When a filmmaker for Mountain Dew comes to Alaska for an extreme surf adventure, what do you do?
You do the Dew. Or in Scott’s case, you make it possible by organizing remote surf locations with stellar waves, transportation for the athletes and crew, and all the little in between details so the Dew can do what it does best.
“He was thinking of surfing in Iceland, but at the time it was already starting to be played out. Someone mentioned surfing in Alaska, which was more fresh.”
Nathan heard about Scott and his ability to seek out surf locations with extreme scenery and contacted him about producing the trip.
“Like most shoots in Alaska this one was heavy on logistics – Airplanes, helicopters, boats, surfboards and icebergs. And how do we do it all in just a few days?”
After Scott nailed down the details, the crew started out in Homer where Scott arranged spaces to shoot the scenes of preparing for the trip — waxing surf boards, checking weather patterns, packing a cold Mountain Dew, and meeting up with the pilot that flew them out of Homer to the wilderness surfing location.
Of course with Alaska’s tricky weather, flying to the surf spot took a little extra work. Alaska’s ever-shifting weather blocked the bush plane’s path to the fjord. Scott found himself on the beach, waiting for the plane to bring the crew, but instead getting a call via satellite phone that they would be taking a helicopter instead. And then that the helicopter couldn’t make it either, so the shoot had to wait another day.
Once the weather straightened out and the aircraft made it to the location, the filming began. The crew filmed surfers paddling through chunks of ice in the frigid water — it was March, so Alaska’s winter was still going strong — and catching waves as mountains loomed in the background. Aboard the M/V Milo, footage was downloaded onto drives and reviewed by Balli and fellow videographers Alejandro Berger and Nate Sorensen.
Scott’s experience with transportation to remote locations in Alaska ensured that even when difficulties arose, the trip and the needs of the client did not suffer. By the end of the trip, waves were surfed, weather was braved, challenges were overcome, footage was shot, and Mountain Dew was consumed.
