Storm Surfers Return In 3D

By Georgina Swanborough on September 6, 2012 in News

After the success of their previous Storm Surfers films, co-directors Chris Nelius and Justin McMillan have set their sights higher with a bigger production and bigger waves. Storm Surfers has now been developed into a full-length 3D feature film that uses groundbreaking technologies and explores some mammoth unspoilt waves.

Narrated by Australian actress Toni Collette, Storm Surfers 3D takes the viewer on a life-like journey of big wave surfing, following the stories of two-time world surfing champ Tom Carroll and big wave legend Ross Clarke-Jones.

“We were shooting a feature film, so we needed the highest quality pictures we could get for theatrical release, but with camera technology that was going to get us inside the wave,” explained McMillan. “The craziest thing for us [was] realising that we couldn’t just go and buy these cameras off the shelf. They didn’t exist.”

Beginning the adventure locally in Sydney, Ross and Tom, along with the crew, travel a total of 17,000 kilometres within four months in an attempt to conquer the largest swells Australia has to offer.

With the potential to hold the biggest and most dangerous wave in Australia, the boys take on the never-before-surfed Turtle Dove Shoal, located 75 kilometres off the coast of Western Australia.

According to Nelius, you don’t just watch this film, the idea is to become emotionally involved.

“One of the things we really wanted to concentrate on with this movie was to make sure that when one of them is riding a 20-foot wave, you’re riding it with them,” he said.

“It’s the closest thing to riding a big wave without actually getting wet. That’s what you’ll get watching the movie,” McMillan added.

Storm Surfers 3D is showing in selected cinemas now (and it received a 4 out of 5 rating from Margaret Pomeranz). For more information visit www.stormsurfers.com.au.