Début Septembre, était pour moi l’occasion de vous présenter le tout dernier surf movie de Fran Derham & Clare Plueckhahn. Après le très acclamé et récompensé « First Love », les deux jeunes réalisatrices reviennent avec leur excellent court métrage « LunchBreak »… Moi qui suis en ‘Trip Around Australia’, je me suis dit que ce serait plutôt cool de les rencontrer pour leur poser quelques questions, héhé…
Fran Derham & Clare Plueckhahn
De retour en Australie, j’ai prévu de ne rester que deux jours à Melbourne. Quelques mails, quelques coups de téléphone,… on se donne rendez-vous au centre de la capitale victorienne. Chouette, les filles ont l’air tellement sympathiques, il me tarde de les voir ! Malheureusement, notre rencontre tombe à l’eau… C’est qu’avec la promotion de LunchBreak + leurs nouveaux projets, les filles sont très busy ! Qu’à cela ne tienne, chez les aussies c’est ‘no worries’, toujours des solutions, on décide donc de faire ça par internet…
TripSurfeuse : « Lunchbreak » is based on an Hawaiian North Shore legend, the story of a bunch of men, the Black Shorts, who used to shout after unwelcomed surfers in an attempt to get them out of the water… Do you think female surfers have improved over time and are more aggressive in the water, like the Black Shorts?
Fran Derham & Clare Plueckhahn : Yes. Absolutely. The girls are killing it in the water. But that kind of territorial behaviour happens everywhere – not just on the North Shore. The real message in the film is ‘look out – the girls are hot on your tails’.
Do you think they’ve been overshadowed by men in the past and seek revenge now? Are female surfers the new Black Shorts?
In the past the place for women surfers was on the beach – or getting their bloke’s ‘chico roll’. But that’s been part of society’s perception of women as a whole. It didn’t just happen in the surf industry. We don’t think the girls hold any grudges towards the guys though. Everyone’s just eager to show the world what they can do. There’s nothing like a bit of healthy competition to get the heart racing. Not revenge. It’s not malicious at all
Some of the hottest female surfers including Serena Brooke, Laura Enever and Tyler Wright showcase Lunchbreak…These three girls would kick ass along the French surfing circuit, for sure!
Felicity, Serena & Laura, les surfeuses du film
What methods did you use to contact these girls and how eager were they to get on board with « Lunchbreak »?
Facebook. It’s the ultimate casting agent. we just sent them a message asking if they were interested. There were a few crew that couldn’t do it because they were simply away competing – and they were slightly bummed. But that’s the nature of the beast.
How did you go about managing these girls?
It was tricky. When a group of teenage girls get together it can get pretty crazy. We had 16 surfers all up (including boys and groms) – and a really small film crew. I didn’t have a voice by the end of the weekend.
Did they provide you with new ideas and concepts or was it already quite structured?
The shoot was quite structured. They did stuff their own way of course – and we anticipated this – but in terms of what we got them to do it was scripted. The surfing was all up to them though. And I guess that’s why they’re there. I’m pretty sure none of them want to be professional actors.
Also, were there any girls you wanted to get on ‘board’ that didn’t accept, and why?
Not really. All the girls that we asked couldn’t do it because they were away competing or on a plane somewhere.
« Lunchbreak » is totally different from your award winning surf movie First Love which follows three girls chasing the dream of becoming pro surfers… However, Lunchbreak features women who already are pro surfers and has more of a battle of the sexes theme about it.
What is this fascination with female surfers? Why do you think girls deserve to be known and looked at? Are you sick of all the attention going to male surfers?
In the past girls haven’t got a lot of recognition – especially compared to the men. And speaking generally we do still live in a very male dominated world – especially in the workplace. We’re not sick of the male surfers getting attention – because they work hard for it and they’re great in the water. We just want girls to have the same opportunity for exposure and success. The level of girls surfing has stepped up and is starting to really give the boys a run for their money. Which is good to see – but it’s not reflected in the commercial sense of the sport. As filmmakers we have the ability to give the girls the exposure that they need – as well has making great films and giving ourself exposure. It’s a win win. And we have loads of fun in the process.
Are you feminists surfers? Could Lunchbreak be considered a feminist surfer movie?
