Here are some key tips for filming ocean and surf photography based on your research:
- Positioning is important, especially for surfing footage. Try to film from the side so you capture the surfer and wave clearly without being in their way.
- Respect wildlife by keeping your distance and not disturbing or forcing interactions with animals. Observe from afar.
- Consider angles like underwater shots, aerial shots with a drone if possible, and different perspectives along the shore. Variety makes the footage more interesting.
- Pay attention to lighting. Golden hour early morning and late afternoon can provide beautiful natural lighting. Harsh midday sun may wash things out.
- Use a fast shutter speed to stop motion of
2. Existing Product
The locations are Western Australia and Hawaii and there is minimal effects and it is more
natural. The only effects are when they put words on the screen to show the title of the edit and
the company. All the lighting is from natural areas such as the lava at the beginning and the sun
for everything else. They used Hawaii and Australia mainly for the waves as they have some of
the best waves and conditions in these countries, so it is perfect for filming and to get good surf
clips. The angles vary throughout the film, so for the beginning it is more underneath the water
looking upward to the waves or to film the surfer from underneath so that it gives different
point of views for the intro and it also keeps it interesting for the viewer as you aren't getting
the same view every time. Also the filming includes wildlife as you see a school of fish swimming
around and then it pans up to the surfer paddling over them which makes the clip very beautiful
to look at because you can see how active the ocean is. The colours are really expressed in this
film as it is shot in 4K so you can really see the true colours from the lava and the ocean which
adds more beauty into the shots they used for the build up. The edit makes you want to watch
the whole video because of how well it is put together and how they incorporated nature so
well in it. Also the surfing in the edit is really good, so it is enjoyable to watch someone do stuff
you hardly see from many professional surfers. I chose to look at this edit because it has my
favourite surfer in it but also because of how they used different angles. I have learned some of
the angles they used which were simple but very effective so I will be using them in my trailer.
3. Existing Product
View from a blue moon was filmed in Africa, South Pacific, Oahu and more places but they
weren't named. This film is closer to what my trailer will be looking like as there is less surfing
and more wildlife and shots of the surfer near the ocean and sometimes swimming in it.
Because the waves may or may not be there when I’m in Thailand I am going to have to focus
more on the cut scenes to fill in the missing spaces until I get some surf clips. The angle at the
beginning was completely in the air for around 10-15 seconds showing the landscape of the
locations. But then it moves onto land and into the water, which will be more of what I do as I
don’t have a drone to record from the air. The angles are mainly at the back of the surfer for the
majority of the clips so that it captures the surfer looking onto the ocean and it carries the
theme of the ocean throughout the trailer. There is no effects added into the trailer and the
lighting is purely natural for the full trailer. The music is a big part of the trailer as well as the
clips change with the music and that makes it really smooth and satisfying to watch. The colours
shown throughout the trailer are mainly blue as the ocean gives off a blue tint when you are in
the ocean and the sky and ocean together makes the air look blue, so for the majority of the
film you notice that the colours are usually blue or some tint of yellow from the sun. It makes
the audience want to buy it because it teases you with very minimal surf footage but shows you
all these exotic locations that are known for really good waves, so you want to see the film for
the surf footage that it was teasing you with in the trailer. I am going to incorporate the use of
nature into my trailer because the mix of land and ocean nature worked really well in the trailer.
4. Existing Product
This product isn't a trailer but a small surf edit that has aspects of a trailer in it. The location is
Sumatra and it is in a very rural area. There is a variety of angles used in the video which creates
more of a trailer look to the video. There is also a lot of different shots used as well from long
distance to close distance. Like the other surf videos I have talked about there is still no effects
to change any of the clips and same with the lighting. They only use natural lighting for the clips
and no artificial ones. The use of the location is a good part to the video as the waves are really
good but so is the people living in the small village. The villagers are seen as very friendly so the
people recording can get videos of them talking with the surfers to add more life to the video
and make it have a good vibe to it. The colours are very vibrant probably because of the cameras
they use but the green in the grass and the trees really give off a vibrant colour which contrast
with the brown roads. This makes it look more rural and it looks really nice in the video. They
also have a long intro that builds up to the surfing which adds more of a story to the video and
breaks up the surfing in a interesting way. Adding this into my trailer will help with the story that
I need to include and give the trailer more depth to it so it isn’t just a surf edit. This video makes
you want to keep watching it because at the begin it draws you in to the journey they are going
on to find waves and it makes you want to watch and see what happens. I chose to look at this
because it isn’t a trailer but it has aspects of what a trailer would have and it also has different
ways of showing the surfer on land and what type of shots to use for my trailer.
