I’m not sure what people expected when they sat down to watch the completed Innersection project, but it seems there was a disconnect between expectations and reality. And frankly, I don’t understand the confusion. Granted, when Taylor Steele and Nathan Myers announced their intentions to create a community-driven, web-based surf film, the details seemed hazy – probably even for them, but over the course of a year, surfers worldwide participated in a groundbreaking (and surprisingly straightforward) film project. It was beautiful, really. Sure, there were squabbles and hiccups along the way (as is the case with any new application of technology), but the project leveraged some of the Internet’s best virtues: collaboration, accountability, and innovation. As far as surfing goes, these guys were on to something.
In January, I met Nathan Myers for the first time to discuss Innersection, and he suggested that the film was better suited as background filler – something to play on TV screens during parties. He insisted that it wasn’t really a feature presentation. He also told me it was too long. Our conversation seemed like the ultimate hedge – and an unfair one at that. It appeared Myers had started to believe a handful of the unfavorable Internet reviews that had popped up preceding our meeting. Or maybe, in a cleverly executed case of Jedi mind-trickery, he just recalibrated my expectations to be so low, that I had to root for the film. If that’s the case, it worked. He Jedi mind-tricked me.
Reluctantly, I took his advice, and first experienced Innersection as a conversation-distracter while entertaining some guests. As with most background surf films, I found it pleasantly distracting. A few days later, I disobeyed orders and studied the film closer, from start to finish, as a feature presentation. It was exactly what I expected: 25 distinct, 3-minutes-or-less segments created by 24 different people. I had already seen the winning submissions on the website, so I understood the variations in quality: a section like Matt Meola’s eclipsed a section like Marlon Gerber’s from a production and editing standpoint. They didn’t belong in the same film, really, and although Steele and Myers patched them together as best they could, this project, by definition, had thick seams. A week later, in the ultimate test, I watched it with a few friends (who are surf filmers and surf company-employed), and, holy crap, I’ve never witnessed such a scathing critique of a surf film. To them, Innersection was a proverbial Mohammed drawing. Everything about it was exploitative; it could do no right. Said filmers had no clips included in the project. I sensed some bitterness.
To me, it was something new. It was an outside-the-box way to approach a very inside-the-box product. Despite its shortcomings (a few weak segments, some typos, and disparate film quality), I liked it – all three times. And I agreed with Myers; it was too long. I think there was a bit of pandering to the producers’ neighborhood (IndoSections seemed more obligatory than mandatory), and the next time Craig Anderson rents a helicopter for a private session, he might want to visit a wave worth surfing, but on the whole, it was exactly what it claimed to be: a platform to showcase other people’s work.
Perhaps more interesting, though, is Myers’ vision for Innersection. He’s hoping the franchise will develop a stable of noteworthy clips, and users can sift through them, effectively ordering a film that only showcases surfing they want to see. That way, it really is “the people’s” movie. Myers told me the Innersection format could be applied to other action sports, too, and why not? The infrastructure is in place. Use it.
As for the $100,000 grand prize, I just hope enough people vote to provide a representative sample, and that may be difficult – especially considering the subjectivity inherent in any voting process…much less one defined by a consensual “favorite.” Me? I’m voting for Matt Meola or Ozzie Wright. Meola has a flair for the dramatic when it comes to pulling nameless maneuvers in all their one-footed, knee-collapsing glory, and Ozzie makes surfing look as fun as it actually is. I guess it just depends how I feel that day.
