People are always asking me why I make so many Channel Islands videos so I figured I would give some insight to those curious souls in ponder. Simply put, Channel Islands Surfboards are my favorite surfboards. I have been riding them since I was 13. Good boards make me very happy and making videos of Channel Islands Team Riders makes me very happy as well because they all rip.
I have a habit of surfing the best waves at home and the top surfers do too. It just so happens that most of the top level talent where I live ride for Channel Islands Surfboards, so even when I’m done surfing, I’m still scoring. With names like Tom Curren, Pat Curren, Dane Reynolds, Bobby Martinez, Timmy Curran , Nathaniel Curran, Conner Coffin, Parker Coffin, Yadin Nicol, Cory Arrambide, Dillon Perillo and Lakey Peterson, you really don’t need much else.
With that said, I still have a lot of room to improve as an editor. From a shooting standpoint, technically I am as good as anyone. I pride myself on the fact that my stuff is always in focus, framed properly, and never shaky. It always feels good when some of the higher paid guys working directly for athletes or the companies see my work and compliment me on my shooting ability. I really look up to Tom Jennings for the quality of his work — it is always technically perfect. Blake Kueny’s shit is always tight, too. And Ryan Moss is insane; I wish he’d put out more, but quality over quantity is fine with me. I would like to be able to edit like those three guys one day.
When it comes to making a living off filming, though, what has really been holding me back has been older gear and lack of capital for more expensive modern equipment. I have a lot of friends shooting 4k that make good money working for top name guys and I would like to lock down a gig like that soon. With my filming ability, my years as an ASP judge, and my physical size, I’d be a good asset for someone to take on the road. I’ll get the clips, can break down the technical aspects for competition and I’d make one hell of a body guard.
The negative side of shooting is, that in the last three years, there have been a lot of really bad young filmers out there with 4k gear who don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground. They are traveling and getting paid simply because they own better equipment. Hmmm… I guess one day I will buy a 4k camera so I can be cool too. Oh shit, never mind, I just got one. Look out. It’s on, f*ckers!!!
To check out more of Dave Schauber’s work, visit his Vimeo page and follow him on Instagram.
