Snapt5 is the final installment of a film series that spanned 25 years. That’s pretty wild to think about, and it’s even more wild to realize that the “end” is here. The guy who started it all though, Logan “Chucky” Dulien, is ready.
“A lot of people are like, ‘It’s not ending. You’re not done.’ And I know you can tell,” he says to me. “You could tell something’s different now.”
And he’s right. For a guy who devoted himself to a very specific surf filmmaking approach — good surfing that hits hard and finding the perfect music to match, all with no frills beyond that. Just straight surf porn in the most real sense — you can tell the man isn’t second-guessing his decision to close the book on it all. He talks about going on his own surf trips where he doesn’t have to work, and he talks about focusing on family time and being present for those everyday things.
As for 5, the last hour and 15 minutes of the Snapt franchise has the current world champion Yago Dora. It has the current Junior World Champion, Bronson Meydi, perennial world title threat Jack Robinson, “surfing’s Jimmy Hendrix,” Mason Ho, heavy hitters like Clay Marzo, Parker and Conner Coffin, Asher Pacey, and a long, long list of big-time talent.
Dulien also introduced a global grom search for Snapt5, which scored film spots for close to 30 of the best groms in the world under 17. That last part feels fitting when you think about the overall story arc of surfing’s longest-running film series. Snapt came out right when Andy Irons blew up from a young world tour hotshot to world champion. His section in the film feels like an arrival for both of them now in hindsight. Meanwhile, Andre Nickatina had been at it for years, but Dulien going out on a limb and putting the Bay Area artist’s music into his film was a big moment.
“It was a roll of the dice,” he admits. “Rap music, especially underground rap music, that wasn’t really the go-to back then. Using razor sharp for Taj’s part — I feel it was big. I mean, Nickatina has a big following in surfing now and a big following in skate, and those are a big portion of his gigs.”
That’s just a small example of things that set Snapt apart from everything else over 25 years, taking chances that seem small in hindsight but were unique creative choices or unique opportunities in their time. Five films later, and now with the final film taking a tour around the world that saw 60 premieres and 30 countries in three months, Snapt5 puts the bow on it all.
Enjoy. And don’t hold your breath for a Snapt6.
