With the January Leg of Zag Shorts complete, our short film competition supported by GoPro is fast approaching its biggest decision yet: who will walk away with the epic grand prize, consisting of R20 000 and the opportunity to document an all expenses paid surf trip with Zag. However, before we get to that, it’s time to announce our final winner for leg 8. A big congrats to Josh Rowe, who takes the win with his third and possibly his best entry yet – We Surf.
Synopsis
Combining his bests surf footage after documenting the major swells to hit Cape Town and Namibia during 2015, We Surf is somewhat of a “Surf Reel” for Josh.
Why we digged it
The quality and enormity of waves showcased in this clip is definitely one of the major highlights. Featuring some of the best big wave spots in the country, like Sunset and Dungeons, as well as Namibia’s notorious left, the clip includes some incredible rides from the likes of James Lowe, Matt Bromley, Benji Brand and Jeremy Johnson just to name a few.
The lighting, composition and high frame rate also adds to the quality of the shots he’s included, and although it’s pretty tricky to get a stable shot of 20 foot plus Sunset shooting with a zoom lens from a boat, it’s a decent effort none-the-less. The shot of James Lowe pulling into a glassy cavern at Dungeons for example (2:26), is about as crisp and stable as you could ask for under the given circumstances.
From an editing point of view it was also great to see Josh throwing in some diegetic sound from the guys banter on the trip, as well as other foley sound effects like Bromdog waxing his board for example, which all helps to immerse the viewer in the reality of the action. Josh’s style of cutting to the beat also makes for a tight, professional edit and compliments the dramatic choice of music, which suits the tension and action being showcased. All round it stood a notch above the rest and will definitely make for a strong contender in deciding on a final winner along side the six other finalists.
Also worth watching:
Deep In the Burgh – By Richard Van Wyk
Scotties born videographer Richard Van Wyk takes you Deep in the Burgh with Gavin Roberts.
Happy Place – By Luke Patterson
Luke Patterson takes you on a journey into the heart of one of the best breaks in Mozambique, and his happy place.
The list of finalists are complete and are as follows: Leg 1 winner Josh Rowe, Leg 2 winner Grant Hewitt, Leg 3 winner Tao Farren-Hefer, Leg 4 winner Grant Beck Leg 5 winner Marck Botha, Leg 6 winner Tamarac Searll, Leg 7 winner Steven Michelsen and Leg 8 winner Josh Rowe.
All seven contestants are now in contention for the grand prize still to be decided. Go to zagshorts.co.za to view all the entries and to vote for your favourite finalists.
HOW THE VOTING WORKS:
Zigzag, GoPro and the public all have an equal say in determining the winner, with each contributing 33.3% of the final decision. For the eighth leg, Zigzag and GoPro voted for We Surf, making Josh Rowe the unanimous winner.
