Soggybones Blog

SET IN STONE - BERLIN

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:40:00 -0800

Today was just one of those slow days where I was fighting to get out of bed. The fresh pancake mix, maple syrup and coffee in the kitchen wasn't even tempting my brain to flip the sheets and face the light. So I dug my heels in and started trawling the net for inspiration from the comfort of my matress. Within a few minutes I'd found myself watching a video and it actually got me on my feet and in the kitchen!

The video responsible for kicking my ass in a positive direction is part one of Kingpin Magazines DIY video series, Set In Stone - Berlin. There's just something about DIY skateboarding that gets me stoked to kill the day, hard, or at least try to!

Skaters are curious creatures and they're notorious for seeking ways of eliminating boredom from their existence. Spots get hammered, shut down, patrolled and sometimes destroyed. New parks aren't exactly popping up fast enough, so what better attitude is there than getting out there and building skate spots for yourself. It's not just the pro's who are doing it, it's also the kids next door cutting up their families chest of drawers with Dad's prized jig-saw. Seize the day, anyway you can...if it's with a skateboard and a few tools, you fucking rule, we salute you!

HAULING ON A SURF/SNOWBOARD

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:43:00 -0800

So the dudes at Signal Snowboards have a classic video segment called Every Third Thursay. Basically they come up with a spontaneous theme for creating a board project and go out and build it! This time the video surrounds the crew attempting to create a surfboard that also functions as a snowboard. Huge collaborative effort, and it actually paid off in the end. The amount of stoke this random project generated from everyone involved is inspiring. Very cool.

CLIP OF DA WEEK / AFGHANISTAN: TOUCH DOWN IN FLIGHT

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:05:00 -0800

The media and word of mouth are powerful. Together or alone, amongst others, they can damage, destroy, rekindle, rebuild or create. When people are too quick to take what they see on TV or hear from a stranger or a friend as gospel, we encounter problems.

Why shouldn't we trust what we see or hear? I'm not saying this is bad practice, after all the people of our world certainly need more trust. Trust tends to come with experience, and not taking everything we see or hear as gospel most definitely stems from experiencing the world for yourself and relying less on the quotes and perspectives passed on by others.

Afghanistan is not a country I'd personally feel comfortable travelling to anytime soon. None of my friends have been there. None of my family either. But the amount of negative press it has recieved over the last five years has instilled this great fear inside me. Surely there is more beauty to this place than the press let on...for every negative, there is far more positive, right?

This video has helped shine some light and beauty on a place I just might never visit because of all of the negative press I've been exposed to. Thankfully, there are people who have worked hard and risked their lives to capture the beauty that lies within Afghanistan. I doubt quite highly you would see the following pictures aired on Australian or U.S news stations.

I could be wrong...

The following words have been written by the films creators, Lukas and Salome Augustin.

"As each of us has his own impression of Afghanistan that is predominantly marked with pictures of foreign forces, explosions and terror, we were privileged to have access to capture daily life and portrait some people of Afghanistan. We hope the pictures you know will merge with the pictures you see and will enrich your view on the country in the Hindu Kush.

locations:
Kabul and Mazar-e Sharif / We wanted to go to other places as well but there were several incidents and security was too bad. Just one day after shooting at the blue mosque in Mazar-e Sharif a mob started from the very same place storming the UN building.

I have lived from 2006-2008 in Kabul doing my civil service for a humanitarian aid organization. This March I had the chance to go back with my fiancée to show her the place I love and to capture the beauty of this country with our cameras.

At the same time I made this as a tribute to a dear friend, who was shot in the streets of Kabul. Gayle inspired me in her love and dedication for the Afghans.

After a full summer with other work we had now the chance to do the editing.

Lisa-Maria Puy who composed the music for us was wonderful to work with. We met her on Zanzibar island and back in Germany she composed this wonderful soundtrack within just 3 days (and nights). She studied music at HfM Detmold in Germany and is a very talented artist and we hope to work with her again.
You can contact her on: puy-music[at]gmx.de

Last week the clip got published in the iPad edition of Süddeutsche-Zeitung Magazin."

A FEW ISLANDS SOUTH OF SOUTH, SOUTH AFRICA...THAT ORTA DO IT.

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:06:00 -0800

In our eyes, there's no debating this next topic. Surf photographers don't need to and shouldn't hand out wave locations when publishing photographs online or anywhere. * [ Insert something corny about how a picture paints more than 1000 words].

We might have listed the odd spot on the rare occassion, but you won't find any name dropping this year. One of our senior photographers/photo editor, Russell Ord, has a few words of wisdom on this touchy subject. I'll let him take it from here.

"A lot of surf photographers love to post shots and basically give you directions to the location. No matter how well known, I like to submit/post photos with no names of the location.

I would also like to see no guess work posted, bragging of there whereabouts, purely visual, is perfectly fine. (Obviously people that have been there will no exactly the location by looking at the image and recognising a land mark, but a lot of people won't either, so let's try keep it that way).

To give you an example: my wife wanted to know the whereabouts of a certain print I had for sale because the buyer wanted to know the exact location, I declined the location and the sale fell through - good riddance.

