Gregory Schell, the director of the film had this to say:
After I finished making The Far Shore, about the Naughton/Peterson odyssey, I realized that there are still so many untold stories in the history of surf culture. I had read about the elusive cinematic team of Weaver and Wills in old Surfer Magazines, but they seemed to be too far under the radar for any serious attempts at a story. They were the ‘follow focus’ masters of Super8mm surfing and by hiding in trees, shooting from boats and perching atop cliffs, their perspective was entirely unique. One has to only watch Spyder’s footage of the Laguna Beach Music Festival of ’71 to see what I’m talking about.
I was in utter disbelief when I finally saw how many reels of film they possessed which were taken while working on some of surfing’s most memorable movies. To have the forethought to use their own Super 8mm cameras during these productions, is nothing short of genius.
I’ve had the distinct pleasure of poring through hours and hours of beautifully shot film reels. The majority of which consist of surfing in remote locations which now play a major part in surfing’s travel destinations. Collaborating with Chris Bell and Robb Havassy on this project has been a gift. Their talents are remarkable. More than anything else, I hope that this film inspires you to pick up your surfboard and travel. Weaver and Wills might just be hidden up in a tree nearby.
Contact Chris Bell
Chris Bell, the producer and music composer for the film has this to say:
Making a surf movie has been one of the most outside of the box and cool things I have ever done. My history is in the music and production business. I have never even been on a surfboard. When the opportunity came to work with Greg on Chasing the Lotus, it was like setting out on an adventure with a new friend. During the production I have learned about an amazing culture that I never knew existed. I knew about surfing, but the culture seems almost like a religion. It's very similar to the music culture as far as the passion and depth that surfers have. It's a way of life.
I remember once being so blown away that Greg or Cameron Weaver or just about every surfer I met can tell where a picture was taken just by seeing the wave...even if there is no land in the shot.."How can you tell where that is by looking at the wave?" Cameron answered', Dude, it's no different than you being able to tell what kind of a guitar it is in a song just by hearing it..Then it made sense.
After spending time with Greg traveling and meeting all these surf legends, young and old, I have come to really appreciate what surfing really means to these people. And the history of the sport.
The whole project was awesome. Greg and I had no idea that the scope of this film would be so wide. In the beginning we had a lot of film, but neither of us really knew what the story was going to be. As we asked questions, did interviews, read old surf magazines and talked to surfers, this amazing story just unfolded. Even today we are blown away by what we came upon in making this film. We uncovered stories that are so compelling we hope to make our next two films based on them. So stay tuned!
Writing the music for the film was another awesome adventure for me. My idea from the beginning was to make the music about the location and era that we were seeing on film, but somehow make it contemporary and give it an edge. I used instruments from all over the world and tried to stay within the sounds one might really hear in that country. It was challenging but very rewarding and fun.
I think everyone is pretty stoked with the music. I know I am.
