The Crew...

Obviously, depending on where I'm filming the people with me will change, but there will be a few that will be making a regular appearance..

Digs (AKA Adam)



I have known Digs for 8 Years now and there hasn't been a year where we haven't been on a surf trip together since. Digs bodyboards and surfs.

Chopper (AKA Chris)



I met Chopper at my old workplace when he was my supervisor (ha ha). He is an extremely competant bodyboarder from Durban, South Africa. He makes me push myself to the limit and is a great influence to me. He also longboards and shortboards.

Steph



Steph is my girlfriend. She is forced to learn to surf by me! She is very keen to learn and get stuck in and even chucks herself in the sea in February! Steph supports me all the way with anything that I like to do. This is absolutely awesome, and I couldn't ask for a better girlfriend. We'll be seeing her in the line-up in the very near future.

Luke H



I met Luke last summer and since then we have been going surfing and drinking together ever since. We have both been enlightened into life's little ways. When there's surf, you'll see us at the beach. When its flat, you'll see us down the pub! Luke longboards and shortboards.

Luke TS



Luke is another kindred spirit. I met him 2 years ago and he bodyboards and longboards. We have been surfing together more times than I can count and he is a great mate.

Flooky (AKA Adam)



I met flooky 4 years ago and for some reason, until last year we didn't hang out very much. Since then however we have hung out loads and we surf together on a regular basis whenever we have a spare day together. Flooky bodyboards.


Rob



I met Rob through Chopper. Rob is a bodyboarder who likes to live energetically to say the least. Rob is one of those guys who commits to a wave and goes for it, no matter what the consequences may be! He is also a fantastic photographer.

Pancho (AKA Thom)



I met Pancho through Flooky. Pancho is one of those guys that is naturally talented. He has a great skill as a shaper as well as a surfer. Needless to say, whenever there is surf, you'll be sure to know exactly where Thom is! Pancho shortboards.

Locations for filming..

I will be travelling around this summer to film for the movie. This will include the following:

Ericeira, Portugal - July & August:

The map above shows all of the surf breaks within and around Ericeira. These are all of the universally-known surf spots however, there are many more around there that I will be visiting to gather footage. My reasons for shooting here is because it is normally very consistant year-round, the weather is fantastic, there is a high ratio of surf spots to such a small part of the coastline and it is very accessible from Lisbon airport (where I can fly to from Bristol).

Fuerteventura - Canary Islands - September

I will be heading to the north track of Fuerteventura in September to catch the first of the winter swells arriving whilst the weather is warm and the winds are still predominantly from the east. These are perfect conditions for surfing as the weather is still at its best (which means the sea temperature is warm) and the wind from the east will keep all the waves on the west and north-west coasts clean.

Cornwall & Devon - All the time!

Obviously, as I live in Plymouth, I will be going to the beaches all the time to film.

Tripod..

Although the SD9 Camcorder that I will be getting has an anti-shake mechanism built in, I will still be buying a tripod to avoid any possiblities of bad footage being taken due to hand shake. As I will be shooting from long distances, it makes it even more likely that hand shake will be a problem.

I have looked into suitable candidates for the tripod of choice and it appears that the cheapest and best one for the job is the Panasonic PS-084 Tripod. It is only £20 including carry case for the camcorder as well! Bonus!

A Blank Canvas - Mickey Smith

Once again, the ambience set in this film shows a more soulful side of surfing. This and Thicker Than Water are my two main influences. If I can make a movie that reflects the same mood as either of these, then I will be a very happy man! I suppose that my film that I am going to make will involve all styles of wave riding. Unlike either of these films, Jack of All Trades will be showing more of an element of fun as its main message to its viewers will be that it doesn't matter what you're surfing on, its having fun while you're on it!

Thicker Than Water - Jack Johnson

Even from the trailer, it is obvious to see the mood that is being set. The theme of the film portrays an essence of soul and depth to it. The music helps create the ambience of the film by the slow tempo whilst allowing the audience to absorb the atmosphere of the location. The music also reflects the different cultures that are related to the location of where the movie was filmed.

