Artistic inspiration is like a pebble dropped in a large pond. Concentric waves of inspiration radiate around someone’s work that in turn inspire someone else to operate differently, and someone else and so on. The reference is a metaphor, but here we can take it literally – waves that actually inspire music for a film. That’s precisely the model of a new film project titled Self Discovery for Social Survival, which is flipping the script on how surf films are typically produced and scored.
For Self Discovery, recognizable faces like Stephanie Gilmore, Ryan Burch, Kassia Meador, Ellis Ericson, Corey Colapinto, Creed McTaggart and more embark on three separate trips (Mexico, the Maldives, and Iceland) along with the musicians enlisted to score the film – Allah-Las, Connan Mockasin, Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT, and Peaking Lights.
The artists participate in the surfers’ experience of scoring waves, traveling, and draw on those experiences to create one-of-a-kind tracks inspired by it all.
“The idea was to send surfers and musicians off on these trips together,” said director Chris Gentile, who’s also the proprietor of Pilgrim – a New York-based brand that worked with the record label Mexican Summer for the film. “Get them out there amongst it – in the surf, in the afterglow of the surf, talking story at dinner, just all the great stuff that happens on a surf trip. Then, right after their trips, the musicians jump into the studio and compose based on their experiences. With their hair still wet, so to speak.”
The late, legendary avant-garde film-maker Jonas Mekas narrates the story written by acclaimed surf wordsmith Jamie Brisick.
“I wanted to see a surf film that’s not rooted in nostalgia, but is very respectful of, and is almost a nod to that past,” said Keith Abrahamsson, head A&R at Mexican Summer, in a press release. “[Self Discovery for Social Survival] is not afraid to tightrope the guidelines surf is usually associated with.”
“The experimental spirit is alive and well in the film,” said Gentile. “The artist on the trip is reacting and responding to the moment we’re having. It’s about relinquishing control and taking creative risks.”
Self Discovery for Social Survival will premiere at the Palace Theater in Los Angeles on June 15 with a live score from Allah-Las, Connan Mockasin, and Andrew VanWyngarden. Learn more here.
