Hello Surf Music fans. Got a few messages people are asking questions so thought I'd pop in and give an update on "Sound of the Surf" (a surf odyssey, ha ha). This is not an "official announcement"(I hate that term)and there's not much to say except I'm currently moving forward with completion (spending $) and I believe that by summer 2016 you will all have enjoyed the film in one format or another. It's been a long difficult journey and I'm anxious to get it behind me with as little creative compromise as possible. Will it be what I had originally envisioned? absolutely not. But in many/most ways it will be much better and reach a larger audience than it would have otherwise.

I learned in the first few years of production that there would be two possible paths to take in telling this story. I chose to take the path that would reach the larger audience by being more commercially entertaining, rather than a grass roots fan-doc. I figured this would be most advantageous to the larger surf music community and it's benefactors if the film could be shown on broadcast, theatrical, airlines, etc rather than indie dvd. So, I spent considerable time, funds and effort to make it the highest quality I could given the available material.

SOTS has been within arms reach for the last 2-3 years. We submitted to Newport Beach Film Fest a few years ago and was chosen but had to withdraw when some licenses didn't come through. There have been a few other festivals also wanting the film. I won't go into the many challenges that have come against the project as it has been horrendous. Many many times it has seemed there was a spiritual battle and that somebody, or something, did NOT want this story to be told. I know that doesn't make sense but that's how it went down. Even now there is great resistance and lack of cooperation in some aspects. "Herding cats" would be the appropriate term. But as I told PJ the other day, the train is leaving the station with or without everyone on board. It will mean adjusting some expectations. Most recently we did not make NBFF deadline that I would have wanted to make but I believe everything happens for the best. I really don't want to discuss any more frustrations from here on and I'm sure there will be more to come.

There are still many unknowns such as release date, total run time and budget, but I am much closer than ever. In the last 3 years I worked with editor Michael Kurthy and story editor Karen Everett, who taught documentary at Berkley over 18 years, to craft a universal story. It is now in the hands of Karen and editor Devin Tanchum for fine tuning and lock picture over the next few weeks. Devin edited a film which won Sundance 2015. Mike also worked on some top shelf films and brought with him a world class narrator whose voice you will all have heard if you've been anywhere near a theatre the last few years. These are top notch people who have made excellent contributions so I'm very pleased with the film.

I know it won't be what many of you expected and there is sure to be some harsh critiques. I hope you will all be happy but that could not be the objective. There is very little performance footage, this is a story, not a music video. It is also not meant to be the encyclopedia of surf music and much valuable material had to be left out of the edit. Therefore I'm considering a limited edition DVD with a lot of the wonderful fan material and interviews that were left out which could perhaps be offered as part of fund raising effort too.

Have I said anything new? Probably not but know this that the project is moving forward.

cheers,
Tom

Sound of the Surf, the movie
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Tom, I completely agree with Wes. I can't even imagine everything you've gone through for the past 10 years to turn this film into reality, but I'm extremely excited to hear that it's so close to release! Wish you the very best of luck in overcoming the final obstacles and getting this out there to the wider audiences! How amazing would it be for the general public to finally start hearing something about this music and hopefully gain more appreciation for it! That would be HUGE! Like, TRUMP-HUGE!

Ivan
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"In a world, where reverb rules...(((glissando)))"

tdsurf wrote:

Therefore I'm considering a limited edition DVD with a lot of the wonderful fan material and interviews that were left out which could perhaps be offered as part of fund raising effort too.

And not to put too fine a point on it I would be all over that.

"Ladies & Gentlemen we've reached our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. Our Lovely Ladies from Livorno will be taking your requests for refreshments; so sit back and enjoy "Sound of the Surf."

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

I didn't mean people can't critique it! Poor word choice. Trolling is the word I was looking for, straight out dismissal without explanation.

I am fairly new to the world of surf music and the promise of this film has been around during all that time that I have been studying it. I am over the moon that this is closer to making it out to the public. As long as it was not exorbitantly priced, I would definitely go for an expanded/deluxe version with bonus material.
Sort out who the casual watchers are vs the die hards!

Lorne
The Surf Shakers: https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfShakers
Vancouver BC Canada

Badger wrote:

"Ladies & Gentlemen we've reached our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. Our Lovely Ladies from Livorno will be taking your requests for refreshments; so sit back and enjoy "Sound of the Surf."

I've had a handful of distributors contact me who have seen and want the film, one who is located in France and specializes in EU airlines along with other alternatives.

Sound of the Surf, the movie
Facebook SOTS

Last edited: Jan 16, 2016 11:17:23

Badger wrote:

tdsurf wrote:

I've had a handful of distributors contact me who have seen and want the film, one who is located in France and specializes in EU airlines along with other alternatives.

Ha! That's great. In the FWIW department I seem to recall that cooperation on licensure issues was also one of the big challenges in the Wrecking Crew documentary as well - stretched out that Gantt chart to the margins.
Hang tough! We're pullin' for you & all involved.

Somewhat the same thing. I mean you can always compromise and do without that ONE song or that ONE interview or footage clip or whatever. Denny could have put out something half assed and much sooner right? But at some point you have to draw a line and go with what you've got and make the most of it. I might not be able to afford a Beatles or Hendrix clip in the film, Ed Sullivan might be too expensive. We'll see.

Sound of the Surf, the movie
Facebook SOTS

Last edited: Jan 16, 2016 21:12:19

Here's an update FWIW. After 4 weeks of intense editing sessions I received the final cut for Sound of the Surf this weekend. Editor Devin Tanchum did a fantastic job and I couldn't be much happier with the results. He did an amazing job of finding little surprise nuggets and adding them in, plus removing excessive dialogue and imagery for a much more optimal experience. THAT is why he won Sundance 2015 for a film titled "The Russian Woodpecker". Read reviews for TRW here...
Russian Woodpecker reviews

So besides being relieved that the story has come together so well, (I've had my doubts as it is a very complicated task to interweave so many vignettes) I am very pleased to see he included MORE of Eddie and the Showmen, Delvy / Challengers, Belairs and even additonal Dick Dale. All of this while cutting 72 minutes down to 63!!!

He also chose, without my prodding, to use a LOT of Madeira music from the Carpe Nocturn CD. WINNER!

Now let's hope that all of the licensors cooperate and I can raise the funds to release this thing by June.

cheers, td

Sound of the Surf, the movie
Facebook SOTS

Can't wait to participate in the fundraising!

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.