5. Existing Product
Kissed by god was recorded in the US and Hawaii. This surf film isn’t just about surfing but it is
about Andy Irons who is a surfing legend but sadly died at 32. I wouldn’t say there was effects in
the trailer but they used a lot of old footage and photos which looked old compared to the new
videos so I would say that the style changed but it wasn’t effects. The angles were mainly in
front of Andy because they wanted to show Andy fully so having angles that are in front of him
makes him the main attraction and people can see him clearly. There isn’t a certain colour that
stands out as the clips have random colours and it isn’t all just one certain colour. The lighting is
mainly all natural but in the trailer there is some inside videos of people talking about Andy
which are either inside a studio or a blacked out room in a house because you can see they are
using artificial lights to expose their face as much as possible. I would say that people would
want to watch this film because the trailer is very powerful with emotion and the story is really
intriguing so that makes you want to carry on and see what happens during the story and how it
all ended up so badly. Also you see just how good Andy was at surfing and his rivalry with the
GOAT Kelly Slater so for a surfing fan that is really interesting to see how that rivalry carried out
and how that shaped the competition in surfing. I looked at this trailer because it is a more
movie styled trailer rather than a natural surf film like space and view from a blue moon. So this
gives me more knowledge on how they are different and the different styles they include. I will
try make the video and music work with each other so the transitions look better.
6. Existing Product
Big timers is a modern surf edit that has a lot of effects and different types of cut scenes
compared to the other surf trailers I have looked at. This surf edit is more modern and is made
with a lot of flashy effects. This type of surf edit is more for the younger generation rather than
the retro surfers because this could be compared to some music videos with the flashy effects
and the type of cut scenes they use. Money is also flashed a lot in the edit which isn’t normal to
have for most surf edits so you can tell the young surfer may have had some contribution to the
editing of the small surf edit. The location is in the US and is shown in the city rather than a rural
town compared to the other surfing trailers. The music used is also a lot more aggressive and
they have used rap. Which is something I would want to use, so this is definitely aimed at
younger surfers. The lighting is still natural but may have been exposed more using different
effects to make it more brighter or even sometimes more grim because it looks like some of the
cut scenes are having a greyish tint. The angles for the surfing are mainly looking onto the ocean
so you see the front of the wave but when it comes to the cut scenes you see a lot more of a
variety of angles used. Such as it is looking up towards a group of them crouching down and
they also do quick angles that point out certain clothes such as when they are playing basketball
for a brief moment it quickly shows the basketball and then goes down to his shoes. For a
younger audience this is a really good surf edit because the music is trendy and the effects are
in your face so you keep looking for the whole video without feeling bored.
7. Research Analysis
What common features do the researched products
have?
The main features the surf trailers have are that the videos are
mainly conducted by the music they use. Making music one of
the most important parts to the trailer. Also nature is a big part
to the surf films and it is mainly used for the cut scenes of the
surf films and what breaks up the surfing so that the trailer has
more to it and more minutes if they didn’t have enough footage
of surfing. Using nature also makes the surfing clips more real
because it shows how active the ocean is and we are apart of
that environment. There is a lot of angles used to show of
different aspects of the ocean, such as underneath the water
and from the sky. These are usually the main angles used for the
trailers. The trailers showcase the surfers on land as they are
getting ready to go into the ocean which adds more of a story
and depth to the trailer.
8. What aspects of the research will you include within
your own production work?
I will be including the natural aspects of the trailers I have seen,
the music and video correlation, different perspectives and the
journey some trailers show. I feel that all these parts of the
trailers I have seen will make a really interesting and exciting
trailer and it will work well if I map out what I want and make
sure everything is smooth rather than just putting random stuff
in. So the different perspectives will be from underneath the
ocean what will help with the natural part of the trailer but also I
mean different perspectives as in that I am going to film the
surfer in different ways such as before they go into the ocean to
surf, the plane and in the rural areas of Thailand. Also I am going
to have to pick a good song to use for the trailer as the surf
trailers I have seen use powerful songs that have a slow build up
then when it comes to the surfing the song speeds up. The
journey will also be a main part as that is going to be my build up
and that will break up most of my surfing footage.
10. Secondary Audience research
I have been looking at reviews of Space which is a surf edit that is only 6
minutes long but it has qualities of a Trailer. What I have seen is that people
enjoy what he does in the edit because of how well he does the moves and
effortless it looks in the video. Also people enjoy how they edited the video
and the music they put in the video as well. This type of reviews would
suggest that the people watching the video are John John fans or surfers who
look at the technical side to this type of surf edit rather than just watching it
because it looks cool. I didn’t see any non surfer in the reviews who said they
watched it because they saw it come on their feed but everyone who decided
to make a review was very knowledgeable about the sport. What this says
about my audience is that if I was to make my trailer similar to this video, I
would get more real surfers than non surfers because of how it is all made
rather than a mainstream type video. Also people would be judging on the
surfing also because that was a big thing I saw in the reviews so for me I
would have to try and get some clips worth putting in. My product would
appeal to this audience because the music and the editing will be the main
part to my video because I am not a really good surfer so I am going to need
to compensate that with a interesting trailer.
