90 Seconds is a collaborative surf film and contest generated entirely by the surfers, directors, and editors of Maryland and Delaware. Participants were asked to submit a one minute and 30 second video clip showcasing their talents at home and/or around the world. Ten finalists were selected for inclusion in the full-length video and put in the running for top honors in a variety of sub-categories.
Taylor Steele’s Innersection movies were a major inspiration for this program — they successfully opened a lot of eyes to the potential of rider-generated filmmaking. With camera equipment and editing software becoming increasingly accessible and user-friendly every year, more and more talented people, both in front of and behind the lens, have the opportunity to sharpen their skills and push the cinematic boundaries.
The result is some very impressive footage that might never see the light of day, especially in the mid-Atlantic, which is plagued by a general lack of exposure compared to other coastal locales like Florida or Southern California. So our goal here was to bring Innersection home, giving local riders and creators a platform, and hopefully an inspiration, to showcase the best of their abilities in and out of the water.
A lot of credit is due to Eugene Stiltner, owner of Crazy 8s Restaurant on 35th St. in Ocean City. After signing local surfer Colin Herlihy, Eugene approached him with this idea and asked how it could be done. Having worked with Colin for years as a director and editor, I suppose I was the obvious choice for the film production component. Together, we got Dakine, Jetty, Refleckt Eyewear, Backshore Brewing Company, OC Surf Cam and Castle in the Sand Hotel on board and could not be more grateful for their support.
90 Seconds premiered on July 31st at K-Coast Surf Shop in Ocean City. It is a compilation of the 10 best submissions as selected by myself, Colin and Eugene. Ultimately the audience decided who took home the prizes for Best Video Part, Best Barrel and Best Air. The event went for the premiere. All expectations were completely blown with a couple hundred people showing up for the film. Young gun Simon Hetrick (13-years-old) from Ocean City, MD ended up taking home the first annual 90 Seconds victory with best video section and barrel. Brian Stoehr took home best air.
I have no doubt that people are going to be blown away by the quality of surfing, skating, editing and camera work. I still can’t believe some of the material I’ve worked with.
A very limited stock of copies will be available at select shops in Maryland and Delaware … and if all goes according to plan, we just might re-up the contest next year.
L to R- Tate Shockley, Simon Hetrick, Joey Dwyer, Natalie Morrocu and Colin Herlihy. Photo: Leigh Dwyer