Despite the fact that the movie is mainly about surfing, there are several instances where the filming is of other things that have been captured along the way. I think that these small parts are important in order to really set the scene and adds to the depth of the film. For example, in the trailer above, to start, a local fishing boat is captured in slow motion, along with later on in the film, a fast sequence of snails on a rock. Although both of these things are insignificant to surfing, it is still highly appropriate within the film due to its ambience created as a whole.

The way that the majority of the surfing is filmed, particularly at the beginning of the trailer, is brilliant. It is filmed with a high contrast in order to emphasize the stormy weather. Stormy weather gives the audience a slightly different take on surfing as most people visualize surfing only taking place in fair weather.

Influences in surf films..

I know this is the biggest cliche of them all, but I have to say that Jack Johnson is a huge influence in what I am intending to do. He made "September Sessions" for his dissertation and my thoughts are that if he can do it, so can I! The style at which he does his, is very soulful and calm. I intend in portraying the surfing lifestyle throughout the film in an artistic, relaxing and happy mood. One of Jack Johnson's most famous accomplishments was a film called "Thicker Than Water". This was once again filmed in the same style. It has plenty of soul, a great soundtrack and creates a real feel for the audience to absorb themselves in.
I have also realised that although the main part of any film is the motion picture, for surf movies especially, the soundtrack plays a huge part on whether the film will become either a success or a failure.
Within the UK there are some films which have interested me and given me some ideas on what to include and also what not to include. One of these films was called "A Blank Canvas" by Mickey Smith. His film was once again an artistic and soulful approach to the surfing lifestyle that I would like to portray in mine as well. I will elaborate on the style I am interested in creating at a later date.

Water Housing...

I have now found the camera I want, but alas, Panasonic do not make their own water housing for the camera..I now have two options:

- Make my own housing.

This is a huge gamble on whether or not it will work in terms of it being watertight but it will still be a great thing to do as it will be a good experience, and fun to have as an addition to the film (special features such as "Making of the film" etc). The construction will feature a piece of PVC soil piping, clear perspex, some marine sealant and some stainless steel clamps.

Instructions found on how to make one

An example of a DIY housing is shown below:

- Buy a water housing from a specialist company.

I have had a look around the net and found various companies that make water housing. They all seem to be around the 200 pound mark whether its from the states or the UK.
One company in particular, Aquatix International seems to have exactly what I need. It is from the states, and including postage, once again, it is around the 200 pound mark.

Aquatix "Aquacam" universal housing:

Camera Of Choice....

I have had massive look through the net and come across the best camera for what I can afford:

The Panasonic HDC-SD9

Its product specification is as follows:

Worldwide, there is a strong and growing trend toward large-screen, high-image-quality televisions and high-definition (HD) broadcasting. In line with this, manufacturers are transitioning to HD quality in all other types of video equipment too. Panasonic, consistent with its long-time position as a leader in the video field is proud to introduce an advanced full-HD 3CCD camcorder, the HDC-SD9.

The HDC-SD9 offers full-HD 1920 x 1080 progressive recording (25 frames per second)** to capture images with a richness and beauty simply not possible with previous consumer camcorders. Users can record motion images with the kind of film-like quality enjoyed in movies at the cinema. Even though there is a natural conflict between high image quality and a high compression ratio, the 17-Mbps bit rate of the HDC-SD9 gives superb image quality and motion response, while its high compression ratio enables one full hour of recording onto a 4-GB SD Memory Card (in HX mode) at full-HD resolution. The model also introduces new features such as Face Detection and the Intelligent Shooting Guide, which make it easier to capture mistake-free shots. It also offers Panasonic's original 3CCD camera system, Advanced O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), and a Leica Dicomar lens - three technologies that team up to deliver full-HD images of exquisite beauty. Viewed on today's high-quality large-screen TVs, video clips shot with the HDC-SD9 are simply breathtaking, with vivid colouring, intricate detail and exceptional clarity.