While I am having a little winge...why the F*** do crew persist on putting swell maps all over facebook for up and coming swells, it beats me. They must love extra crew in the water, nothing better than surfing just with your mates, but thats getting a lot harder to achieve these days." RO.

Amen.

This set of images from Russell was photographed somewhere in mother natures bath tub. The photos have no real relevance to the post, just random images we wanna share.

Photos by Russell Ord.

CLIP OF DA WEEK / OFF BOOK: THE EVOLUTION OF MUSIC ONLINE

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:49:00 -0800

This is the first installment of Clip Of Da Week. This section of our website is easy to grasp. Each week we will air a new online video clip that has grabbed our attention. Film genres centre around our magazines core ingredients; surf, skate, music, art, culture, photography and music. To get the ball rolling we're starting with, Off Book: The Evolution of Music Online.

Here are a few short words about what the vid's all about:

"As the 90s came to a close, the business of music began to change profoundly. New technology allowed artists to record and produce their own music and music videos, and the internet became a free-for-all distribution platform for musicians to promote themselves to audiences across the world. The result was an influx of artists onto the cultural scene, and audiences were left wondering how to sort through them all. In this episode we discuss these massive changes, and reveal how music blogs and websites have arisen as the new arbiters of quality."

Off Book: The Evolution of Music Online from PBS Arts on Vimeo.

This video featured:

Jon Cohen, Co-Founder, FADER Label
Ryan Dombal, Senior Editor, Pitchfork
Blake Whitman, VP of Creative Development, Vimeo
Anthony Volodkin, Founder, Hype Machine

Music by:

Flex Blur: soundcloud.com/flex-blur
Mindthings: jamendo.com/en/artist/mindthings
Dub Terminator: jamendo.com/en/artist/DUB_TERMINATOR
Nestor Gonzalez: jamendo.com/en/artist/Nestor_Gonzalez

Follow Off Book:

Twitter: @pbsoffbook
Tumblr: pbsarts.tumblr.com/

Produced by Kornhaber Brown: kornhaberbrown.com

SMALL PROJECTS - PART 5 - LUKE THOMPSON - PHOTOGRAPHER

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:47:00 -0800

This is Part 5 of Small Projects where Russell Ord interviews fellow soggybones senior photographer, and our magazines fine eyed skate photo editor, Luke Thompson.

Luke Thompson is a pro photographer with a varied skill base and a burning passion to create outstanding images. He first entered the world of photography via skateboarding and he's been hard at it for a number of years, but says it's hard to pinpoint an exact start date. This Perth based photographer is really producing some very fine work in a number of genres. Luke's photos can be found in numerous skate and lifestyle publications, such as The Skateboarders Journal, Soggybones (Senior Photographer) and Acclaim Magazine. Luke aspires to build strong relationships with other creative minds and is also keen to shoot larger scale projects.

Barry Mansfield BS Flip.

Justin Lloyd Crooked grind.

Biggest Challenges as a Skate Photographer? It would be hard to say what is the biggest challenge exactly, but it would probably be just the unpredictability of it all. You never know who will come along and want to get involved in your shoot. Or if/when the skater will land their trick. The lighting could change. A skateboard could flick out and hit me or my gear. All the little things you can't predict add up to make a big challenge. The biggest frustration is definitely a random hero. Someone who comes along and just can't deal with people skateboarding and can only express it through anger. Could be a person walking by or even a security guard.

Other forms of photography work? Most of my work centres around fashion advertising and magazine editorial. But I do lots of portraiture, abstract and even the odd event.

You are certainly a talent, is it still difficult to make ends meet? These days I have a more steady income (finally) and I'm still really enjoying my work. It took a while to get there with some ups and downs on the way. Difficult is relative and everyday there is challenges but that's what keeps it interesting.

Grace Myers.

Jordi Levin.

Emma Lindegaard.

Equipment? I use mostly Nikon gear. With a D3 as my main body, a bunch of Nikon lenses and speedlites. I have zooms because there are times when I need them but I much prefer working with primes when I can. I also have a couple of Elinchrom Quadras that are pretty awesome for lighting on location. I've always been on the search for that perfect small camera to take everywhere. I've been through Canon G9, Samsung nx10, Fuji X100 and I just ordered a panansonic GX1. Still looking for the perfect take everywhere camera.

Any advice for the new photographers wanting to travel the skate photography path? Well I guess the best advice I can give would be to have fun doing it firstly. Secondly take the time to learn the science behind it and then you'll learn so much from just trial and error. Time on the ground is priceless. Get out there and make some mistakes, you'll learn.

Is it hard to deal with the skate industry as a whole? Sometimes it is and then sometimes it isn't. Most of the people involved share a lot of love for skateboarding and are great to deal with. But on the other hand that doesn't mean they have a big budget or can afford to pay you how much that photograph is actually worth. It can still be difficult to get people to realise all the effort and expense that goes into a great skate photo sometimes.

Rowan Williamson tree ride to fakie.

Butter Homies.

Allex Stelja.

Barry Mansfield FS kickflip.

