empty

I've got all the final 2K color corrected footage back now and just started going through it today.  Really stoked with how it's turned out.  Couldn't be happier with it.  A huge thanks to Ryan Emerson and crew at Process Blue in Connecticut for their work transferring well over 20,000 feet of film, and coloring all the select shots that are in the final movie.  It was a ton of work.  It's been awesome collaborating with Ryan on this project.  

Here is Process Blue's site: http://processblue.tv/2/

This is definitely one of the most spectacular waves I've seen.  And the light during this end of day session was absolutely beautiful.  I shot this from the boat and it was during this session that we nearly got flipped by a very wide set.  My heart stopped for a moment as the small boat went vertical and we just scratched over the lip of the wave as it threw over just under and then behind us.  

Jem Cresswell shot photos in the water this session and got some amazing shots.  One empty in particular that I'll post sometime soon.

this project on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

rolling hills

(click drawing if you'd like it biggie-sized)

At the end of a day of amazing waves, glassy rolling hills kept marching in. The clouds were giant. The ocean was a shiny purple grey. The swell lines hit the reef and threw out big perfect barrels. The spray of the waves glowed an orange/pink from the sliver of sun still hitting them. I'd seen and shot so many waves this day I just sat and watched. They were possibly the most perfect looking barrels I've ever seen. Maybe I should have shot some more. I just took it in though.

click here to visit the film's page on facebook

maelstrom

The swell has fully arrived, but the winds are onshore. So a few of the guys decide we should go trolling for dinner.

The further out we go, the rougher the seas get. I have visions of pearling. Or of the motor dying and being blown into this maelstrom; the boat splintering to pieces on the jagged rocks jutting out of the ocean angrily in the middle of the froth.

As I shift back and forth between pondering a drift story, or getting sucked down into the angry sea, it hits me that we have no radio on this boat. Flares? Doubtful. Life jackets, I don’t think so. Our first aid kit consists of the few band-aids and half used tube of antibiotic ointment I have packed. Not to mention we forgot a large portion of our food rations at Bill’s house; big blocks of cheese and tortillas. And then there’s our one knife blade.

"Uh, you think we should turn around?" Daniel says. Mikala is in the middle of a story about using a board to roof tie down strap as a leash one trip, Timmy is walking around the side of the boat with a box of beer as if we're at anchor in a calm lagoon, and Dustin is casually talking story too like we could be anywhere.

"Let’s turn the ____ around," I say.

Mikala laughs.

click here to visit the film's page on facebook

speed of light

Daniel Jones under a rainbow arc of water on a 3 fin bonzer. This board is so sick. It's a one of a kind. Swallow tail with an E-wing, and the old school side fins. It's the dims of one of Daniel's typical short boards, but maybe just a little more volume overall. Beautiful orange resin tint and a double white pin stripe. There's some footage of Daniel on this board in the film.

This is a 35mm shot by Jason Lukas.

this film project on fb: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

yeeeeeeeeeeewwww!!!!

Darmaputra Tonyo, home break.

Tonyo is all over surf news right now. Nice write up here: "In the surprise upset of the event so far..."

They refer to him as "...a small and wiry bundle of energy that never stopped smiling..."

He's even on Surfline: "making history as the first Indo surfer to make it to Round Three at this event..."

Surf media has taken to calling him Darmaputra Tonjo usually, with a j, and it looks like it's going to stick. In that Surfline feature, he's called Tonyo, Tonjo, and Tonya. Tonyo is his nickname, it's pronounced Tonyo, that's how he writes it, it's what he paints on his boards, and that's what his brother and all his friends call him. When asked about people now calling him Tonjo, he just smiles big and says, "It's OK..." He doesn't really care.

this film project on fb: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

end of the day

Dylan Amar paddling out. I think that's Blacky dropping into that wave. There were some pretty big ones this day. This session my aluminum housing hit my head hard while getting worked in a closeout, left a nice lump and little gash. It made me realize how easy it'd be to get knocked out with this big heavy housing. I went and reluctantly bought a helmet after this session.

dusk

This was after an end of day session in the rain out at 66 beach in Bali. Young Diah from Seminyak was out there with some of the guys from Padma, surfing the left at low tide. Its mostly fast closeouts, and surprisingly heavy with a really strong current when its really low and there's enough swell. When we came in, Diah's grandfather(in the hat), was fishing with his net near the shore. He had all these little fish strewn about on the sand and Diah and him were combing through them.

There's an interesting juxtaposition of old an new along this stretch of beach. Out of frame to the right is a row of dance clubs that go off all night long, and the beach is often crowded with tourists. There are also a few local fisherman who come out at the end of the day and fish from the beach. Diah's grandfather would have lived through the rapid change that happened in his home village. What was once empty rice fields between their family's homes and the beach is now a maze of hotels, villas, shops, traffic, and dance clubs.

In this film frame, left to right, is Tonyo, Diah's grandfather, Diah, Demian, Bleronk, and Dylan.