John John Florence approaches filmmaking in a similar way that he approaches surfing. He takes his time. He makes sure the fundamentals are solid before getting flashy. His surfing, of course, marries well with Pipeline, a wave that requires the fundamentals are rock solid. And in mid-January, John John Florence’s Parallel Sea dropped Form, a beautiful film about Pipeline.
It’s a project years in the making, and it includes John John Florence, Nathan Florence Ivan Florence, Jamie O’Brien, Koa Rothman, Eli Olson, Mason Ho, Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Andy Irons, Dane Kealoha, Rory Rusell, Gerry Lopez, Michael Ho, Derek Ho, Alex Florence, Mike Stewart, and Kiron Jabour
“It took many different shapes over the years to get to where it is now,” Florence wrote. “It was originally started in December 2017 as a film that focused more on a group of friends who grew up learning to surf Pipeline. Through different creative rounds, and a couple years on the shelf, it eventually evolved into an idea that followed the imagined point of view of Pipeline, with a perspective narrated by local musician Paula Fuga.”
Florence isn’t under any illusions that Form captures everything Pipeline stands for. “It was a fun challenge to create a visual history of the wave,” he continued, “but this is not meant to be a complete story. There are too many people to name who have become a part of Pipeline’s history over the years; they could never be fit into one short film. Thank you again to everyone who helped us put this together. The project is dedicated to Derek Ho, and those like him who have dedicated their life to surfing Pipeline.”