Best company you have worked for and why? I couldn't pick out the best company at all. Everything has it's ups and downs. I just enjoy working for anyone who respects the process and understands

How did you become involved in Soggybones and what's your role? Justin Ward contacted me about submitting skate content and we just went from there. I've landed in a position as one of the Senior Photographers and also the Skate Photo Editor. Very happy to be here and wish I could afford to dedicate more time to it if anything.

Future Plans? Well I'm not exactly sure at the moment. I have been working hard and saving my coins to fund a trip away. Not exactly sure where too yet. I want to go visit Justin in Bali, some friends in Melbourne and then see where I end up. Keep my options open so to speak. It's all set to be a great year though!

Where else can we check your work? www.lukeshootsphotos.com (due for a big update soon)

Dylan Tomlinson 50-50.

Quayde Baker Tre.

Rory Lucas on his backyard full pipe.

Introduction written by Justin Ward. Interview by Russell Ord. All photos Luke Thompson.

View previous SMALL PROJECTS interviews.

SMALL PROJECTS PART 4 - ZAK OGRAM - SHAPER / SURFER

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:08:00 -0800

When I was getting a bit long in the tooth for competitions over here in the West of Aus, I started getting my ass kicked by a young Dunsborough ripper by the name of Zak Ogram. Good air game, style, and cultured beyond his years at threading needles down Rabbit hill.

Zak's now shaping shooters for himself and many other happy customers under the name 'Z Shapes'. In an industry dominated by 30+ year olds, it's cool to see a young cat coming through with some fresh ideas. Mix this with his surf prowess and he's pumpin out some cool new sleds.

In this interview for Small Projects [Part 4], Jesse Molloy picks Ogram's brain in an attempt to figure out how a 22 year old makes himself a name in the shaping game.

Not many young lads shaping these days, what got you into it?

Well Dad's a shaper so i'd always been kickin' around his factory as a grom. Then I learnt how to do dings, then glassing, sanding and all that.

My curiosity eventually got the better of me and i just had to get in there and have a go shaping my own.

When you're shaping does it feel like your working or creating art?

Not work, but I don't know if it feels like art either? I'm just constantly thinking of what it will feel like in the ocean.

I run my hands and stare down the board and rails thinking what the water will be doing when it runs down the board. It feels good though, whatever it is ha ha.

I think it's something every surfer should do once in their life. How's it feel to craft something with your own hands then take that into the ocean and ride waves on what you created?

Yeah i couldn't agree more. It's such a cool feeling, I feel so much more in tune with my board. I'll be looking, feeling and frothin' on it all the way from a chunk of foam to when I hit the beach. So I know it inside and out, it's sick!

Any crazy / weird shit you've been carving out of foam lately?

I've been making a fibreglass / foam rail George Greenough style alaia at the moment. It's taking a lot of time and thought and I'm still not sure if it's even gonna be surfable ha ha.

I thought it was worth a shot, i'll keep you posted...

What's in your quiver?

6'6 18'3/4 2'1/2 Linchpin, 6'3 18'3/4 2'1/2 Zulu, 6'2 19 2'1/2 Zion, 6'0 19'1/4 2'1/2 Goosebump, 5'10 20 2'5/8 Golden Rod, 5'8 19 2'1/2 Eggplant, 5'8 21 2'1/2 Rad Kelv, 5'4 22'1/2 2'1/2 MO Kelvinator, 5'6 Alaia and a 6'6 single fin.

What's your favourite?

I can't get enough of the Eggplant right now. It's a little noseless thing for sucky rip-bowls and stuff. It surfs so quick and tight, I'm lovin it.

You've moved from sleepy old Dunsborough to shaping in the big league over on the East Coast, where are you located now and how's your new home treating you?

It's been a big year thats for sure. Elly and I moved to the Goldcoast in Feb cause i got a job at BASE. It was pretty crazy goin from a small factory to working with DHD, Bourton, LSD and Simon Anderson. Then unfortunately Base shut down in November and an opportunity came up in Sydney.

So we packed everything we own into our car and cruised down to the northern beaches. I'm now working in the Channel Island factory glassing and shaping and it's sick. We've got a really good bunch of crew in there that are amped on making good boards.

East vs West, waves/ lifestyle/ scene. You missin' anything from the West/ lovin anything about the East?

Definitely missing my family, the mellow vibe and surfing Rabbits at home. But I know it's always there to go back to.

So right now I'm stoked on surfin new spots, gettin amongst the scene and enjoying some of the things that you just don't get to do in Dunsborough.

Best/ funnest board you've ever shaped?

It was a little 5'2 x 18 1/2 x 2 1/2 bean thing. It's reediculouse! It only just catches waves then just takes off. Man i've had some epic session's on it though. Rabbits, Smiths reef, Bali, Snapper. From 1ft to solid 4ft, it's weird. After some tweaking thats now become the Eggplant.

You gunna still be shaping in 10 years?

Unless I lose both arms in a sword fight you can bet I'll be shaping!

What's the biggest trend in shooters at the moment?

I've definately noticed more people opening up to riding shorter, wider off-beat style boards. I think they're realizing that we're not gonna surf like Slater, or don't have to ride a 6'1 round square to be cool. They're getting boards that suit them better and end up having way more fun in the surf. It's sick to see 'cause that's what surfing's all about!