We’re not crazy die hard feminist – we wear bra’s and we wax. We like boys too – but I guess we’re out to achieve big things just like all the girls on the tour. And if we can help each other – then so be it. We’re very dubious about the word feminists. We’re very much ‘you go girl’ but we don’t grease men in the street. I think « Lunch Break » is a ‘Girl Power’ film as opposed to a feminist film.
Talon, Clare & Codie
Tyler Wright & Codie Klein ne manquent pas d'énergie !
I love the fact that more and more female surfers are getting out there and riding waves. Alas, I too, have been frustrated by the pretentiousness of some good surfers and I found it very funny when those girls in « Lunchbreak » who got a little ‘too big for their boots’ were taught a lesson by the groms at the end. Yes. That’s the important thing to remember. There’s always someone younger, smarter and better looking hot on your tail.
What was the message behind this particular scenario? Was it that male and female surfers should be more humble because there is always going to be someone out there who is better? Do you hope that one day a new generation of boys and girls could happily surf waves together and no longer fight?
Yeah absolutely. The message is one that we hope can apply to every industry. Girls are educated and really beginning to make waves in whatever they do whether it be surfing, filmmaking, business or bloody brain surgery. And we just want to see them succeed. But at the same time you shouldn’t take everything so seriously. Try your hardest = but always know what goes around comes around.
You’re based in Melbourne but you went filming around the Gold Coast which is miles away from where you live and work… What was the reason you chose to shoot places such as Cabarita or Tweed Heads instead of Phillip Island or Torquay?
Firstly we get to travel. Secondly the waves aren’t very good in ol’ Melbourne town and thirdly it’s too cold shooting in Victoria in the middle of bloody winter. That’s one thing we learnt in First Love. A lot of the surfers are based up North because of the warmer weather – and the Gold Coast is full of really great surfers.
Wonderful shots from the land and from the sky, girls! No doubt, that would have cost a fair penny… how were you able to pay for the production of the movie? I noticed there was a lot of Nike 6.0 shown in the movie. Were they one of your major sponsors and who else did you get sponsorship from?
We didn’t get any sponsorship from the major surf labels. We always pitch our ideas to them but they have their own marketing and promotional agendas and this film didn’t sit with any of there strategies for 2011. Vegemite (an Australian spread) sponsored us and made it possible for us to make the film. We were part of their 2011 campaign to find ‘The Toast of The Nation’ – a group of Aussies that are out there having a crack. They followed us for 12 weeks while we made the film and documented the process.
So, what’s next for « Lunchbreak », girls? Are you going on promotional tours? And have you got another project planned with coswecan or with your personal work, shootings for Clare and writing for Fran?
Well – we’re going to keep entering Lunchbreak into Film Festivals around the world. In terms other projects – we’re currently working on three short films that we want to shoot next year. Clare is working on a documentary about Wayne Lynch (famous Australian surfer) and shooting towards and exhibition while I’m developing another short film script and a feature script and working on a TV series being shot in Melbourne. So we’re both pretty busy!
Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions girls, great movie, wish you the best!!
I’m so sorry it took so long Delia – I hope you still end up using it!
Fran & Clare, 2 nanas à suivre de prés !
Sur, I do! La preuve ! Je regrette simplement de ne pas les avoir rencontré ‘en vrai’ pour partager un petit moment intime et prendre une ou deux photos souvenir mais qu’importe… le résultat et là. Encore une fois, même busy, Fran & Clare ont pris le temps de répondre aux questions de TripSurfeuse et ça, c’est juste canon ! Il me tarde déjà de voir leurs prochains films… à suivre pour les filles, donc
P.S. Un grand merci à Céleste Kellie pour son aide quant à l’interview… quel anglais parfait ! Thank you so much Celeste helping me with all these questions, you’re awesome mate !
Le surf féminin est en pleine révolution, Clare Plueckhahn et Fran Derham ne sont pas les dernières à l’avoir compris. Elles viennent de réaliser LunchBreak, un court métrage décalé revisitant la légende du gang Da Hui au North Shore d’Hawaii, version girls. Mis en ligne depuis le 1er Septembre “making it accessible to audiences all over the world”, LunchBreak est un petit film de surf intelligent et sensationnel, une gentille guerre des sexes et un conflit de générations fun, au line up, qui va clouer le bec à plus d’un !
