Whether it’s the versatility or the look, film remains an expressive visual tool for extreme sports cinematographers. It’s certainly clear in the world of surfing. Some productions like Globe’s Year Zero are 100% celluloid; others like Quiksilver’s Moments have mixed film and video. Either way, it’s undeniable that film lends a unique look and feel, and the artists that create these inspiring films continue to turn heads.

With temperatures warming up in the northern hemisphere and swells building in the southern with the return of fall, it’s hard not to be inspired by the amazing footage.  I’ve pulled together some clips from around the web to get the adrenalin flowing and to fill our heads with sun, sand, and surf.

There are countless characteristics within the formulation of film alone that produce unique qualities for filmmakers and moviegoers alike. Couple that with the way we perceive motion picture film projection, and the whole experience leaves you somewhere between science and magic.

From Kodak’s T-grain silver halide crystals, to the brain’s perception of image detail, Brian Guckian (Moving Image Archive News) uncovers “Seven Wonders of Motion Picture Film”, revealing some of the inherent characteristics that make the movie-going experience enjoyable, and perhaps just a bit magical.


Close up of T-grain silver halide crystals

A responsible director takes the question of production format very seriously. That decision has a major impact on how audiences will react to the story and characters. Other factors include cost concerns, story considerations, shooting style, and the emotions that filmmakers are hoping to evoke in the audience. Wise directors and producers depend on cinematographers to help wade through the hype and marketing claims to determine which format is best for a given story.

Brawley-Dennis film tests

Recently, two Australian filmmakers wanted to see with their own eyes the differences between various formats, and to get a sense of how they performed under difficult conditions. They wanted to compare metrics like resolution and clarity, but more importantly, to see how the images differed in less empirical, more instinctive ways.

Secretariat wins the 1973 Triple Crown - by Bob Gately

Bob Gately became a horse lover when he saw Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney in National Velvet when he was 10 years old. Little did he know that later in life, he would shoot some rare and valuable motion pictures of horses.

Gately started bringing his Cavalier Super 8 movie camera to the Belmont racetrack in 1971, when an unlikely rags-to-riches horse named Canonero II was generating tremendous hype as a Triple Crown candidate. Canonero II had surprised everyone by winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, and a victory at the Belmont Stakes would make the horse the first since Citation in 1948 to complete horseracing’s ultimate feat.

Nazar Melconian

Of Armenian heritage, born in Baghdad raised in the UK and Canada.  Now making a living between Toronto, Canada and soon San Francisco, California. After university I spent a year working as a junior art director for a small agency producing billboard, magazine and corporate press campaigns in Sydney, Australia. Truthfully it was a means to afford travel and experience…shortly there-after I left for Asia and Europe travelling with backpack. Lover of life, people, music, staying fit with Muay Thai Kickboxing, making short films, eating Pho & Thai food!

I make retro-chic super 8mm fine art wedding+lifestyle films at the company I cofounded MIMMO & NAZ INC.