Whats the next big design development?

Hard to say, I feel like it's going to be the materials we use. We're always looking for lighter, stronger, longer lasting, environmentally friendly boards, right?

Career highlight so far?

A board Dad and I made together for sure. He had some Balsa and Redwood stringers up in the roof. I convinced him that we should glue up a blank and make a board. He told me to leave him alone, so I got in his face about it for 2 weeks straight till he gave in ha ha. We glued it up, he shaped it, I glassed, sanded and polished it. The end result is a 7'6 solid balsa, triple wood stringer, single fin gun. It's the sexiest looking board. We're waiting for a nice big Yall's day to ride it. The best thing was watching Dad when we were actually doing it, he was as excited as a 16 yr old chick at a Beiber concert ha ha.

Life highlight?

Meeting my girl Elly. She's the best thing to happen to me for sure!

Whats the most important thing to get right when you craft a sled?

Volume and bottom curve. You could grab the sickest board ever but if it's not the right volume for you it's not gonna work. Same with bottom curve, bad bottom curve = bad board no matter how good everything else is.

What are you thinking when you hand over a crisp new custom shooter to someone you know knows how to ride it?

I'm thinking I hope I've nailed it for them. And if not i look forward to some feedback. The more critical the better cause thats the key to progression. I feel that way with every board whether they're an experienced surfer or just starting out. Shapings about getting the right board for every individual not just guys who rip.

Will computers take over the shaping world?

Yes and no. Machines are here to stay for shapers that do numbers, but some shapers will always pick up the planer and full shape a board every now and then.

I feel like theres a bit of misconception out there about machine shaping. So this is what happens;

1. You design the board on the computer program. You dont just punch in numbers. To get the rocker, outline, foil etc just right can take hours.

2. Your design file goes on the machine computer and the machine will cut your blank to this file. The computer only does what you tell it to do. so if you design a bad file, the machine will cut you a bad board. It doesn't magicly turn anything to gold. However, if you design your board well the machine will cut you exactly what you want.

3. We get the board back from the machine with 1/8th deep ridges all over and a bit more foam around the nose and tail. Then spend 1/2 hour to an hour bringing the board to a finish. Cut the tail in, re-foil nose and tail, refine rails making sure it looks and feels how we want it to. Then its done.

Machine shaping is not just pushing any button and getting a perfect board pop out. It's just a tool to help shapers get the board they want and cut down on some of the hours of physical labour. The shaper has complete control of the board when using the shaping machine.

I dig Zak's outlook on shaping.

If you wanna indulge in some Z Shapes joy, hit the kid up on his Facebook page at Z Shapes Surfboards.

Written and Interviewed by Jesse Molloy.

Surfing by Zak Ogram.

Photos by M8photography.

To read about those people featured in previous Small Projects interviews, click here.

DON'T BE A COCK IN THE DRINK

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:00:00 -0800

A friend of mine wrote me today with a few words about a punch up in the surf somewhere in West Oz. He didn't bother to go into much detail... I don't think the beef really fazed him. We'd both witnessed surf brawls before, laughed about 'em and have even been on the receiving end of an aggressive surf antagonist looking to mince some man meat. This time I decided to invest a little additional thought into the topic of surf aggression in an attempt to encourage harmony in the ocean and deter the fire bugs.

What's more shameful than two adult surfers losing control, floating the troubles of their personal lives into the ocean and throwing fist? Has there always been such angst in the drink? I think not. Isn't there enough disgust and poor behaviour on land?

I'm of the belief that nothing gives you the right to pull the fun plug and kill the good vibes that breed like rabbits whenever you paddle out in the ocean for a wave. Who are you to kill the vibe because you're dark on the world?

You might disagree, and I'm sure a few of you already have, but you're probably of the same breed of surfer who paddles around the pack with a menacing red face (that has no reflection on the temperature of the sun) and a half screwed belligerent stare targeted at your next unsuspecting victim. Shame on you brother, it's time for you to wake up on the right side of the bed and bury that hatred you're harvesting.

It doesn't matter who you are, how old you are, how high you can roost, what board you ride or where you're from, there is no reason to smash on in the surf or on the sand. Go with respect, know surf etiquette before you paddle out, and if you're one of the unlucky few who comes up against a wanker who doesn't have either, educate the fool without using ya brawn and knuckles.

If we keep searching for a better way to live our lives on land and in the ocean, the chances of encouraging the low to stoop even lower will become less and less every day, and those crew seeking some form of guidance from their older idols might just get inspired enough to do the righty.

Keep the good vibes alive.

IMAGINE SURFING AS SADHANA (2000) GARTH DICKENSON EXCERT

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:53:00 -0800

Passionate filmmaker Marshall K. Hatori's film, Imagine: Surfing As Sadhana, is a left of centre documentary exposing some unreal footage and surfing personalities. Whilst entertaining viewers with unique crew riding epic waves, Hatori attempts to discover and exemplify the reasons why we as individuals, and as a collective, pursue surfing. Leisure, money and finding inner peace all come into play. But ultimately there is no right or wrong reason(s) behind why people go surfing. One of the key characters we're introduced to is Australian, Garth Dickenson. A personal favourite.