11. Secondary Audience research
View from a blue moon is a trailer that I looked at for my influences and
existing product. It is something that is really good looking and well made
which has been one of the reasons it is very popular in and out of the surf
culture. I have noticed in the comments of the trailer people who don’t
even surf admire the cinematography and the shots they used before the
surfing even began which makes this trailer very good to get influences off
and try to find things I can put into my trailer. What this says about my
audience is that people enjoy watching smooth and great shots which I
can back up because that comment has 40 likes meaning a lot of non
surfers still admire the work that is put into getting a great looking shot. So
for my trailer if I can add some good looking and smooth shots, I would
know that some people would be interested in watching the real movie
just for that reason. Which would help if I had less surfing clips then I
thought I would. My product would appeal to these type of people you
enjoy clips other than just the surfing. Because I am not a high level surfer
at this moment so my clips will maybe have a rare good clip and mainly
would be average surfing clips, so if I am able to make everything more
impressive people would still enjoy the trailer because of how it is made
and wont focus on the surfing as much. But that means I would have to
put in a lot of detail into my shots if I wanted it to be successful and
enjoyable to watch.
12. Secondary Audience research
I have noticed music is a big part to the trailers and videos I have watched.
Many people talking about the trailer and videos or reviewing them usually
compliments on the music that they included and they want to know the song
because they like it that much. For me, seeing this means that I am going to
have to think hard about what music I want to add to the trailer so that
people can enjoy not only the trailer but the music in it as well. Another big
part to keeping the attention of people is making surfing look fun rather than
make something serious, this is because I have noticed people saying that
they want to start surfing because of the video and that has inspired them
into wanting to try the sport after watching the video. This means that non
surfers take an interest in good looking surfing videos which would be a good
thing to include into my trailer so that even non surfers can enjoy the footage.
What this says about my audience is that it is going to be a bunch of different
types of people watching it because it has got different elements of what they
enjoy, so you have people who watch because of the shots they use and other
people are watching because of the music they can find and other are just
there to see other sports and find inspiration. All these elements make a
successful trailer because it includes so many different people, that’s why I
think my trailer could be good because I am going to try add different
elements so people other than surfers can enjoy what I have created.
13. Subject Research
For a trailer I have noticed that most lead with the surfer packing
and begins the journey to the waves. A lot of people enjoy this
because it gives the true adventure of surfing. Adding this in the
beginning would also work with the trailer as this could be a part
of the movie in which this trailer is about. The journey is usually
only a minute long with slow shots which gradually develops to
getting to the destination. The journey also adds more build up
to the surfing footage and you can also get good scenery footage
during the journey so people who are interested in where they
are going or the culture there, you will most likely get from the
journey. So it is a very important part to a trailer.
14. Subject Research
I will be filming in Koh Samui on the East Coast for the majority
of my trailer. But for the surfing footage this depends on if I am
lucky to get waves there as it is a very inconsistent swell there.
There is a lot of see life there so I will be able to capture a lot of
scenery clips to add into my trailer. The culture in Koh Samui and
the surroundings will also make really good scenery cut scenes
which will be used to fill in the trailer and make it more
aesthetically pleasing. Also it will be very easy to record in Koh
Samui so I wont have a shortage of clips because of how much
wildlife and vegetation is in the island. I feel like I can get a lot of
good looking clips when I'm there which will help with my trailer.
15. Subject Research
For my subject I am going to need to research ocean and surf
photography and filming. This is needed so that I can understand
how to capture the best shots as I possibly can. For my basic
knowledge I know that being in a good position helps, especially
if it for the surfing footage because you are able to film the
surfer and not be in the way of his wave. Also for the ocean
photography you have to respect the animals in the ocean and
not force a picture onto the animal, such as getting to close or
actually moving the animal. The way I am going to find tips is
mainly going to be through YouTube videos or surf magazines
which have surfing photography in them. Magazine will help
with knowing who the photographer is, so I can research that
photographer and see if he/she has put out any advice on how
they get their images.
