aslipka's blog

It was my first time Indonesia. Bit of culture shock. We went to Java and Sumbawa. We were really trying to get some lefthanded barrels, but we got kinda skunked on that level. But we still got some clips and had an amazing time.

What’s Noah like?

Noah is a unique character. Being a young buck from Canada trying to make his way as a professional surfer is not easy, but I think he’s doing a good job of it. He’s just fun, positive and easy to be around.

So, were you going for a hot & cold theme?

Yeah, we wanted to start with some warm water and well known breaks, then moving on to our home in Canada and showcasing some of our good righthanded barrels.

How much is it a balance of your vision and the surfers’ vision.

It’s weird. Editing is a weird, stressful process. You spend so much time going through something that by the time you’re finished with it you just think it’s garbage, just a cliché. But Noah’s all about his style and does he have enough airs, enough frontside and backside…that’s how a surfer thinks. They want to make sure they’re showing off their range of surfing. But from my end it needs to flow and keep the viewer entertained. So, I think we found a balance between the lifestyle and the surfing… but it’s tough.

Do you have a favorite shot?

There’s a frontside railgrab turn that I slowed down quite a bit that I like. Before Noah paddled out that day we were talking about air reverses and everyone having so many of those in their sections and I was like, dude, just do a big frontside turn. Wait for a set-wave. Grab the rail. That’s my favorite thing. And first wave he did it.

And we did have a lot of help from friends back home who gave us water shots and helicopter shots, so it’s really a collaborative effort – certainly not all me. That’s probably the most important part of it; having other people who are willing to help us and Noah’s career.

Who helped out?

I gotta say thanks to Adam DeWolfe, Adam Chilton and Jeremy Koreski. Three really talented guys from Tofino. Those guys all grew up together and I’m still a bit of an newbie to that area. So, I couldn’t have done it without their help and direction.

What’s your favorite surf inspiration films.

Well Taylor and Kai are my idols. I don’t feel like anything I do is entirely my own because I pull so much inspiration from those guys. And also, Thomas Campbell’s films are some of my favorites. I know he’s probably not the type of guy who’d be winning Innersections, but I just love his work.

What do you mean? We love Thomas Campbell. He was a judge, back in year one. And certainly a pioneer of filmmaking style.

I just pull a lot of different inspirations and try not to bite anything specifically, but pull it into what you do and create something that’s unique. It’s definitely difficult though, but maybe that’s what we love about it.

Well, we’re looking forward to working with you on the next project.

Thanks.

[See? Weird coincidence. Here & Now was really the inspiration for us to make Seven Signs… and now one of the unwitting contributors of that project is the first to sign on for the next. Karma. Coincidence. Fate. I like to think we’re just on the right path.]

What’s Up Now?

The reason we changed everything… again.

“So, what’s up with Innersection these days?”

People keep asking me.

I mean, just when you’d figured out the rounds and eliminations and twisted rhythms of competitive freesurfing... we go and change it up all up again. WTF?

“Competitive freesurfing.” There’s a term. That’s what’s been twisting us up. We invented a competition for people who don’t like competition. Even we don’t like it. And each round of eliminations just made us squirm and apologize and wonder what got broke in the invention of this awesome idea.

There were some other flaws in the system too. Vids went up, but then they disappeared. Where’d they go? And WTF?

We created Innersection to be home for freesurfing and filmmaking. To reward and give a voice to rising talent. So, when it came time to re-thinking the model…that’s what we kept in mind.

The new “one round” Innersection keeps videos live on the site indefinitely. Vids go up, they stay up.

Also, videos hosted on Innersection can be embedded and re-posted anywhere else. So, if you’re making a single surfer section for your blog or your team site or just to send off to the mags, if you post it on Innersection.tv first, you can enter the contest and still go about your normal blog-o-life. Appease your sponsors. Stoke your fans. Fuel the mags. It’s all good. (We just need to host ‘em to count the views and comments in a single place.)

In December, we’re going to pick the best sections to make another Innersection DVD, just like we’ve done over the last two years. However, to inspire people not to wait until the last second to post their section, we’re also awarding one filmmaker a $10,000 contract to work on our next film project, Seven Signs next year. We’ll also be giving the sections with the most views Wild-Card entry onto the DVD just for being fan favorites. “People’s Choice Awards,” we call it.

We’ve had an opening trickle of first-blood entries…but know a good crew of talent is out there cooking up some thrillers. Stay tuned and we’ll let you know each time a new section hits the site. Your job: drop a comment with some feedback to the surfers and filmmakers, and spread the word on the sections you get psyched on.

So, yeah, that’s what’s up with Innersection. Thanks for hanging with us.

Now check out this week’s three brand new sections…

Dustin Richardson

Jared Mell

Alex Maniatis

Yes, we are live once again. And we’re going to stay live this time, until something catches fire or the cops show up. Innersection 2012 has a different pulse than our previous years. A building groundswell rather than all that furious splashing around. But the end goal is the same: the discover the year’s best surf sections.

The sections you see on the site now will remain on the site until the end of the year. There will be more in the weeks and months to come, as well. A gathering storm. Time for you to get to know them. Time to really settle on your favorites before the final vote. But there are a few things you might consider, before you do:

Each month we’ll be awarding one filmmaker a $10,000 contract to become part of Seven Signs, our upcoming Innersection Films project for 2013. These filmmakers will be decided each month by Innersection members – starting with a vote this month. So start watching the sections in terms of styles, cinematography and over-all concept to decide who you’d like to see more filmmaking from.

Filmmakers, we realize your project is never quite perfect, just keep in mind we’re only picking one winner each month. Ten thousand dollars could probably go a long way towards that new camera you’ve been eyeing.

Surfers, the main vote will go down in December, but we’ll be giving wild cards to the sections with the highest total views. So once you’ve based your section with us, you can use the YouTube/Innersectiontv link to embed the section on your blog, your team site, or any of the mag’s sites. Anything that gets you more exposure.

For the rest of us, it’s back to business as usual. Watch the sections. Give the surfers and filmmakers some thoughtful feedback. And spread the word on the ones you like.

It’s good to be back. Thanks for your support.

“THIS IS AN EVOLUTION.” Those are the first words I ever wrote about the Innersection Project — and they continue to ring true.

This year we took a brief hiatus from our normal eventschedule to experiment with Innersection’s unique filmmaker community in a different way. In early May, we asked a selection of our regular contributors (plus a few wild cards) to film their entire day from dawn to dusk. We collected the hard-drives and edited it all into a movie, shot around the world in a single day.  “Here & Now” will release in early July, and stands testament to Innersection’s evolution. Click here to watch the episode >>

We can’t wait for you to check it out – but that’s not why we’re writing you now.

Continuing on our evolution, Innersection’s main event is going to run differently this year. To keep it simple, it looks like this:

-Innersection 2012 will run a single continuous round from July 1st to December 1st.

-Sections may be added to the site at any time during the round. Views, comments and viral activity will all factor into the final decision.

-Qualifying sections will be decided in a single vote from Premium Members on December 1st.

-Each month, Premium Members will select a single filmmaker to be part of the next Innersection Films project, which includes travel budget and a $10,000 pay-day.

In the wake of an exciting International Surfing Day premiere of Here & Now, we’re excited about the future releases and constant content that these new evolutions are going to create.

We’ll see you next week when we officially launch the new program.

Cheers,
Innersection Films