Garth is a weird and wonderful free spirit, an independent character who does a good job of represents what surfing is about for many of us. Freedom and being an individual who simply loves surfing. Live your own guideline, express yourself however you please, be it in the water or on dry land. There are no set rules or regulations when it comes your time to surf a wave. Make the most of the present, go respectfully and do as you please. Smash out a big larry when the bastards about to throw out a disgustingly thick gurgling tube, surf when it's howling onshore, pig dog when you're cutting the fat, go left when you should go right, surf for a pay cheque or as an attempt to get chicks, do whatever you want, just don't forget to keep doing whatever tickles ya fanny, and smile.

If you don't get a laugh and a feeling of stoked out of Gareth's attitude to life, it doesn't matter because we sure did.

"Sadhana" is a Hindi word that refers to a state of enlightenment.

LOOKING BACK @ OURS

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:32:00 -0800

East coast photographer Jason Corroto takes us back to a heaving session at Ours that went down mid 2011.

"With the rumours of a big east coast low hitting our shores, I knew we had to pack up the car and hit the road early for what was looking to be quite a memorable day.

It's a good 2 hour drive from Sydney's Northern Beaches to Ours. Bit of a mission, but as soon as the sun popped over the horizon, the swell was evident and the smell of thick barrels was lurking in the air...I knew immediately that the drive was worthy.

With the likes of Mark Mathews and Koby Abberton in the water, there was no question about the amount of slabs that would be ridden.

Mark Mathews charged all day, tackling some heavy slabs including this image directly below, which took wave of the day, for sure."

- Jason.

Mark Matthews, where billions will never be.

Caleb Mclean deep inside.

The gallery, up close and personal.

Koby Abberton picking off one of the best.

Lukas Street dropping and setting his line below sea level.

Lukas Street knowing how to position himself.

The chosen one, Mark Matthews.

Empty drain pipe.

Unknown, white out.

We suggest you look at more photos by Liquid Visions.

SMALL PROJECTS PART 3 - CLAY COMES TO STAY - INTERVIEW WITH FILM CREATOR - TOM JENNINGS

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:33:00 -0800

Ask any muppet who has sprouted in the city of Perth and most will say it's far from a stimulating arena, particularly if you're somewhat dedicated to surfing. Two foot Trigg point with 80 other punters, no thanks. Perth might lack the best waves on the planet, but it sure as hell breeds more than it's fair share of surf inspired, creative folk. This is part 3 of Small Projects, where we take you behind the eyes of 23 year old filmmaker Tom Jennings and his latest project, Clay Comes To Stay.

Kalbarri, a coastal town set roughly 600 km north of Perth, Western Australia is proudly home to Ry Craike, one of Australia's top freesurfers. The small town nestled on the banks of the Murchison River Mouth also lays claim to one of the states best left hand breaks, Jakes point. This location forms the stomping ground for much of young surf filmmaker Tom Jennings work, and in his latest case, sets the location for his most recent project titled, Clay Comes To Stay. The video, an absolute smoker, packed with hard reeling WA pits (all found within a short ride from Ry's crib), takes us on a fast paced, liquid laced adventure with Ry and his good mates during a time when fellow Quiksilver rider, Clay Marzo is in town to surf and spend some quality time with the boys.

The filmwork in Clay Comes To Stay is what you'd expect from a decent surf flick emerging moments prior to 2012. Well captured water angles complimented with alternative angles from the land, clean, professional editing that isn't rankly over the top and trying. Tom Jennings has a mature approach to his work. It's great to see a young creative putting in the hard yards to produce quality films that portray surfing the way we love to see it...shot mostly from the water, almost as if we were out there floating amongst the hype. I don't see much point in dribbling about the level of surfing. Clay Marzo, Ry, Dino Adrian and all of the other lads know how to hold their own on any given day, it's world class surfing in world class waves, enough said. And enough of the typing, I recommend you watch Clay Comes To Stay right now, it's refreshing and far beyond your typical web loaded one minute surf porn.

Interview by Justin Ward.

Jennings, what's it like filming for Ry and his website [rycraike.com]?

It's an interesting experience. We get up to a lot of fun stuff and I just try to convert the major

moments as best I can into video.

When did you start filming with Craikey and how did this relationship flower?

Basically, I started filming for his movie "There's no I in Go Ry" and he didn't want me to stop

when we finished. We see eye to eye on enough ideas so it works out pretty well.

How old are you?

23.

What attracted you to filmmaking?

How long have you been involved with video cameras?

When I was a grom I sucked at surfing (I'm still pretty terrible). But being in the water and

being able to translate what I saw onto a screen for others to enjoy felt really natural.

I started making home movies with my mates before I started high school.

Does he pay you with fish he catches in the waters off Barry?

Hahah, nah.

You recently finished filming and editing Clay Comes to Stay.

Who provided the brains behind this video concept?

Clay Comes to Stay is my movie but it was a team effort shooting it and coming up

with the idea of making an extended web flick.

