The event will happen this Thursday, October 16th at the Patagonia headquarters, located at 259 W. Santa Clara st., in Ventura, California, at 7:00 pm. There will be also a live music performance by Matt Costa after the movie. Tom Curren, Kelly Slater, Kolohe Andino and all three Malloy Brothers confirmed their presence at the event.
One Track Mind explores the common thread that drives the most influential surfers from three generations to push wave riding to new dimensions. Experience the unique opportunity to sit up close and personal with the most prolific surfers of our time as they share the secrets that gave them inspirational and technical elements to be the best the world has ever seen.
Shot on location in Mexico, Indonesia, Micronesia, Australia and Southern California, the cast includes today's best up-and-comers, including Jordy Smith, Kolohe Andino and Julian Wilson, state-of-the-art talents like Mick Fanning, Dane Reynolds and Joel Parkinson, as well as veterans Kelly Slater, Sunny Garcia, Mark Occhilupo, Wayne Bartholomew and Tom Curren.
We caught up with Chris Malloy, who previous projects include A Broke Down Melody, Shelter, Thicker than Water and September Sessions, to ask him some questions about his new project and also his thoughts on surf movies in general:
Tell us a little bit about OTM and the whole thought process behind it.
"The idea behind OTM was to document the surfing and personalities of the best and most interesting
Don't get me wrong, the documentation of a few great surfers who are friends on an untouched coastline is still my favorite genre but a lot of the stuff you see today has become a bit of a parody. I really think some of the guys on tour are more interesting than a lot of the uber surf cults and fetish driven factions. Everyone is wearing skinny pants now though, so it's hard to tell them apart once they're on land."
As a filmmaker, what topics do you find interesting and intriguing when exploring the culture of surfing?
"I love origin. I find the best way to get a real feel for anyone is by talking story.
The most minute thing can spark a revolution in culture and design. Mining these phase changes from hours and hours of footage is, for some strange reason, really enjoyable to me.
In the case of OTM it was a breath of fresh air. No one was reaching for meaning or trying to make forced summation. It was just very matter of fact. I think its almost more telling in a way."
What elements of surf videos are important for you in your projects?
"Music, flow, the inclusion of foreground and background when needed, the lack of titles, some kind of subtext. Oh and dogs humping on the beach."
What's your opinion about the level of surfing films nowadays and the whole idea of "surf porn"?
"The level of surf flicks has gone through the roof... That's why I don't watch them. I'd probably quit if I saw how good they have gotten. I actually do quit making surf movies every time I'm done with one."
16mm vs. digital. What's your take on that?
"Making a 16mm film is like fly-fishing. You have to really commit, know your gear, take chances and just basically do it for the love of it. Shooting video is like fishing with TNT. You shoot the shit out of everything and then dredge out what you want to go sell. You can't make 16mm surf films (that aren't surf company backed commercials) and make a living. You have to have another job to pull it off. That said, there are some really talented kids out there making surf movies that would otherwise never get the chance if they weren't using video. There is a movie coming out soon called Displacement that is beyond low-if, I'm more excited to see that than the new surf IMAX coming out next year."
What's the ultimate message of OTM for the next generation?
"This film is experiential rather than philosophical in terms of the surfers' ideas and dialogue.
So besides our concept in the opening of the film where Alex Kopps' animation morphs from MP into Buggs then into Tom, Kelly, Andy, Mick, and finally Kolohe, the film and its surfers make their own case. Through a few simple questions answered they illustrate the elements that have gotten them to the place they are at."
What keeps you motivated about making surf films? Do you ever plan on shooting a non-surf film?
"I just like to be in the water, and every few years a story comes along that is worthy of communicating through film. The crew I work with is getting pretty decent at what they do so we might take a stab at a documentary here in the next year or so. Three days ago I was in Santiago Chile talking with a guy named Juan Pablo Orrega, google that dude if you get a chance. He's pretty interesting.
We might have to do a film about what they are up to down there. I watched a young surfer called Ramon Navarro walk into a political meeting down there with a bunch of big wigs in suits. He backed a developer into a corner and ran the guy out of town when the guy said he was going to put a hotel on the pristine point that he and his family have fished on for generations. The next morning I watched him pull into ten-foot tubes. Surfers like that are interesting to me, unique at least."
Anything else you would like to add? Any special thanks?
"I'd love to thank Rabbit and Kelly. Those guys articulate their experiences really well and their perspective on history is amazing. And then of course the whole WoodShed crew.
Oh, and Devon Howard rules the world."
With that said, don't miss this unique opportunity to check out One Track Mind!
If for some crazy reason you are not able to attend to the event, there will be also an exclusive online world premiere happening on the same night at facebook.com. You will have a chance to participate on a forum about the movie with Chris and some of the surfers featured on the movie. Log onto www.facebook.com/film for more info.
