When Jack Coleman drops a new movie we always sit up and take notice. This multi-award winning filmmaker always seems to be able to wrangle together a cohort of the most interesting and creative surfers on the planet and extract the most effortlessly stylish and mindblowing waveriding yet captured on celluloid.
In his latest feature THE ZONE, Coleman serves up an alternate surfing dimension that is sure to blow minds. Featuring the fins free wizardry of Derek Hynd and Ryan Burch as well as smooth flowing artistry from the likes of Rob Machado, Alex Knost, Ari Browne, Ozzie Wright and Bryce Young, this wave sliding escapade takes us on a journey through the endless walls of Australia, South Africa, Costa Rica, Mexico and California. THE ZONE is pure, must see, mind expanding inspiration.
We caught up with Jack to find out more about THE ZONE.
Can you tell us a little bit about the idea behind the film?
THE ZONE was my way of showcasing, what I think to be, the best – most pure surfers on the planet. All of these guys have huge respect from the surf world and I wanted to show why. Surf movies today can be watered down by outside forces. With THE ZONE, I wanted to bring it back to the old days, when friends got together to surf, not having any ties to the corporate side of making a surf film. Making an honest movie was my goal, not straying too far from the ascetic art of surfing. THE ZONE is meant to extend ones consciousness to the possibilities of what surfing is.
You’ve pulled together an awesome cast. How did you decide who you wanted to work with and how difficult was it to get everyone together?
Yeah, the cast was the whole reason for the movie! To have the opportunity to shoot these guys has been a dream come true. Each surfer has such a different path in life and in their surfing as well, and I wanted the movie to reflect that. It was my goal to keep the cast as minimal as possible. These twelve surfers are pretty much my favorites. I didn’t want to just put someone in there because I think other people would like them. All of these guys are on another level, deeply conscious of life and the ocean.
The film took two years to complete – was this always meant to be such a long project?
Yeah, I wanted to stretch it out as much as I could. I’ve found that the way I make films takes a bit longer to produce, because I do it all on my own dime. Two years seems to be a great time period to make a real movie, and I think it shows in the end product. Wanted more of quality over quantity, so that takes time. I had no real deadline or obligations to anyone, so I knew when it was ready to go, and I released it. It was a great process to work in, allowing me to edit the movie for over a year.
There seems to be a real joy in the whole fins free movement that’s captured so well in this film – how is it to work with Derek Hynd?
Well Derek Hynd is a king. A true living legend. He embodies all that it is to be a surfer. Not looking for praise or attention, actually, shunning the mainstream, and I respect that. His personality is quite unique, to say the least. A true surf historian with an amazing way with the English language. The stories he tells are awe inspiring tales of the past & present day. His life is as mad as he is in the water, surfing as much as we did as grommets. Now into his 60’s he is still progressing as a surfer, and that’s what I want to do, I think all of us want to do. Sometimes difficult, maybe just salty, but he respects what I do and I’m lucky for that, because there are not many people who get the chance to shoot him in the world.
What was your favourite part of the project?
My favorite part of the project was how it all seemed to be manifested. If you don’t believe in the Universe you are missing out on life. This film reflects how things are attainable with the right amount of passion and honesty. To make this movie has been a highlight of my life, a reflection of my dreams, brought together by the common thread of surfing.
Have a great show!! Hope everyone digs the movie!!
London Surf / Film Festival X Reef 22 September – 1 October brings to the UK the best surf films from around the globe. Accompanied by talks with waveriding’s most inspiring heroes and icons, a live audio visual performance, a very special 35mm screening, a gallery show, music, art and more this saline hit of inspiration is an essential cultural happening. For full schedule details and info on a couple of very special LS/FF pop-up screenings head to:www.londonsurffilmfestival.com
Welcome to Coney Island, the Halloween Masked Ball’s newest instalment of fun – and a world where the magical and macabre got jiggy and sired a litter of fabulous freaks, glamorous geeks and utterly grotesque human marvels. It’s going to be a blast and we’ve got a pair of tickets to give away.
In just a few weeks’ time, the gates will creak open at the sixth Halloween Masked Ball, which this year takes its inspiration from New York’s infamous pleasure beach and boardwalk. This outlandish event in deepest darkest Cornwall has grown to become Europe’s largest – and most deliciously indulgent – Halloween dance music extravaganza.
The theme of this Halloween’s walk on the wild side is ‘freaks, geeks and human marvels’; a reference not only to the tormented and twisted sideshows on offer, but also to the revellers themselves – the ‘Ballers’ – who dress to excess, party like there’s no tomorrow, and help make the sensory-overloading event the highlight of the hedonist’s calendar it has become.
October 29th sees the Ball return to its Halloween home in Helston, at Los Flambardos – a working theme park, with enough rides, thrills and spills to give Coney Island a run for its money.
For the un-blooded, the Halloween Masked Ball is a rollercoaster ride through a dizzying kaleidoscope of more than a dozen creatively-curated venues, each with its own demented theme and devilishly decadent decor, all set to a scorching musical score.
New for this year is the Coney Island Stage, hosted by club legends Bugged Out, where party perennials Hot Chip will provide the soundtrack to live shows so surreal you’ll be having flashbacks and night-terrors for years.
Jinal’s Technodrome, another new addition not for the faint-hearted, will rack up the thrills as well as the beats per minute with its mind-warping audio-visual violence – just remember to scream if you want to go slower.
Like Coney Island itself, the Halloween Masked Ball is a totally immersive experience with surprises behind every door and every mask. There are live theatre shows, interactive venues, state-of-the-art lights, lasers and special effects – as well as more than 50 DJs and acts, including LTJ Bukem, Camo & Krooked, DJ Yoda, Ewan Pearson, Karma Kid and Felix Dickinson.
Venues to be discovered and digested include the Hospital Records hosted Grand Ballroom, The Asylum taken over by Loose People lunatics, Fangz (the ‘80s disco), Durty Disco’s Warriors Stage, 45 Live’s Big Wheels of Steel and Future Garden’s Disco Diner.
Masked Ball director Kelvin Batt said: “The team and I are really, really, excited about this year’s event. When you step inside Halloween Masked Ball: Coney Island, it’s going to be like stepping into another world.
“It’s such a fantastic venue for our Halloween show and we are using every nook and cranny to give everyone a totally immersive experience. It’s a real privilege to be able to put something like this on.”
The Halloween Masked Ball takes place on Saturday, October 29, at Flambards Theme Park, Clodgey Lane, Helston, TR13 0QA.
Further details including accommodation, coaches and tickets can be found at www.maskedball.net
Date: 29th October Location: Flambards Theme Park, Helston, Cornwall
Tickets for 2016 are available now through See Tickets. Masked Ball operates a tiered ticketing system with price bands for tickets changing over time – the sooner you buy, the cheaper it is.
Entry is strictly 18+ only. For more information and tickets visit www.maskedball.net and follow festival news on Facebook @TheMaskedBall
To be in with a chance to win a pair of tickets to the Halloween Masked Ball, simply answer this question.
Where is Coney Island? Email your answer to comps@carvemag.com
The competition winners will be announced on 12th October.
Perfect Wave Travel company running a fund raiser for their global charity called A Perfect Foundation.
The party will be held at Fistral Beach Bar in Newquay which is a venue right on the beach at Fistral.
£10 admission which includes 2 raffle tickets.
Raffle Prizes are 5 nights at Island Surf House in Fuerteventura and 5 nights at Laneez Ericeira Surfhouse in Portugal. There is also a signed Kelly Slater board and 4 nights at Kandooma Resort in the Maldives up for a silent auction.
Land of Giants are playing and there is a DJ til late.
Running times:
6pm Start
Band called Land Of the Giants Playing: 8-9pm
Auction: 9-9:30pm
Raffle: 10pm
DJ spinnin’ til close
A PERFECT FOUNDATION http://www.aperfectfoundation.org/ is a Non-Profit Organization created to empower local communities in remote surf regions through education and skill acquisition to make a sustainable difference. Founded by The Perfect Wave Surf Experience, we wanted to be able to give back to the island communities that have allowed us to enjoy their natural resources and homelands.
Donald Trump, and his hotel company ‘Trump International Golf Links’ are seeking planning permission to build a 2.8 kilometre ing 15 foot high seawall to protect his private Trump Golf Resort at Doughmore.
The wall would consist of 200,000 tons of rock dumped on a sensitive coastal sand dune system that over looks one of western Irelands most consistent beach breaks. Save the Waves say “Construction would destroy the valuable sand dune habitat, restrict public access to the beach, negatively impact the quality of the surfing waves, and ultimately result in beach loss.”
The Carrowmore Dunes are a ‘Special Area of Conservation’ by the European Union Special Habitats Directive with 31 acres of pristine sand dunes legally protected.
Save the Waves say “The sand dunes play a critically important role for Doughmore Beach as they contribute the sand supply for the wide, popular beach and nourish the offshore sandbars that make Doughmore Beach a consistently fun surf spot.
“Building a 2.8 km, 15 foot tall seawall at the foot of the sand dunes will unquestionably disrupt the natural process and lead to the dunes’ demise. Over time this will starve the beach of needed sand, negatively impact the surf quality, and ultimately lead to the disappearance of the popular public beach. Public access to the beach will also be severely restricted.
Planning has gone to Clare County Councillors who have asked the company to provide further information.
A petition against the proposal has now reached over 50,000 signatures. You can help buy signing here
Serving up an all star cast of Brazil’s hottest talents from Filipe Toledo to Caio Ibelli, Sorria from Director Gabriel Novis, takes performance surfing to the next level. Combining incredible cinematography, killer sound track and dream like waves in Mexico, Indo, California and Hawaii, this is the performance film of 2016 that everyone is talking about. We caught up with Gabriel to find out what all the fuss is about.
London Surf Film Festival hosts the European Premiere of Sorria Thursday 22nd September. For tickets and info, hit the link: http://londonsurffilmfestival.com/sorria/
What is the concept behind ‘Sorria’ ?
Sorria means smile in Portuguese and the movie is a crazy attempt to inspire people and let them know that they should always smile no matter what and enjoy life because everything happens really fast. So don’t take yourself so seriously…kinda cheesy, but whatever! I wrote some stuff in the film with Cornelia Grimsmo [Norwegian model/actress] and we tried to explain that idea of smiling in a different way.
Were there specific people you wanted to work with?
I picked surfers that I thought would be a good fit for the project. They had to match the film’s vibe and be available and down to shoot. I chose guys that have the ”sorria” spirit and that are good friends with me.
I wanted to represent a little bit of our culture in this film and that’s why I only picked Brazilian surfers.
I wanted to show that surfing in Brazil isn’t all about competition. That even though a lot of these guys compete, they freesurf as much as anyone else. I also wanted to express how Brazilians think and feel, and kind of explain why we are so noisy and take so much space. It’s because we are happy, and we grow up learning that we should always go through everything showing our teeth. It’s like that in Brazil, it doesn’t matter if you have a lot or if you have nothing, we’ve always gotta keep smiling. That’s the spirit of this project.
Who inspires you?
My dad used to collect surf films so I have watched pretty much everything out there. When I was young my favorite films were the Volcom and the …Lost ones like: 156 Tricks by Ozzie Wright, Creepy Fingers, The Decline and Taylor Steele’s films (Campaign, etc.) Now I’ve been watching a lot of Kai Neville’s stuff but Joe G. is the man. Strange Rumblings in Shangri-la is my favorite surf film right now. Outside of surfing I love all of Wes Anderson’s films, but I am also really interested in watching everything Tim Burton and Alejandro González Iñárritu create. My favorite film of all time, though, is probably Apocalypse Now.
You got to travel a lot for the film…
We did travel to a few secret spots in Indonesia, Mexico, Hawaii and all over California for a period of one year. My favourite trip was to Mexico because, for some reason, all of us (surfers and crew) were so connected. The vibe was awesome and we scored perfect empty waves. I could really feel the vibe of ” sorria ” and get excited about this movie.
How was the filmmaking process – the highs and the lows?
My favourite part was going on the trips and also editing because that’s when you see all the possibilities and what can be done with the material you shot. The pre production wasn’t fun at all because I did and still do struggle with finding money for making my projects come alive ( lol ).The hardest part was finding dates that would match the surfers dates because those guys never stop. We would have to plan for months to finally be able to go on a trip together.
What’s next for Gabriel Novis?
There is a lot going on but I really want to keep the ” sorria ” vibe alive. I think this has such an important message and we cannot stop talking about it. I wanna do ”sorria de novo ” which means: smile again. It would be like the part 2 of the movie but this time we wanna go bigger and better and look for this missing smile in some pretty cool places. Travel to cold destinations and focus on the cinematography… Is there anyone reading this interested on helping me out finding money to get this project together? Haha
London Surf / Film Festival X Reef 22 September – 1 October brings to the UK the best surf films from around the globe. Accompanied by talks with waveriding’s most inspiring heroes and icons, a live audio visual performance, a very special 35mm screening, a gallery show, music, art and more this saline hit of inspiration is an essential cultural happening. For full schedule details and info on a couple of very special LS/FF pop-up screenings head to: www.londonsurffilmfestival.com