How do you feel about the finished product? If you could go back and change

a few things about the clip, would you do anything differently?

Haha, yeah I really like it. There are quite a few moments that capture the feeling

of the trip quite well but of course I wish i could go back and change a few things

(that's what Pickups were invented for).

Unfortunately we don't have big budgets (or any at all) or the luxury of Hollywood to

go and change it. I just wish we could do the trip again haha, it was so much fun.

What surfers featured in the video?

Well, obvioulsy Go Ry and Clay, but also Dino and Cans, as well as a couple of

local lads, Jake and Liam.

Have you ever met Clay or worked with him prior to producing the film?

I met clay once before on the goldy at out hotel room sipping slushies from

Maccas over looking Kirra.

How long did Clay actually come and stay for? Where was he cribbing?

Clay was meant to stay for 2 weeks but met one of the local girls and ended up

staying for another few days so he could arrange to fly her back to Maui with him.

Initially Ry got him and his team manager a nice little house down the road

which I also stayed in.

It looks like he picked a really good window to visit West Oz.

Did Craikey give him a heads up on the swell, or was it just chance?

I think Ry let him know that there was a swell coming or something.

I think we knew the first swell was going to be ok but after that we just had to wait and see.

There were only 3 days of really good surf but there were a lot of fun days in between,

so it provided a good mix of waves.

For sure. It was good to see plenty of proper tubes being threaded.

Who would you say scored wave of the vid?

Yeh it was, wasn't it. I get so sick of little crappy beachies.

All the boys got sick ones, so it's really hard to say...

you can watch the vid and make your own mind up.

But Clay had a knack for making his first wave ever surfed at most of the spots

a ridiculously good clip (just dunno how he does it).

Did you cop any solid beatings during any film sessions?

Hahah, Yeh. One does spring to mind. I copped a solid 6ft ledge straight on the

head while standing in knee deep water.

I was looking up at Clay and he was just losing it. It was only 6ft but I won't be

forgetting that one any time soon!

Ah sounds shit, but better you than me mate. So what was Clay like to

deal with? Butt heads at all?

I considered it a privilege to spend time with him. He just slipped right into

the way of life up there and I saw eye to eye with him with on a lot of things.

You had a few fellas helping with some film work. Tell us about these chaps.

We had 3 of us filming for most of the time. We had Ryan Kenny who came over to

film with Shaun Cansdell for his Innersection part and he was sick to work with.

We also had Mike Riley on the team. He is pretty much the biggest legend to hang with.

He is from Cali but moved over here to work on the cray boats out of Gero.

When the season is off or he has some days off he films or shoots photos with the boys.

You can check out his work at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/primatephotography/with/6665044343/

He shot a lot of the land based footage while I was out for a swim, so he pretty much

made the movie possible.

Who was responsible for bagging the water footage?

Yeh that was my eye out there. I was frothing.

I don't usually get much of a chance to shoot water

because Ry would prefer land footage but with Mikey and Ryan shooting

from the beach I was able to go out and get creative (I think).

Is shooting water your preference? If so, why?

Hell yes, it's what keeps me breathing! It's hard to explain why it's so good being out there.

You will inevitably miss clips, but the ones that you nail are worth so much more than if it

was just shot from the beach.

There's so much atmosphere and emotion out in the water that you just can't capture from

land. So for me it's just capturing the moment more than anything.

Did any of the boys blow up at you for missing any of their waves?

Nah, it was mellow 'cos we had 3 cameras.

Everything that was anything was recorded onto a piece of silicone.

The vid has a bit of girth, I was happy to see it wasn't just another boring one

minute surf porn filled with airs in 2 foot metro waves.

Roughly how many hours did you spend in the editing dungeon?

There was a couple of weeks spent on getting it all right but that was spread out

between waiting for hard drives and doing other work in between.

What software and equipment do you use to edit your footage?

This was all done on Adobe Premiere Pro cs5.5 on my MacBook Pro.

I know everyone else uses Final Cut but they really don't know what they're missing.

Does your lanky frame help get all the ladsy artsy angles?

No, it's more of a hindrance.

Unfortunately there is no "Art of Flight" budget in surfing,

so the "Ladsy artsy angles" are limited to a tripod and a housing.

But it's all in your head.

I do what I can to translate what I see into motion and pixles.

You don't like to use editing plug ins and filters like a grip of

other filmmakers in the biz do. Why don't you rate 'em?

It's not that I don't like them. When used correctly they can look sick,

but when used over entire clips, sections or movies they just look like

they're trying to cover up bad camera work.

The way I see it is the way I like to shoot it.

That means no blown out whites (because you don't go walking around

where everything you see is so white you can't open your eyes),

or super tweeked out colours or whatever.

It has its place but not 100% of the time.

Oh yeah and Twixtor is rancid.

I wish people would stop trying to make it look like they're shooting

on a Phantom. It doesn't work and it looks tacky and crap.

Leave that to Chris Bryan.

What do you think of the current state of surf films?

Are they tickling your fancy? Progressing?

I loved Year Zero. That's what films should be like.

I wish I had a realistic prospect of being able to shoot 16mm.