22. Bibliography
1. Spencer Klein. (2019). Space. Available: https://youtu.be/ClH41qQaR0U
2. Brain Farm. (2015). View from a blue moon. Available:
https://youtu.be/bTqVqk7FSmY
3. Steve and Todd Jones. (2018). Kissed By God. Available:
https://youtu.be/GJWIPRvtAHk
4. Rip Curl. (2014). Surfing Is Everything. Available: https://youtu.be/AFF3_HZdvdc
5. Blake Michel. (2017). Big Timers. Available: https://stabmag.com/news/so-you-
wanna-film-surfing/
6. David Scales. (2018). Opinion. Available:
https://beachgrit.com/2018/09/john-john-florence-space/
7. Magicseaweed. (2019). Surf Reports. Available:
https://magicseaweed.com/
8. Koh Samui East Coast surf on google
Editor's Notes
Choose a recent product similar to your own and annotate it
Type of image- studio/location, angle, effects, post-production
Use of lighting/composition/mise en scene/costume/props/location/colours/fonts etc.
Audience appeal- how does it make its audience want to buy/watch/play it?
Why have you chosen to look at this? What have you learned that can help you in your project?
Choose a recent product similar to your own and annotate it
Type of image- studio/location, angle, effects, post-production
Use of lighting/composition/mise en scene/costume/props/location/colours/fonts etc.
Audience appeal- how does it make its audience want to buy/watch/play it?
Why have you chosen to look at this? What have you learned that can help you in your project?
Choose a recent product similar to your own and annotate it
Type of image- studio/location, angle, effects, post-production
Use of lighting/composition/mise en scene/costume/props/location/colours/fonts etc.
Audience appeal- how does it make its audience want to buy/watch/play it?
Why have you chosen to look at this? What have you learned that can help you in your project?
Choose a recent product similar to your own and annotate it
Type of image- studio/location, angle, effects, post-production
Use of lighting/composition/mise en scene/costume/props/location/colours/fonts etc.
Audience appeal- how does it make its audience want to buy/watch/play it?
Why have you chosen to look at this? What have you learned that can help you in your project?
Use this space to record any secondary audience research you might do. This is finding out about the audience for existing products.
Use this space to record any secondary audience research you might do. This is finding out about the audience for existing products.
Use this space to record any secondary audience research you might do. This is finding out about the audience for existing products.
If you do any additional subject research, record that here. This might be most relevant if you are producing a magazine or a documentary but even a fiction trailer might require some additional research in to a particular subject.
Getting some background information on your subject would be a really good idea.
Find some resources, log them, read them and write something about them.
If you do any additional subject research, record that here. This might be most relevant if you are producing a magazine or a documentary but even a fiction trailer might require some additional research in to a particular subject.
Getting some background information on your subject would be a really good idea.
Find some resources, log them, read them and write something about them.
If you do any additional subject research, record that here. This might be most relevant if you are producing a magazine or a documentary but even a fiction trailer might require some additional research in to a particular subject.
Getting some background information on your subject would be a really good idea.
Find some resources, log them, read them and write something about them.
Undertaking practical research is another great way to improve your project. Experimenting with techniques, equipment and processes you might want to use in you project will help you plan for the future.
Think about what you will research. It could be studio photography, or sound recording, or post-production techniques for video or animation techniques for a video game. Tutorials are useful here.
Make something similar but unrelated to your chosen idea.
Do not make it a version of your final product; it is an experiment
Provide a reflection of the processes you used and how it has been useful.
Don’t do something that you already know how to do.
Undertaking practical research is another great way to improve your project. Experimenting with techniques, equipment and processes you might want to use in you project will help you plan for the future.
Think about what you will research. It could be studio photography, or sound recording, or post-production techniques for video or animation techniques for a video game. Tutorials are useful here.
Make something similar but unrelated to your chosen idea.
Do not make it a version of your final product; it is an experiment
Provide a reflection of the processes you used and how it has been useful.
Don’t do something that you already know how to do.
Undertaking practical research is another great way to improve your project. Experimenting with techniques, equipment and processes you might want to use in you project will help you plan for the future.
Think about what you will research. It could be studio photography, or sound recording, or post-production techniques for video or animation techniques for a video game. Tutorials are useful here.
Make something similar but unrelated to your chosen idea.
Do not make it a version of your final product; it is an experiment
Provide a reflection of the processes you used and how it has been useful.
Don’t do something that you already know how to do.
Undertaking practical research is another great way to improve your project. Experimenting with techniques, equipment and processes you might want to use in you project will help you plan for the future.
Think about what you will research. It could be studio photography, or sound recording, or post-production techniques for video or animation techniques for a video game. Tutorials are useful here.
Make something similar but unrelated to your chosen idea.
Do not make it a version of your final product; it is an experiment
Provide a reflection of the processes you used and how it has been useful.
Don’t do something that you already know how to do.
List all products researched in previous sections. Include anything additional you have watched/read in preparation for production. Alphabetise your list.
