Interviewing a surf cinematographer: Footage of raw power

big wave footage

Cinematographer Marcelo Mattos
For the following article we interviewed the Brazil cinematographer Marcelo Mattos. After we stumbled on his insane big wave footage on the Facebook Page of WSL, we reached out to him and asked him to answer some questions. We are proud to publish a post on this inspiring person.

To get a feeling on what he does have a look at the following video. He basically travels with the best surfers of the world, around the globe and shoots videos and images of the athletes.

He is a surfer and windsurfer himself but his passion besides is to capture the moments most humans can hardly imagine. The pure power of the waves is hard to imagine but his footage brings it across very well. This needs to be one of the reason why we have been completely stunned watching his material. Make sure to follow his Facebook Page in order to stay updated with jaw-dropping footage at all times.

The Ultimate Slab “Gardenal” from Marcelo Mattos on Vimeo.

At which point did you realize that surfing and photo- cinematography is more than just a hobby?

Back in 2000 I lived in Sydney and the editor of “Surf World Mag” approached me. He asked me to join a couple of pro surfers in order to create a story about the Anzac day. As this sounded interesting to me, I decided to join Todd Prestage, Matt Bemrose, Matt Toghill and Tyson Williams. The story was supposed to be shot a few hours south from Sydney and we started to jump into the water. That was a great start, I was infected.

Where did you surf the “perfect wave”?

Our beautiful planet is full of good waves. I surfed and saw perfect waves almost anywhere I went. But yeah, G-Land is always especially astonishing.

 

Surfing for beginners – what are your three tips to get started with surfing?

I have never been in a surf school and never took surf lessons. As you can get used to mistakes pretty fast, I would start surfing with a couple of surf lessons. Through this approach you ensure not to do a wrong pop up or stand wrong on a board. So I think starting off with some lessons is more efficient. So, in order to give some valuable tips for surf beginners here you go: Dare to do mistakes, take lessons to prevent them, learn from them and improve!

Remember the favorite photo you took or video you shot – Where exactly did you take/shot it, in which situation and what does it show?

It probably was my shot from last week in Rio de Janeiro at Tijuca Beach. It shows a barrel 2.5 miles away from the shore. It was a massive barrel, so real big wave footage! I still hear the sound of the wave in my ear. Impressive! This shot was taken with my cinema camera and the fitting water housing.

What would you like to do in 2 years from now?

More filming, more travelling and more surf. In the end I see myself deeper anchored in the film industry. Yes, that would be great more big wave footage!

What kind of gear do you use while traveling and what’s your favorite device?

It’s definitely my Sony Camera and the Zeiss lens. For me that’s the perfect combination.

marcelo mattos

Your three favorite surf spots in the world?

Australia, Indonesia and the Maldives.

One thing you would have appreciated to know before you started taking photos and surfing?

I teached my self everything from scratch. It was a very interesting time as I learned something new every day. The negative side of thing is that teaching yourself everything is a pretty long process. If somebody would have helped me, I think, the learning curve would have been steeper.

Bucket-List country that you want to travel to next?

Iceland, Europe, Western Australia and Micronesia!

One last thought you want to share with our readers.

It’s all about dreams! Follow your dreams and never forget dreaming. Dreams make our life worth to live.

Thanks so much for your time, Marcelo!

One Response

  1. It is very true that the feeling of surfing is difficult for people to imagine without prior experience. Surf cinematography captures high adrenaline moments that will leave your jaw on the floor. As I have traveled I have participated in a few amateur surf classes. Although I have had prior experience, I am still stunned every time I view surf cinematography.

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