Alex DePhillipo’s most recent movie’s star, Andrew Gesler. Photo: Death 2 Hipsters
Death 2 Hipsters is a comedy movie from Dark Fall Productions with some damn good surfing. Normally comedy and surfing might not mix well — or at least there hasn’t been much of a focus on the combination as of late — but the boys from New Jersey aren’t content with doing things by the book. And we’re glad for that.
I recently caught up with filmmaker, and the man behind Dark Fall, Alex DePhillipo.
Danny Nieves: What inspired you to make this film?
Alex DePhillipo: Myself and Andrew Gesler came up with the idea, with the help of our friend Flynn Novak, one day when we decided we were going to go the comedic route and take a gamble. I just wanted to make a comedy, I think that a lot of the content that I see nowadays is super serious and I wanted to do something totally different. It was a big gamble. I think surfing and comedy don’t really mix, but the idea we had, it sort of works. I think surfing needed it. We made it because we love to laugh and if you can’t laugh at yourself, then you can’t really make a comedy movie.
The dynamic duo at the time of the release of Dark Fall. Alex, left, with Andrew. Photo: Nick LaVecchia
How did you decide on the name?
The whole hipster thing obviously isn’t new it’s been all over the media so we just took advantage of it and ran with it. Obviously the title has nothing to do with what’s going on in the movie. The movie is about Andrew Gesler being a local guy from New Jersey who loses his way, and how we treat being a hipster like alcohol and drugs. The name came from what you see everyday like death to hipsters like death to the organization of surfing. I think if you Google “Death to Hipsters,” you can see a million different things pop up. The name isn’t original, but the movie is very original.
How do you think people will react to it?
Oh man, that’s the fun part — there are some people who won’t even watch it because of the name. The best thing I’ve heard is some kid said death to athletes on my instagram and I kind of laughed because they say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but a lot of people do. That’s the funny thing with not only the surfing industry, but with any movie – you have to really sit down and watch it to see what it’s all about. All of our premieres and screenings have been very successful and people who watch it understand it’s a comedy. If you don’t have an open mind when you watch it, you’re not going to like it.
What is it like filming in that frigid water?
[Laughs] Everyone asks me that. It fucking sucks…Growing up here you have to do it and if you don’t, you’re not showcasing the waves at their maximum potential because the waves are a lot wider here in the winter than the fall. Personally, being a surfer myself, I enjoy going out with my friends and getting the ice cream headaches then coming in and having a beer, it makes the whole day much more enjoyable. It’s not like your typical surf day — it’s a lot more hardcore than a lot of people are used to.
It’s something that I’m proud to be apart of and it is definitely like a brotherhood if you’re out there in the cold. It’s definitely humbling, but rewarding at the same time. Surfing is one thing, but swimming is another especially if there are constantly waves coming in and you’re going under it sort of becomes a mental game. Half the time, you’re like, “fuck I need to go in… I’m pushing it… I’m really cold.” And then there are times when you get the shot and you’re like, “wow, ok, let’s fucking do this.” I think that’s what separates us over here in the North East. I’m not saying its better than anything else — that’s just who we are.
Say cheeeeeeeeese. Screenshot: YouTube
