Passion is the driving force for anyone who dedicates their life to the world of action sports. Sometimes that passion can bring the rewards of worldwide acclaim, titles and money. This, however, isn’t everyone’s story; a lot of people ollow their passion without any hint of a reward other than the reward of doing what they love. This is the story that, filmmaker, Allan Wilson wants to tell in Dagdraumer.
The sixth entry in the Relentless Energy Drink Short Stories Competition, the film Stars bodyboarder Jack Johns and is a stunning visual poem about those who put everything into what they love, working long stints in the city to be able to fund jaunts to the sea and focus on their boarding.
In his own words, Allan wanted to create “a surreal, dreamlike glimpse into life as a bodyboarder, a more than often overlooked element of the surfing world.” Dagdraumer (an Icelandic word for day dreaming) is a wordless journey into the salt as Allan’s distinctive camera style captures both the cold bleakness of the city, and the panoramic beauty of the sea.
Johns, alongside several other riders, display ballet like skills throughout the film, demonstrating that while, as Allan says, bodyboarding can sometimes be overlooked, it requires all the skill and power of surfing, and can thrill in the same way.
A mix of both personal and action led footage; Dagdraumer is very much Wilson’s personal vision. It’s a sort of self-portrait, bringing together the parts of his life he loves, and the struggles he goes through in order to live them.
About Short Stories:
Now in its 2nd year Short Stories sponsored by Relentless Energy Drink is a challenge to filmmakers around the world to explore, reveal, celebrate and define the No Half Measures attitude through the medium of film.
At the heart of Short Stories is a competition which rewards directors who can bring to life ‘Focus’: the Relentless Energy Drink Virtue that is being brought to life as a theme this year. Short Stories portrays this quality via the words, actions and attitudes of those individuals who live and breathe it – from the worlds of core sports (skate, surf, snow, BMX) to music (rock, metal, dance, punk, drum n’ bass).
Open to amateur and professional directors, entrants must be 18 years minimum and need to submit their showreel to be selected.
For Short Stories 2011 a selection of 30 film makers were invited to provide a treatment for the Story they wished to tell. From these treatments, eight directors were selected to make their film.
The eight films will be judged on: how engaging is their narrative; whether it’s inspiring and motivational; if it provokes a fresh, new outlook; believability and honesty; technical craft; and compelling filmmaking.
The winner will be awarded £10,000 plus a contract and funding to shoot another film project for Relentless Energy Drink.
The 2011 judging panel are being finalised, but for 2010 featured editors and publishers from Sidewalk Skateboard, Dig BMX, Surf Europe, Whitelines and Huck magazines, plus the director of both Lives of the Artists films.
To view all Short Stories films and for more information visit relentlessenergy.com – where you can also sign up for the latest updates, news, videos, offers and competitions from Relentless Energy Drink.