The SD9 records on both SD and SDHC Memory Cards. Even more compact than the previous SD5 model, the SD9 debuts as the world's smallest and lightest* 3CCD full-HD camcorder. Because SD Memory Cards require no transport mechanism, the SD9 is highly resistant to external impact. This combines with its small size and weight to achieve unmatched mobility. After recording, the SD Memory Card can be taken from the SD9 and inserted into the card slot on a Panasonic PZ700 or PY700 VIERA TV for easy, instant playback of beautiful HD images on a large screen.

* For 3CCD camcorders capable of high-definition recording, as of 6 January 2008.

My Requirements..

What I need from a camcorder:

- As light and as mobile as possible.
- Long battery life.
- As higher resolution as possible.
- No moving parts (to avoid any data errors).
- Optical Zoom.
- 3xCCD.
- Bright Viewfinder.
- Easy to operate.
- Quick file transfer.
- Digital.
- Able to cope with a lot of movement.

Cameras Cameras Cameras..

Before filming commences, a lot of preparation is necessary. First of all, I need to buy a digital video camera. I obviously have a budget for this and I am intending to get the best camera for the money I have. Having looked at what's available, there are different formats to choose from that the video camera saves the footage to; Hard disk, Mini-DV tape, SDHC card and DVD. Obviously, each format has its pros and cons.

Hard Disks

Pros - Mass storage, quick transfer rate to PC and no moving parts.
Cons - Bulky inside the video camera which ultimately hinders its mobility, Hard disks have also been known to become corrupt after file transfers as well as fragment themselves after a while which is potentially irreversable.

Mini-DV Tape

Pros - Great Video Quality, great for archiving, cheap for new tape.
Cons - Video upload to PCs (unless using firewire) takes a long time and sometimes creates problems with sound and motion (i.e lip-sync) co-ordination. Mini-DV tapes aren't very good with high temperatures. Although this is the case with most electrical mechanisms, as the min-DVs are made of tape, they tend to stretch and lose data quite easily.

DVD

Pros - Very versatile once the footage has been recorded onto the disc. Cheap to buy discs to record on to.
Cons - Can't be used normally whilst on the move as the disc will jump whilst data is being written onto it. Maximum storage of raw data is only just over 4GB.

SDHC

Pros - HD resolution can be compressed quickly and efficiently onto the modified SD card by converting it into AVCHD format. The cards are relatively cheap to buy. The cards are divided into classes depending on how fast data can be written onto them (classes 4 & 6 tend to be the ones used in HD digital video cameras). For a class 4 16GB card, (this will hold 2 hours of HD footage) it will cost roughly around the 20 pound mark. Very quick transfer to computer.
Cons - Trying to find AVCHD video editing software is difficult as this software is relatively new, but nonetheless, both Adobe and Sony are bringing out new versions or plug-ins to cater for this format.

Alongside the different storage formats, there are other things to think about:
- The number of CCDs there are within the camera. The CCD in a camera is the processing unit that filters the light through and processes it into whichever format it is being stored on. The difference in picture quality between a camcorder with one CCD and 3 is huge. When a camcorder has 3xCCD, each colour (out of RGB) is filtered and processed seperately through its own chip which therefore creates a much more vivid picture than the picture produced by a single CCD camcorder. So if possible, a 3xCCD camcorder would be ideal, but they do tend to be rather pricey.
- Zoom. Obviously digital zoom isn't really any factor because when the digital zoom is used, it pixellates the image when the picture is zoomed in. As I am making a surf movie, the ideal choices for these factors would be a relatively large optical zoom in order to film the surfers further out to sea.
- Battery Life - If I am going to be filming in the water by using waterhousing, battery life is a big factor to consider. The longer the battery life, the longer I can remain filming.
- Water Housing - whether or not the camcorder's manufacturer has its own water housing or whether a different company produces a water housing for the particular model.