Woodshed Films "One Track Mind"

Tonight Premiere of "One Track Mind"
September 27 - Patagonia Surf Shop, Cardiff by the Sea, Ca

INTERVIEW: CHRIS MALLOY
Catching up with the eldest Malloy on his new movie, 'One Track Mind'


By: Devon Howard
September 25, 2008

Film director/surfer/renaissance guy Chris Malloy has been busy the past few years juggling two movie projects, a job at Patagonia and fatherhood, among roughly a dozen other film and surf-related projects.

One Track Mind is his first release since 2005's acclaimed Broke Down Melody. Prior to that he celebrated successes with Shelter, September Sessions and Thicker Than Water, with help from the folks in his creative collaborative Woodshed Films (A.K.A The Moonshine Conspiracy).

Fans of Malloy's work are accustomed to seeing the moody, rootsy side of surfing. Previous films never really mention anything related to colored jerseys and surfing for money. But One Track Mind departs from what one might expect of a Malloy surf movie. Instead of a series of soulful, cerebral retreats to surfing's unfettered backwoods, he takes viewers straight into the lives of the best surfers the world has ever seen, puts the camera on them and asks some tough questions.

With the film's world premier set for September 27 at Cardiff's Patagonia Surf Shop, SURFLINE wanted to catch up with Chris Malloy for a peak at some exclusive clips off the film, as well as a little break down of what viewers can expect to see in theaters this weekend.

What's the concept behind 'One Track Mind'?
The film is a pretty straightforward discussion with the guys who are pushing surfing to places it's never been. It covers everything from the latest boards and fins these guys are riding to their stories about beating up judges. There are no discussions like, "Surfing's made out of magic and it makes me feel so connected to the fish" in this flick.

Your other films are known for exploring aspects of the surf experience that have nothing at all to do with competitive surfing. Why are you touching on that subject now?
It seems like surfing has become so polarized in the last few years. At one point, the tour was stale and the guys on it were forced to surf like clones. The most interesting people were the guys breaking off to do their own thing and ride different boards. On a lot of levels I feel like that aspect of surfing has become a parody of itself while the tour and the guys on the tour have become a lot more original and interesting, at least to me.

What inspired you to include the groms like Kolohe Andino, Keanu Asing, Luke Davis, Evan Geiselman, and Jackson O'Donnell?
Putting the groms in the film was a lot of fun. Each kid was picked roughly off of the big dogs that they resemble that are on tour now. I think people will have fun matching them up. Surfing's gotten to the point where little boys surf like big boys and big boys surf like aliens. The trip with Kolohe and the crew was like being on a miniature September Sessions trip. It was perfect for the kids and I think a lot of grown men are going to cringe when they see 12-year-old kids surf better than they could ever dream of. It's also a little scary watching them on screen as innocent as they still are, I don't think they have any idea what they are getting into as pros.

Would you consider OTM a surf documentary or more of a traditional surf movie?
As far as genre goes, OTM is a surf flick. It's made to watch before you go for a surf. It's also made to watch if you can't go for a surf. It's mostly really good 16mm footage of the best guys in the world pushing each other as hard as they can in heats and in free surf sessions.

Did you encounter any difficulties along the way in making this film?
On our trip with Occy, Curren, Sunny, CJ and Andy we had this one-toothed Aussie guy yell at us. Since he seemed to be mentally challenged Sunny opted to leave his good tooth alone. I was so pleased with Sunny's decision to give peace a chance. I've since heard the bloke is selling his footage of our crew to the highest bidder on the Internet. Good on ya mate!

How important is it for you as a filmmaker to use real film vs. HD?
Shooting film will always be the best way to make a film in my eyes. People like Sonny Miller, Dave Homcy, Scott Soens, etc. are a dying breed. They are real surf filmmakers in the original tradition. It isn't profitable usually when it comes to surf films. So if you don't have a big surf company paying for you to make a movie/commercial, you're taking a big risk and you had better have a day job. Even if you sell the movie, well, it'll take at least five years to make your money back. So the new video cameras are good in that they allow more flicks to be made by people that might otherwise not get the chance. Talented filmmakers can make magic out of anything though. I've seen some super lo-fi stuff lately that is amazing. People are going to flip when they see it come out next year.

What do you hope viewers take away from seeing OTM?
Uhhh ... I guess I want viewers to realize that they will never be as good as Kelly and that they should quit surfing forever. [Laughs]

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One Track Mind Tour Dates
September 27 - Patagonia Surf Shop, Cardiff by the Sea, Ca
October 11 - El Segundo High School, El Segundo, Ca
October 18 - Surf Heritage Museum, San Clemente, Ca
October 25 - TBA, North Shore, Oahu

More tour dates to be announced soon at WoodShedFilms.com
article taken from from Surfline