Congratulations to Mike Losness on 2nd place and qualifying for a section in the new Taylor Steele movie at Innersection TV. Below is a repost of the Q&A on the site at
http://innersection.tv/news/57.
I came home one day and found my wife watching Mike Losness' section... again. Now, my wife doesn't really care about surfing that much...she just thought it was a rad video. A lot of other people felt the same way.
Is it possible that surfing can have an appeal beyond surfers? Of course. Films like
Sipping Jetstreams and
The Drifter have already proven that. Good filmmaking is beautiful to watch, no matter what you're into. And good surfing ain't so hard on the eyes either.
Creative concept. Solid filmmaking. And sick surfing. It seemed impossible that Losness wouldn't make the Top 5. And it was.
—NMWERE YOU FEELING CONFIDENT ABOUT MAKING TOP FIVE? I wasn't telling people I made it yet until this morning, when I heard from Taylor. That's my personality. I'm wary until the very end. But I was hoping.
YOU TOOK A REAL PROFESSIONAL APPROACH TO THIS WHOLE THING. MUST FEEL GOOD TO SEE IT PAY OFF? Yeah, totally. I wasn't 100% sure I doing it until January, and as soon as I commited to the trip to Bali and the other one to Barbados, and I knew I had some alright footage, that's when I committed. And if you're gonna committ, why not commit 100%? That's when we hit up Facebook, hit up sponsors, really tried to get some support. I wanted people to go and not just check out my video, but check out all the sections. Once they see all of them all, if they still liked my section, that's all the better.
RIGHT BEFORE YOU UPLOADED, DID YOU SECOND GUESS YOUR LASER BEAM EYES? LIKE YOU MIGHT BE THE ONLY GUY TO SHOW UP TO THE PARTY IN A COSTUME? Well, when I was in Bali saw Marlon shooting in Kuta with Logan. I saw him making a big effort, so I knew I better do something creative. The only thing I was nervous about was if the title "Insurfnia" was too cheesy.
IT CAME OFF COOL. EVEN IF THERE WAS NOTHING BEYOND THIS, YOUR SECTION WAS RAD ON ITS OWN. A lot of people were really stoked. So, that's what mattered most to me.
IT WAS COOLER THAN WATCHING DUDES WALKING UP THE BEACH. I think you guys put it out there for people to be creative, but since I talked with you guys in person while I was in Bali, I think I got a bit more inspiration to go ahead take a risk. Maybe some of the other editors weren't as comfortable taking that risk.
BUT WE COULDN'T BE SURE PEOPLE WERE GOING TO REACT TO THAT. BUT THEY DID, SO HOPEFULLY FUTURE SECTIONS WILL COME IN WITH CREATIVE IDEAS. I think if the other editors would have know that we were gonna do those types of edits, they might have done 'em too. I thought all the parts were gonna be more weird like mine. And when I saw that only half were like that, well, I wished they all had been. It would have been more fun to watch. I think in the next round there will be a lot more weird stuff. I hope so.
THAT WAS THE MOST EXCITING PART OF THIS ROUND FOR ME. SEEING PEOPLE'S RESPONSE TO THE CREATIVITY...THAT THOSE SECTIONS DID REALLY WELL. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT PEOPLE COME UP WITH NEXT TIME AROUND. Going into this, I wasn't sure I could make the Top 5, let alone be a contender for the $100-grand. I've always based my chances on this being purely surfing related. But now that I watched the sections, I think any of the guys who qualify have a chance at the $100k. Because people really like that creative stuff — and it's the people who decide. Before I thought that only Slater or Dane or Jordy could win it, but now it seems maybe anyone can win.
BY "ANYONE," DO YOU MEAN YOURSELF? Hey, I'm just going to try my hardest to make the best section I can. What happens after that is out of my control.
HOW MUCH ARE YOU ROCKING THAT SONG IN YOUR CAR AS YOU DRIVE AROUND THESEDAYS. TONIGHT!! I'm kind of done with that song at this point. I've heard it enough the last month it was like tonight, tonight, tonight a million times. I'll bring it back to the car stereo in a bit though. Just not right away.
WILL WE BE SEEING LASER BEAM EYES ON THE DVD VERSION? Not quite sure. I like the whole dream concept and the thinking about surfing in your sleep idea and the insurfnia disease. I'm sure we will mix it up and do something different but keep the themes going. I've got plenty of time to think about it.... just want it to be fresh and new.
NOW THAT YOU'VE QUALIFIED FOR THE FILM, DO YOU THINK YOUR SPONSORS WILL BE MORE LIKELY TO HELP CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS TAKING THE NEXT EDIT TO A HIGHER LEVEL? That's a good question. I could approach them and see what they have to say about it. I know they were stoked to see the section I made. I am sure they will want me to do something more and would be willing to help me out. They are all really supportive. I like having the filmers and editors take a big role. They make it happen...I just do the surfing and give ideas here and there.
UNION EXPRESS. CASTLES IN THE SKY. MELALI (THE LOST DRIFTER SESSIONS). REEF MOVIE. AND NOW INNERSECTION. YOU CAN BASICALLY JUST SPEND 2010 GOING TO YOUR OWN PREMIERS. OMG, WHAT ARE YOU GONNA WEAR? I'm just stoked to be a small part of all these films. It just brings back fun memories from travels and times I spent with friends. It makes me stoked that I actually get to do this for a job. I couldn't be happier to see all the memories come back to life on the screen. I'm stoked!
WHO DO YOU THINK GOT THE FIFTH SLOT? I'm guessing Nat Young. He had some great footage from California. I liked some of the airs and the slow mo stuff; good backside combos, too. If he got on a proper film trip with some other guys all filming for innersection that he would raise the bar. He's young so probably wants it bad. I would say he is a good investment on the 5th spot.
CONGRATS, AGAIN. MY WIFE LOVED YOUR SECTION. OH, AND I DID, TOO. Yew! So glad you guys liked it. I'd like to say thanks to everyone who watched my video and voted for me. I'm so excited to be in this movie and could not have done it without your vote. Thank you.
