How can you not love this passionate, prone-to-tears, soon-to-be world champion?
It was during the broadcast of the Quiksilver Pro in France that the short Gabriel Medina Vs The World appeared on our screens.
The refined technique of the short was in the starkest of contrast to everything else zooming around the screen. Simple. Striking. A complete abandonment of the NFL-style of graphics and promo shorts that defines the current ASP.
FOX SPORTS: Gabriel Medina Vs The World from Luke Farquhar on Vimeo.
The two surfers who made the film Luke Farquhar and Jack Shanahan made it on on a three-grand budget, calling in favours and using their own boards and pals and pals’ dogs in the shots. Luke wrote; Jack shot.
The surfboard with the target painted on the bottom is an old Hayden Shapes sled that was thrown off the North Bondi cliffs.
The girl is a pal of Luke’s girlfriend. “She’s brunette and has tits and ass so she looks like a Brazilian,” says Luke.
The bar is The Stuffed Beaver in Bondi.
That’s Luke as the “Brazilian terrorist.”
The voice-over is a Rio radio announcer. “He sent back the audio in two hours,” says Luke.
What’s most interesting about the short (which Rip Curl hates incidentally ’cause they don’t dig the Gabriel vs the World angle) is it was made by a surfer from the Gold Coast, a twenty-something who was indoctrinated with a Hate-Zillas mentality.
“I grew up with the words This is Burleigh not Brazil painted over the Welcome to the Gold Coast sign,” says Luke. “I grew up with that shit but because of Gabriel and Filipe I’ve done the biggest 180 opinion-wise. I like Brazil and I like all the religious shit around them. There aren’t any Aussies praying to fucking god for Taj to win. They’re at the bar with a schooner in their hands screaming, You can fucking do it!”
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I’ll pay it. Maybe Code Zircumcision 99 should take some notes on how to write script.