It Begins!

After months, nay years of planning, reading, dreaming and hoping we are finally on location filming ‘The Endless Winter – A Very British surf Movie’. We’re chuffed to bits to have assembled a crack team of the best surfers and surf videographers in the country all keen as mustard to tell the world about the history of their unique sport and to meet the people that started it all. A massive thanks to Ford who with the Ford S-MAX are presenting the project, without them none of this would be possible.  Fittingly as soon as we set off for Newquay the heavens ceremoniously opened. It will indeed be a very British film shoot!

Calling Home

While out for a drive Egor took the opportunity to phone home.

Postcards from the South West

Some behind the scenes pics from the South West leg of our journey. The weather was cruel, the waves were unreliable but the people we met were brilliant! As expected the Cornish were welcoming, entertaining and very proud of their rich surf history.

It was a pretty hectic shoot from a crew point of view and it’s fair to say that mine and James’ schedule was a little ambitious! As a team we quickly bonded (sharing caravans makes that pretty essential) and we soon got in sync and worked through the inevitable technical teething problems, largely based around the nano-flash recorder that kept cutting out mid take!

All in all, an awesome first leg to the journey. Shed loads of footage in the can and a real sense that after months of planning we were finally making the film that we’ve all talked and dreamed about, very happy days in the Endless Winter camp!

The Endless Winter: A Very British Surf Movie; The Teaser

This is the teaser for the forth coming feature length documentary and web-series ‘The Endless Winter – A Very British Surf Movie’.

Mitch and Egor travel the length of the UK in their Ford S-MAX on a road trip tracing the wild and unusual roots of British surf culture. This video features;

Interviewees: Roger Mansfield – Pete ‘PJ’ Jones – Malcolm Findlay – Charles Williams

Surfers: Alan Stokes – Gabe Davies – Russ Winters – Nate Phillips – Nigel Semmens – Steve Daniels – Carwyn Williams

Archive courtesy of: SWFTA – Three S Films – ITN Source.

Music: The Dakotas “The Cruel Sea”.

Next stop Cymru…

I was excited about heading towards Wales.  Early surf trips as a grom for contests there were always fun and everyone in the Welsh surf scene seemed so welcoming and cool. Whether out at Freshwater in Pembroke, Llangennith on the Gower or Porthcawl, we scored great waves for contests on such varied coastlines.
They just all bloody loves it, see! 

Scotland – The final leg…

After 5 weeks on the road there was a slight sense of delirium as we crossed the boarder into Scotland. We made it to our Bothy after dark and enjoyed a cosy night of man bonding before getting back on the road.   

We couldn’t pass Loch Ness without a quick dip. After a morning of drizzle and fog the clouds lifted and we all enjoyed a half-hour swim with Nessie. Unquestionably one of the most stunning places I’ve been and a really amazing moment for all of us. Respect to cameraman Alex and soundman Joe who went in armed only with their good humour!  

The charts had been disappointing in England and Wales but all signs suggested that Thurso was going to pump, by the time we’d passed Inverness you could hear Mitch, Egor and Mr. B frothing from 100yards!

We made it!

It was an epic journey to say the least and as well as growing impressive beards we’ve all grown a little bit as surfers and filmmakers. Over the past five weeks we’ve slept in caravan parks, Scottish Bothy’s, city youth hostels and one luxury pad (some of us even got to have our own beds!)  We’ve met over 50 surfers and the boys have been for a surf/paddle in one Ocean, two Seas one Loch and one dirty River.

A massive thanks to everyone that helped us along the way and to all of the surfing crews that made us so welcome – still can’t believe they let us in the Badlands! Big up to the Ford S-MAX massive who made the trip possible, sorry about the missing wing mirror and the smell, that was Mr. B’s wetsuit.

Keep up to date with the edit on the blog. The next episode will be released online this Friday.

One last shoot for 2011

What better way to finish the year than to catch up with Mitch and Egor in Newquay for an end of year surf. We wanted to get a few shots of the boys surfing in some pretty undesirable conditions and the good old British weather kindly delivered torrential rain and howling winds all day, perfect!

A massive thanks to everyone for their support this year, the edit is coming together nicely and we’re all frothing about 2012 and the release of the film. Watch this space.

