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.

We last talked in June before the wedding season really picked up in the northern hemisphere. What have you been up to?

It has been a period of change & renewal.  For the last year and a bit I have been working towards branching out on my own.  I initiated the long process of closing the old company so that I could chase my own dreams and visions.  So far, this goes down (without trying to be dramatic) as one of the most pivotal moves of my career - and as I speak with you today, I definitely feel that I made the right decision.

Tell me a little bit about your new company Naz Films Inc.

I founded Naz Films as a natural extension of how I identify myself as an artist and filmmaker.  I love to tell stories, always have. No matter what the medium of choice, it all serves my understanding of how I want to express a given subject.  I hope everything I do is a reflection of how I see hope and beauty in the everyday.  I make wedding films and lifestyle films... Honeymoon films, Birth films, Babies First Year films, Boudoir films, Engagement Films, Vacation+Cottage+BBQ Films.  They are all stunning keepsakes -- little life histories of family and good moments that we all have experienced in our own lives!!!!

Scene from A Wife Alone

Before directing the noir thriller A Wife Alone, Justin Reichman had worked extensively as a script supervisor. That experience gave him insight into a wide variety of directing styles. When he was ready to direct his own feature film, he knew what he wanted. “I wanted to make my project personal,” he says. “It has a classic noir framework, with flashbacks and twists and turns. But I put my own spin on it, with some real comedy to balance the darker themes. It’s about newlyweds, and having just gotten married myself, I can understand the ethos.”

A Wife Alone is the story of a nervous, but ruthless and determined young woman whose female lover is a prostitute. The pair concocts a scheme to murder one of her clients, and rob his partners. The plot culminates in a dinner party where the weather is hot and the subtext is hotter.

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam Twenty, Cameron Crowe’s retrospective of the rock group’s first two decades, airs on PBS' American Masters series on October 21st.

The filmmaking team of cinematographer Nicola Marsh and editor Chris Perkel blended archival footage and new interviews to tell the story of the band’s genesis in the Seattle grunge scene, its rocket to stardom, and its subsequent search for wisdom and balance. A surprising amount of film existed, included Super 16 footage of the band’s second performance ever. Lead vocalist Eddie Vedder often carried a Super 8 camera on tour. And many outtakes from music video shoots over the years yielded important story beats. Read the full InCamera article 

As a follow-on to last week’s film formats for TV post, I would like to take a broader view of what people are shooting in the feature film arena these days:

Let’s start with 65mm color negative. The big, recent example of 65mm use is on The Dark Knight. It’s not an entirely 65mm production. The 65mm was cut into a number of 35mm shots, like the Bank Heist and the Batmobile chase scenes. 65mm was chosen to do this because it simplyis the best. In the opening sequences of The Dark Knight you can just see the quality that 65mm brings to the screen.