The Legacy Of Five Summer Stories And The Evolution Of Filmmaking

Through surf, we’re able to escape from the world into a simpler, more pure environment” - Five Summer Stories

On Wednesday, November 9th, 2022 the Coast Film and Music Festival in Laguna Beach kicked off with a short discussion with filmmaker Greg MacGillivray, and professional surfers Shaun Tomson and Jericho Poppler, followed by the night showing of the MacGillivray Freeman surf film Five Summer Stories. The film takes the audience on a journey through water, the growth of the surfing community, and why it’s so important to appreciate what nature provides for us.

Locals, surfers, film enthusiasts, activists and many more filled the Hobie shop with great anticipation. Whether it was someone’s first or tenth time seeing the film, everyone’s eyes were glued to the projection screen. Amazing, bright, and awe-worthy visuals flashed across the screen, leaving the audience with a smile.

The main question is, why is this film so impactful and how so many decades later, is it still considered to be the best surf film of all time? To fully understand the gravity of this film, we have to travel back to when the concept of filming was merely an idea.

“Surfing is the one way that we could all find some serenity and some peace and some connection to nature in the wild. And that's what this film was all about, how a surfer is so lucky to get away from all of this despair onshore and go out into the waves, even if there are no waves at all—just to sit there and watch.” - Greg MacGillivray

Evolution Of Filmmaking

The films we watch today envelope a whole new century of technology – from CGI and IMAX to high-quality visuals and effects. The stories we see on screen are so well created and executed, viewers don’t think twice about the advancements the film industry has undergone to deliver these premium projects.

The concept of the film was created back in the late 1800s, when the Lumiére brothers created the first Cinèmatographe, combining a camera and projector to create what we know today as Cinematography. Deriving from the Greek phrase “writing with light and motion,” the concept of cinematography and how to capture was still a newborn. The idea of capturing your surroundings in a photograph was conceptualized by French inventor, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, in the early 1800s—eventually evolving to capture visuals and motion. The first attempt at the creation of the film camera was by Étienne-Jules Marey, a French scientist, who created a camera gun that shot 12 images per second. Now, reviewed and improved by Thomas Edison and Scottish inventor William Kennedy Dickson, the first true film camera was born—using 19mm film, shooting circular images and settling upon 35mm film, the standard of film used today.

In 1917, the first technicolor camera was produced introducing the world to bright visuals, but it did not become popular until the 1970s right at the time of the creation of Five Summer Stories. During this time period, the introduction to IMAX occurred. IMAX is a higher quality, three times bigger film screen, digital equivalent to a 12K, or HD image. This style of filming was very rare at the time because the equipment used was hard to come by and also only provided around an hour of film time. Rolling into the 1980s, digital film started to increase in popularity and became the standard equipment in the 2010s, which led to many production companies, such as Paramount, to eliminate the use of traditional strip film material from the cinematography equipment.

Now, fast forward to 2022, you’re watching a high action film in theaters, wondering—what camera did they use? What kind of film? Or if you want to go on a more philosophical journey, what made them choose this storyline? What was the initial inspiration or emotion?

Cinematography advances parallel to technology—there is a wide variety of cameras that are used today. Many of these styles of filming and the types of cameras used depend on what the film is and the filming locations. For instance, GoPros are used when shooting in water or taking point-of-view shots. The 35mm is the standard digital type of film and shoots the majority of movies we see today in theaters. If you see a movie that was shot in IMAX, that usually means the movie is a documentary or a short film, due to the shortened alloted film time.

The creation of Five Summer Stories was innovative and visionary for its time. The ability to see ahead into the future and give the 1970s generation an insight on what visuals, production and overall creative execution would be like in years to come, was truly a wonderful treat

The Best Surf Movie Ever Made

Whether from the younger or older generation, surfer or non-surfer, a local to water or traveling from a distance, each person can find something within this film to resonate with. Initially, the film was supposed to capture five stories total, but MacGillivray decided to add in partial sections to give exposure to certain sports, events and athletes that were growing in popularity at the time.

“It worked to our advantage because it really gave the film a tremendous amount of variety. And when people saw it, they picked their favorites.” - Greg MacGillivray.

Five Summer Stories grew tremendously in popularity after the first debut, so they decided to show it for seven consecutive years following – adding in a new sequence each new year. The decision to add in more sections came from the unorthodox idea of changing the movie each time to show the audience something new every year. Shortening and dropping other sequences to fit in the new ones but still keep the same run time. The newest version was shown on the first night of the Coast Film and Music Festival and it took MacGillivray six months to completely edit together. The original film received three lawsuits due to the copyrighted use of certain music and the filmmakers had to cut down the film in order to prevent lawsuits.

The decision to add in a story about women surfers and their important role in the surf community came a bit later on—and was beyond monumentally controversial for its time. The story “Women in Motion” showcased the ingenuity, personal stories and impressive talents of many female surfers—focusing mainly on Jericho Poppler and Margo Godfrey-Oberg for profiles. Godfrey-Oberg won World Contest in Puerto Rico in 1968 & the Lancer Cup which set a new standard for female surfers—and by MacGillivray showcasing these talents in the film, knowing it would be seen by millions, show the immense support and admiration he had for the sport of surf and it’s loyal players. Balance and equality was given throughout the film and the exposure gave the female surfing population more opportunities and push for acceptance in the ocean.

Factors such as this give a deeper meaning and purpose behind the creation and then showings of the film. Allowing people to see women in a position of high influence and inspiration, gives a strong foundation for the generations to come.

“I don't think any of us knew the impact of what we were doing back then because it was something that we had to do. We just had to serve. And for the women, it was a dance.” - Jericho Poppler.

Poppler continued to state that the athletes today have trainers, sponsors and good funding, back when Poppler and the other women were making a name for themselves, they didn’t have any of that as a foundation or to work with. Poppler grew up practicing in dance and gymnastics, so that gave her a coordination advantage when she started surfing.

The overall philosophy of the film isn’t the only reason why it has gotten so much admiration—the use of audio alongside visuals gives it an edge over many other athletic, sports or surf documentaries at the time. Pairing rock music during specific athletic or social scenes adds a relatable and satisfying viewing point. It also makes for a really fun movie!

Shaun Tomson took a brief moment during the pre-film showing discussion to give thanks and praise to MacGillivray and discuss the impact he has had on the surfing community over the years.

“I'll tell you what was one of the most special things about surfing films was that there was a moment when a community got together, a community that loved surfing. They got together in that one auditorium and they experienced something unique and something mystical and something magical—surfing films have way more power because they burn into your consciousness and they burn into your memory and ultimately they've inspired and you've influenced so many lives, great with your work. And I want to just say thank you for that inspiration.” - Shaun Tomson