Last week, Perry Gershkow, a filmmaker based in San Francisco, released Just For Kicks. It’s a project that follows Santa Cruz’ Noah Waggy from the briny shallows of South Africa back to chilly Northern California.
Stylistically, Gershkow hit the jackpot. Waggy, immediately identifiable by his springy, blond locks, seems to emit a boundless exuberance, which ebbs and flows into every turn. In South Africa, he’s joined by Torren Martyn, a lanky Australian who surfs critical waves with effortless style.
Gershkow’s camera doesn’t miss a beat. Yes, there’s a shot of an elephant blinking, but less obvious details like a field of yellow flowers and the ripple of an offshore wind are also examined. But where Gershkow really excelled was in using music to uncover a hidden sentimentality – a tall order for such a stylish crew.
“Without the right music, surf films would be boring to watch, even to the surfer’s eye,” says Gershkow. “For each section of every surf film, it’s important to find the mood you want to go with. When you figure out what sort of mood you want your audience to be in while watching this section, then that’s where you can start finding music. With so much music out there, I wanted something that would create emotion as well as something that would get people excited about the music.”
Thrashing punk won’t work. No one’s smashing beer cans or brandishing a middle finger (maybe one). And despite several drone shots, Waggy and Martyn are too laid back for a voluminous electronic drop. So, Gershkow opts for something more sentient, featuring music from Future Islands, Ruby Haunt, Avid Dancer, and Sara Damert. Samuel Herring’s gruff, ghoulish voice brings the necessary surge of energy, and Gershkow’s use of Ruby Haunt is so precise, it’s no surprise to hear that he knows their keyboard player, Victor Pakpour.
Just For Kicks bursts with style and color and its soundtrack, a calling card of indie up and comers, is a testament to the crossover between surfing and music. Both are in the business of disrupting the status quo, and for Gershkow, who inhabits both worlds, it’s a natural pairing.
“Discovering new music is definitely a tricky hobby. There are so many different kinds of music out in the world that it can be tough to narrow it down to something I can use for my films. For me, I have a certain sound that I go for. Being in the industry for a while, I’ve been able to make friends with people in really good bands. For instance, two of the songs in the film are from a good friend Sara Damert, who scored these two songs for the film. She has a very unique voice, which I think is crucial to have for originality.”
