Riding Giants

Originating from the Polynesian culture and island of Hawai’i, surfing has been a passion for its own people for many years. It’s popularity has spiked and peaked during the 1950s - 1960s by surfers such as Greg Noll, Mickey Munoz, Jeff Clark, and Laird Hamilton. These “big wave riders,” as they are nicknamed, have made significant contributions into the evolution of big wave surfing that we see today. Riding Giants is a documentary by Stacy Peralta that reveals the history of wave surfing from the beginning to present day. The film features many surfers that speak about their deep emotions, life lessons, and experiences that they have learned from this passion. This documentary film has many editing techniques that’s main purpose is to convey real emotions and what should be felt in the moment. There are many cuts and short 3 second clips that all relate and support the current interviewee’s topic. For example, the beginning sequence of the movie starts off with long, on screen credits of the supporting companies. At the same time, calm beach waves and seagulls are heard. After a long black screen sequence, loud crashing waves and a Latin choir with organ music is played. This is to give the dramatic sense and effect of surfing being more of a religion and dramatize the fears of the high waves that some viewers may feel. Another example is seen in the middle of the film when surfers take a brief moment to pause about the craziness and dangerous aspects of surfing, and begin to shift into how deeply heart touching a passion like surfing can become. The editors overlapped transparent video clips of surfers enjoying their time and slow them down along with a soft and calm piano. Greg Noll is one of the many big wave surfers that have made significant history and has led surfing to what we know today. For example, with new technologies new surfers have brought in, such as leg straps/leash, foot straps, and longer 10 foot+ boards, surfing has always had new advancements. Towards the ending conclusion of this documentary, a final sequence of island-like, happy Hawaiian ukulele music is played in the background as each interviewee comes to the conclusion that surfing had helped them to find themselves and their deepest self, as if that was what they were born to do. In the end, they are what surfing has become and their greatest passion is what they live for. All small cuts and clips that were played throughout the movie were seen once more as the credits rolled. Overall, after watching this film and analyzing every aspect of it, I can say this documentary is very well put together. However, I do not think that it is the best film on the history of surfing that you can watch. Fast paced editing, an organized story structure on the history of a popularized water sport, a rollercoaster of emotions; everything all comes together to create an enjoyable surfing documentary such as this one.