Rick Jacko's water work gets me so amped.

But unfortunately there is too much emphasis on surfers just getting their clips out there

a-sap so groms will froth and get mummy to go buy some board shorts.

But that's where the industry is heading, so you gotta make the best of it.

What filmmakers do you look up to?

Not so much filmmakers as filmers. I think the 2 Ricks (Rifici and Jackovich),

as well as Chris Bryan are crazy water camera men.

I think Johnny Frank is the water lord. His work is just so artistic and amazing to look at.

Plus all my filming buddies that i have met in the last few years

List 5 of your favourite surf films of all time.

Montaj

Crystal voyager

Rusty vids

Sipping Jetstreams/Castles

and a few bodyboard vids.

Are you managing to get through each day financially because

of your work as a filmmaker?

Just enough I would say, but I'm getting there - bring on 2012.

What projects are in the 2012 pipeline?

Nothing is really locked in at this stage but there are a few things planned with Ry

and hopefully a couple more trips.

Ever filmed a back yard porno with ya tripod?

I dont think so mate, sorry to disappoint you.

Yeah i'm gutted, what a waste of talent.

So can crew get their hands on a hard copy of the clip?

I wish, but I can't see anyone bothering to fund it.

Final words or thanks?

Thanks to Ry, Clay, Mikey and Ryan.

Thanks to Matty Sims and Shea Perkins for helping me sort out this movie.

And thanks to everyone else - you all rip.

Cheers mate, All the best with your next adventures.

Go to Small Projects Part 2 with photographer Spencer Hornby.

Go to Small Projects Part 1 with videographer Ryan Moss.

Small Projects Part 4 coming soon.

7 MILE - JOHN JOHN'S DREAM YEAR IN HAWAII - TWENTY 11

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:32:00 -0800

Had the pleasure of watching John John Florence (the youngest contestant to have won the prestigious Vans World Cup of Surfing at Pipe), surfing in West Oz last year, but I'd trade that any day to catch him on his day at home on the North Shore. This vid - 7 Mile - John's Hawaii Season - is about as close as I'll get for now. Epic clip.

BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB - NEED SOME AIR

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:16:00 -0800

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with Need Some Air, found on their highly addictive album, Baby 81.

This isn't the official film clip. Tribute video to honour the song/band created by Guerabelga Productions

Blackrebelmotorcycleclub.com

ROGER SKATEBOARDS x ADIDAS ADIEASE LOW COLLABORATION VIDEO

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:15:00 -0800

Get BUNK! adidas Skateboarding dropped this video to bring some hype to their new collaboration with Roger Skateboards. The Roger Skateboards [x] adidas adiEase Low colab is looking tight and is now available.

roger skateboards

adidas skateboarding

dqmnewyork.com

RY AND DINO SURFING IN DARWIN? HAHA

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:59:00 -0800

Lets see, how about we name this spot..."The Stretch", Darwin Northern Territory, that will do it. Shot these photos this morning with Ry and Dino.

Rycraike.com

Dino Adrian / RVCA blog.

Photos and words by Russell Ord.

NOOSA TO BYRON

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:25:00 -0800

Here are few words and images summing up the good times I enjoyed over the Christmas to New Years break.

From christmas day through to new years I cruised between Noosa Heads and Byron Bay. I spent my time drinking, shooting, surfing, drinking and eating, followed by some more drinking. Scored a super fun afternoon on christmas day at Noosa shooting the Wilson brothers Julian, Seb, Bart and friends.

Next stop was south to the Byron area to bring in the new years at Belongil fields, which was a rad time! Plenty of tweaking characters to have a laugh with. After Byron had taken a toll on our bodies it was time to head back up to the sunshine coast. We ended up getting some fun uncrowded shories with Thom Pringle and Mitch Adams.

All in all damn good times had by all.

Mitch Adams. Wilson Bro's. Julian Wilson. Seb Wilson Steph Gilmore Thom Pringle. Jimmy Lees

Opening blog image featuring Mitch Adams.

Photos by Jack Dekort / jackdekortphoto.com

TODD BAKER 4 GMTA

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:30:00 -0800

Canberra's Todd Baker has been out racking up footage with film boss Rob Crawford for this short and sharp GMTA clip.

Filmed and edited by Rob Crawford.

EARLY MORNING LIGHT SPILLS OVER THE HILL

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 11:03:00 -0800

Russell Ord is no stranger to the darkness of the AM. He's an early riser, usually moving before any sign of the sun.

Thoughts ticking, working on the computer, down at the beach about to go for a swim with his camera, or just kicking at home with his family and a few cups of freshly brewed coffee. Today was no different, early rise, swimming in the drink at Yallingup, shooting empty waves as the early light spilt over Rabbit Hill in Yallingup.

All photos by Russell Ord.

SO WE'VE GOT A BOWL RIDING CHAMPIONSHIP HERE IN OZ - TIME FOR MORE FACILITIES!?

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 10:30:00 -0800

We recieved a press release detailing the introduction of Hurley's Australian Bowl-Riding Championships and it's full of nothing but good news for bowl lovers and the Australian skateboarding community.