Gang de surfeuses au line up !
Si vous lisez mon blog, les noms de Clare Plueckhahn et Fran Derham devraient vous rappeler quelque chose… Oui, leur collaboration avec Clare Gorman pour le film First Love (Best Documentary et The Emerging Film Maker award au X-Dance), vous vous souvenez ? Donc vous vous doutez bien que Clare Plueckhahn et Fran Derham n’en sont pas à leur premier essai ! Amies et surfeuses de longue date, photographes, écrivains et réalisatrices, mamans de la boîte de production CosWeCan, nominées dans le TOP 100 des personnes les plus créatives et influentes du The Melbourne Magazines 2010,… Clare et Fran viennent de réaliser leur dernier projet : “It’s an idea we have had for quite a long time and we were approached by Vegemite to be part of the campaign Toast of a Nation. We used the money from the campaign to make the film”, LunchBreak, cet épatant court-métrage de 5mn, qui va vous donner envie de descendre illico-presto à votre spot préféré !
Leur histoire version ‘MADE FROM VEGEMITE’ :
Alors que quelques surfeurs mâles rident tranquillement les vagues, un gang de surfeuses débarquent et prennent le pic d’assaut, se prenant pour les fameux Da Hui (ou Black Shorts), les surfeurs d’Oahu qui n’ont qu’à crier « LunchBreak » pour faire fuir tous les autres surfeurs de leurs spots. Serena Brooke, Laura Enever, Felicity Palmateer, Tyler Wright, Ellie Jean Coffey, Nikki Van Dijk, Codie Klein, Alyssa Lock, ces surfeuses de haut niveau à l’allure aussi désinvolte que sexy, ces nanas ultra douées crient « LunchBreak ! » et virent les mecs du line up ! ”The film reflects what’s happening in the surf world at the moment – girls are surfing better than ever and are giving the men a run for their money” Hé oui Clare … revanche glamour sur des années de machisme enfin révolues ! Mais attention les surfeuses : s’ensuit l’arrivée de deux groms, un garçon ET une fille, qui arrivent pour vous apprendre le reste ! “We wanted to send a message to everyone out there that there’s always someone younger and keener ready to crash your party and steel the spotlight – so we decided to tip the surfing hierarchy on it’s head and have a bit of fun” Pari réussi, Fran ! Mais qu’en disent les garcons du film ? “They were really natural and they didn’t mind being in a film that has women kicking ass.” Parfait !
Allez, place au film :
Filmé à Pottsville Beach et Cabarita au nord de Byron Bay en Australie, le film a bénéficié d’un cadre à couper le souffle : une longue plage bordée de dunes puis de forêt d’un côté et de parfaits pics droites et gauches de l’autres pour Pottsville, une longue droite formée à partir d’un pointbreak bien protégé pour Cabarita… Outre le cadre, la qualité d’image et l’ambiance du film sont mis en valeur par une lumière extraordinaire. “We have been shooting here for 4 days and we’ve been up at 4am every morning catching the sunrise before we finish shooting at last light” Autre avantage, les prises de vue sont variées : de la plage, dans l’eau, du ciel… ce qui donne un rythme bien punchy. Et puis la BO est particulièrement bien choisie : les australiens Teleprompter et Tonite Only, les français Jupiter… Script audacieux, casting fort en chocolat, images à couper le souffle, musique ho-yeah ! … Dur-dur de ne pas tomber sous le charme de ce petit film de surf !
Lunchbreak ! ! ! !
5mn de LunchBreak c’est mieux qu’un Blue Crush 2, ça vous met un espèce de boost ! On s’en prend plein les yeux, on rigole, on reste bouche bée, on en redemande, grosse envie de surf, on file à la beach pour voir si ça se passe aussi chez nous ! Elles sont vraiment sympa Clare et Fran de nous avoir mis leur film en téléchargement libre … On leur souhaite Good Luck pour le New York Surf Film Festival le 15 Septembre et en attendant, grâce à leur masterpiece, on ne le prendra plus mal d’entendre « tu surfes vraiment comme une fille ! »