Episode 4; The Only Girl In The Polluted Curl

Mitch and Egor travel to industrial Port Talbot in South Wales, where Britain’s best ever female surfer, Linda Sharp learnt her trade in one of the most polluted breaks in the UK.

Despite the pollution, Port Talbot has been home to a thriving community of resilient surfers since the late 60s and is known to produce some of the best waves in Wales.

Archive courtesy of;  Christos Stylianou & John Baxendale

Images Courtesy of;  Linda Sharp & Pete Bounds

Music; Rory Gallagher – Crest Of A Wave www.rorygallagher.co.uk

The ‘Endless’ Edit – First cut ready to go…

After 6 long months in a dark edit-suite, we have emerged with the first cut of our feature film!!

There’s still a long way to go before it’s revealed to the public this summer but it’s definitely – a film, with amazing surfing, beautiful archive, a sick soundtrack and some pretty outstanding yarn spinning from over 40 charters in British surfing. It’s looking pretty darn good if we do say so ourselves.

A massive thanks to everyone that’s helped us get to this stage – Ford S-MAX, Mr B, Simon ‘the animator’ Ball, John Adams, the Museum of British Surfing, Alex, Ross, ‘Crazy’ Joe Bone, and the list goes on…

We’re now off to London town to show the cut to some very important folk. Fingers crossed, this could mean big things for our little film. 

Cheers everyone

Matt, James, Mitch and Egor  

You Should Have Been Here Yesterday – From the Cutting Room Floor, no.1

Now we’re in the final stages of the edit we’re having to make some really tough decisions and inevitably we’re finding that some sections are having to end up on the cutting room floor… One tough call that we’ve had to make has come from Wales, where we’ve found that there’s just too many characters and stories to fit in!

Unfortunately the Welsh Dragon didn’t roar when we met up with Nate Phillips, Beth Mason and Dean Pageo in South Wales, so the waves were far from their best. None the less everyone caught some nice fun waves in a beautiful little spot somewhere near Cardiff(ish)!

An awesome day and a great night at Nate’s local boozer. It’s that old classic line “you should have been here yesterday!”

Enjoy

Surfers - Nathan Phillips, Beth Mason, Dean Pageo, Mark Harris, Mitch Corbett

Music – Hotel Flamingo; Travelling Theme

Wet Wales – trip highlights

All this ‘tropical’ weather is bringing back fond memories of our trip to Wales back in September. The waves were pretty small, the sky was grey, but the Welsh hospitality was warm as ever. Thanks again to PJ, Linda, Nate, Beth and the Llantwit Major crew…

Thurso – Northern Scotland’s surfing mecca

Looks like we’ll be heading back to Thurso to screen TEW in October, can’t wait. 

We weren’t sure what to expect of mainland Britain’s most northerly town (think that’s right?) but even for us non-surfers there was something magical about this place. 

It’s hard to know whether it was the delirium of having finished the road trip, the over excitement that Thurso was pumping while we were there or just the prospect of a night in Skinandis night club. But it was a massive highlight of the trip for all of us! Good times to come. 

Free National Screening Tour Announcement

The Endless Winter – A Very British Surf Movie (2012 Teaser)

Here’s a little taste of what to expect at the open-air Premiere of The Endless Winter, Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall, Thursday 30th August. 

Get your FREE tickets here…

http://www.theendlesswinter.co.uk/tickets/

More Screening Dates announced – We’re heading North(ish)…

Two more chances to see The Endless Winter in the Cinema if you live in the Midlands or the North East… 

Nottingham (The Savoy Cinema) 20th September.

Scarborough (The Spa) 23rd September. 

Book your FREE tickets here http://www.theendlesswinter.co.uk/tickets/

Merry Christmas from everyone at The Endless Winter

Thanks so much to everyone that’s played their part in making and supporting The Endless Winter this year. It’s been an unforgettable year for us and we’re so excited that so many people have enjoyed the film on TV, at the cinema and on DVD.

If DVD sales are anything to go by, Mitch and Mark will be appearing in stockings and under trees all over the UK tomorrow. Lucky, lucky you!!

Have a great Christmas everyone, thanks again for all your support. Here’s a little reminder of what British surfing is all about…

Cheers

Matt, James, Mitch, Mark and the crew.