The radest part about this comp is that all skater's who rock up at the event are given an opportunity to compete. Before I go and give you the juicy details of the comp, I want to say something. If we want underground rippers to shred bowls competitively on an international scale, the Government should wake up and support crew who are chasing funds to build more parks and bowls in Australian suburbs! Makes sense if we're putting money into events, ain't it?

I know West Oz is in desperate need of new facilities, i'm sure it's a nation wide issue. Build more facilities for skaters and the level of Australian skateboarding will sky rocket...then when these comps pop up, they'll be filth for competitors and spectators. State Government's should stop building shitty roundabouts (cause we're sick of going in cicles), build more for the skateboarding community and the important shit in life will gain momentum.

Why do you think Aussie surfers dominate the WCT ranks...might have something to do with the fact that world class waves are everywhere. We can't build world class surfing set ups, but we can build world class facilities for street, park and bowl skaters. It's not brain surgery! Anyway, that's my spin on the topic, back to the comp details.

For the first time ever, the Australian skateboarding community is presented with the chance to compete in a true 'Nationals' skateboarding competition - The Hurley Australian Bowl-riding Championships (ABC^TM), January 26th-28th 2012. Taking place at one of the countries most progressive skateparks, Bar Beach-Empire Park Skate Park in Newcastle, the event will host an array of Australia's best talent from the bowl riding community including world-vert champion Renton Millar, Professional Skateboarder and T.V personality Corbin Harris and Adrian Jones, pioneer of Australian skateboarding and true legend of the sport.

Presented by Hurley and sanctioned by World Cup Skateboarding (WCS), the all-inclusive Australian event welcomes skateboarders from every skill levels and ages, to sign up and compete for a total prize pool of $20,000 in cash and prizes; across one of its four divisions: Dew Am Jam U18's, Pro/Am, Masters (over 40's) and a female open division.

"Australia's bowl skating scene just got way way better," comments Renton Millar. "Potentially an unknown skater from the middle of nowhere could come up through the system and end up skating against Pedro Barros, Bucky Lasek, or Rune Glifberg. That's an opportunity that has not happened in Australia, and I think it's going to be an amazing experience for young skaters and great for the scene."

"This competition will showcase some of the best talent we have here in Australia and give them the chance to gain wildcard entry to compete alongside International heavy weights such as Steve Caballero at VANS BOWL-A-RAMA^TM Bondi in February," comments Co-Founder Chad Ford.

Three Dew Am Jam Under 18's competitors will be chosen to showcase their talent in the Dew Am Jam at Vans BOWL-A-RAMA^TM Bondi and five pro and five masters competitors will also be given the opportunity to qualify to ride alongside industry greats within their divisions on February 25th at Bondi Bowl.

Ford, also Co-Founder of BOWL-A-RAMA^TM one of the biggest and most successful professional bowl series in Australasia, has been instrumental in catering to the growth of skateboarding within Australia. "We are offering the Australian skateboarding community a platform to pursue their passion and launch their career at a grass-roots level and we're excited to be doing this with Hurley," he adds.

"Hurley's roots are in surf, skate, music, art and our focus is on innovation. Skateboarding has had a long history of innovation and a connection to art and music, so supporting a great event which brings together some of the best skaters in Australia to compete and celebrate the culture of the sport is not only a natural fit for us its something we are very proud of." Jason Haynes, General Manager Hurley Australia

"ABC^TM gives skaters a path. Kids used to look at pro contests and there was no actual way for them to get into contests like BOWL-A-RAMA^TM besides being invited, or being entered as a pro. Now there is a system and skaters can learn the trade skating on a lower level in Australia before turning pro," agrees Renton Millar, who has been working with Mt Dew to identify and support up and coming skaters over the last four years.

Officially kicking off on the Thursday with learn to ride skate clinics provided by Kman skate school, Hurley ABC^TM will provide a range of entertainment to celebrate the competition including art and music events.

REVIVAL: 2011 WITH CHRIS THIESSEN

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:05:00 -0800

One filmmaker i've recently been paying close attention to is a fellow called Chris Thiessen. He's leaving nothing but a good impression. I'm yet to watch something I don't appreciate from this chap. Chris has just started a new personal project, online now for your viewing pleasure. Not your standard skate film, not your standard show reel, you'll have to watch it. The project is called, Revival.

We're going to keep it on your radar.

So what is Revival all about? Chris explains it as "a series of shorts that showcase certain time periods. It could be a year, a month, a week or any amount of time. The idea is to showcase a period of time and remember it through video."

"This is the first one, it features skateboarding, memories from trips, my wife and other randomness from early 2011 to mid/late 2011," he says.

Revival 2011 was filmed in Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Los Angeles, & San Diego California, New York City, Atlanta, Barcelona, Grand Cayman & Jamaica.

Skateboarders featured: Rhett Freeman, Candler Woods, Travis Glover, Jordan Trahan, Jordan Lucas, Clint Peterson, & Max Geronzi.

Also featuring: Christy Thiessen, Kevin Duffel, & Ryan O'Connor.

Filmed & edited by, yeah you guessed it, Chris Thiessen.

We will bring you Part 2 of Revival as soon as it drops.