brought fake guns in our board bags. We filmed a couple of scenes in an abandon house (some of the villain ski mask scenes). I heard Colin Whitbread was going to come to Costa Rica, but we only had a day together before I left. I told him to bring some army clothes and camouflage paint. One thing about Colin is that he knows his military history and is really into army stuff. Our mutual interest in all things military was what gave the film the Vietnam War vibe. We shot some of those scenes where he’s coming out of the river with binoculars. That was a real estuary in the jungle with crocs swimming around in it. We shot with super 8 film, so when we got the film back, the army theme really clicked, and we decided to turn the whole story about Colin’s commando adventure.
Biggest problem ran into during the filming of the movie?
Funding. I work as a freelance videographer, so I would take a bit out of each paycheck and put it toward this movie. Making a movie this way means it’s going to take a long time. We’ve spent years working on this picture because of this sort of funding. That’s why the Kickstarter is so important to us. If we can hit our goal of $30,000, we will have the funds to finish the movie in a timely manner.
Where’d you film?.. And the surfing?
Central America and Mainland Mexico. The surfing went down in Australia, France, and Japan. We would film surfing at these locations and do storyline stuff if it was flat.
Why hand-make all the props and do your own music?
We wanted creative control over the movie. Film is usually thought of as a visual medium, but a lot rides on the audio. Having control over the score is what really enhanced some of our scenes. You can’t get more custom than that. It’s exactly what we wanted. It took a lot of time, but we own 100 percent of our film. The props were our way of solving problems. We didn’t have $10,000 to rent a Huey helicopter, so we made a model for $37.50. The buildings were replicas of real places we filmed. It allowed us to film more of our buildings in our studio instead of flying back to Central America.
How was it having the Growlers in the mix?
Amazing. Brooks is a natural entertainer. I think he could be a stand up comedian if he wanted. From the get-go it was super easy to work with him. We shot his scenes in a small studio space in LA, which were long, twelve-hour days, but we got the job done.
Besides being the coolest flick ever, why else should everyone donate to the KickStarter?
We really need help finishing it. Shooting a feature film on super 8/16mm film and custom making a score is an ambitious endeavor. Being a Kickstarter backer lets you be a part of the process. It helps us with the costs of finishing this movie. Watch the trailer, look at our work, hear our soundtrack. The surf community needs a movie like this. Crowd funding is the only way we’re going to be able to make this thing as good as we envision it to be. At the end of the day, this movie is going to make you laugh and make you want to go surfing. It’s worth it.
Please help George and his crew reach their Kickstarter campaign goal. Your donations will go a long way, and you’ll even have the opportunity to win a bunch of gear and have your name in the film as an Executive Producer!
