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A Deeper Shade of Blue ready to tour select cinemas and film festivals throughout March. |
Jacks vision gets recognised at Australian Surfing Awards (Pic: Surfing Australia) and the movies poster (R).
Two years ago I lucked into a sneak preview of Jack’ McCoy’s 25th surf flick, A Deeper Shade of Blue. Principle filming had finished and McCoy was logging 14 hour days in his Avalon studio corralling, editing, producing and scoring the most ambitious project of his 40 year career. The film aims to cover the story of surfing from the ancient Hawaiians until the present day. “I feel like I’ve bitten off more than I can chew and I’m chewing like crazy,” he told me through a mouthful of masticated pixels.
Fast forward 24 months and the film is finally ready for its Australian big screen debut. A Deeper Shade of Blue will tour select cinemas and film festivals throughout March and judging by the initial reviews it’s worth catching on the big screen.
McCoy’s skills and experience as a cinematographer are unmatched in the surfing genre. For this project the 64-year-old utilised an underwater jet bike that enabled him to track a surfer from beneath the surface. “I used to sit there underwater behind the wave waiting for some sort of action to go by, hoping I was in the right place,” says Jack. “With this scooter I was able to move around, get to places quickly and follow parts of the ride at will. It was a way I could capture images I’d only dreamed of for many years.”
Action highlights include Derek Hynd riding friction-free at J-Bay; Martin Paradisis and mates taming Shipsterns, Manoa Drollet at home inside Teahupoo and Stephanie Gilmore threading tubes in the Caroline Islands. Whether McCoy is able to successfully summarise the huge, messy and contested story of surfing into a single portion that can be appreciated by both core surfers and the general public remains a big question. But you can only admire him for trying.
Initially the film was to be titled “The Last Surf Movie” but Jack has indicated he’s not ready for a pipe and slippers yet. “I don’t want anyone to think I’m moving into retirement. I’ve got the stoke and energy of a teenager and plan to keep shooting until I drop. Capturing the beauty I get to see has been my life’s work and I’m not going to quit doing what I love now”.
A Deeper Shade of Blue won Best Documentary at the X-Dance Film Festival in Utah earlier this year, while McCoy was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award. ADSOB hits cinemas on the Thursday the 22nd March, see www.adeepershadeofblue.com for venues and session times.
Watch Trailer:
