Thursday, June 4, 2009

Paddle Surf Video Collection: A few from the past couple years.

I think I've made almost twenty different paddle surfing video clips over the past two (three?) years we've been online. Here's a little collection of some of my favorites; along with a little bit of the backstory on each one.

Of all of the clips I've made, this one is my favorite. I just cruised around town one Saturday morning shooting whatever and whoever I came across. I got all kinds of stuff; sunny days, cool front lit morning shots of friends surfing, bikes, boards. All capped off with a snappy little song called Shining On by Big D and the Kid's Table.

Adding the sound track is my favorite part. There's real magic when you drop the music over your clips- it's the mana that brings the thing to life. This one just makes me smile everytime. It's all about the cool little upbeat, the jangly little guitar riff; reminds me how good it is when the suns shining over our little beach town.


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I think Big Chad hit a home run with this next clip. Chad couldn't paddle surf that day because he'd busted up his knee playing basketball. He showed up on the beach with his camcorder and said he'd shoot us, edit it up and post it that night. We were bummed for the guy, but, I have to admit, we were also secretly stoked to have someone taping us. Yep, we're that shallow.

That night, when I saw this one up on p.net, I was blown away. Chad was able to take a mediocre session and make it look pretty darn fun. And the guy had a cool style with his editing too. His slow-mo cuts fit the groove of the video and his music choice was spot on. Common Sense's little piece dropped a dreamy little feeling over the whole thing. Bravo, Chad! Four Stars


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I first heard Easy Star All-Star's version of this Pink Floyd classic deep down in Baja. We were camped out under a billion stars, perched on a cliff above a classic, desert point break. I was all hopped up on red wine, feeling fuzzy and under that huge, Baja sky I was contemplating how I was basically just a little piece of human fluff on the navel of the world... or something equally boozy like that. Anyway, Dr. John's kid pops this track on and just floored me. It was an order of Pink Floyd- hold the melancholy. Pink Floyd-lite, if you will; perfect for me because I'm basically intellectual-lite. I did my best to edit the surfing to the music... I think it worked out pretty well.


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Here's a cool one with absolutely no surfing in it. The track, "Viva Tirado" by El Chicano is just so velvet smooth it kills me- which is an anomaly because the song violates one of my music ground rules: No bands with organs in them. I can't stand The Doors because of that cheesy little organ- but this one, this one just knocks me out. Stamps lays it down nice and smooth making the difficult look easy while El Chicano takes off the edges. I dig it every time I see it.


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Can't wait to put together the next couple of vids- got a whole list in my Ipod that'll knock your socks off- at least the plan. Get out and get some!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awesome videos. I sup 24/7, I fish 24/7, I live 24/7! I also check your site 24/7 so keep the updates coming. Tomorrow , I am out there! Early paddle to 33's or chasms may be the call.



Sunset Cliff

(AKA, the cliff weasal, cliff hawk, cliff bar, or Clifford the soul dog will do too)

John Ashley said...

Hey Cliff-

Sounds like you've got it dialed- I dig your priorities. Wish I could go get some at 33s too- that place is killer. I'm booked solid tomorrow and Sunday so very little surfing for me- get a fat left hander for me!

Burns said...

Nice blog & nice videos, eh!

John Ashley said...

Burns:

Thanks- glad you enjoyed them (it)...

more to come.