Bob McTavish V Dick Brewer = Raymond/Warbrick V Noosa/Jarratt
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 18 March, 2010 : - - An off-screen stoush has ended plans for the world premiere at Noosa of the surf movie Going Vertical, that is about a very real argument over who started the sport’s short board revolution.
Robert Raymond, the producer of Going Vertical, has failed to find a location to screen the film after he was forced to withdraw it from the Noosa Festival of Surfing because of concerns about the venue. The film’s executive producer is Rip Curl’s multi-millionaire co-owner Doug Warbrick, who had come to Noosa for the festival and to view the premiere.
Raymond, who produced Schindler’s List with Steven Spielberg, said he had been let down by surf festival director Phil Jarratt and left with his launch plans in disarray after he had flown in 20 cast and crew members and their partners from America, Hawaii and Australia and arranged national media coverage of the event.
Jarratt, who was a writer for the film, said Raymond had always known it would be shown in a tent and had become precious about the venue after seeing Avatar. Raymond in turn claims he had made Jarratt well aware of the technical requirements of a HD, wide screen, digital production with 5.1 surround sound and had been assured the venue could accommodate it.
He said that when he finally got to speak to the technician employed by the festival it was clear neither the venue nor the equipment were suitable. A plan to transfer the premiere to Noosa 5 Cinemas failed to eventuate. Cinema manager Lindsay Dodd said yesterday that his program was already fully booked.
Going Vertical will be launched in 50 theatres across Australia next week. The film explores a dispute that has raged for more than 40 years about whether Australian Bob McTavish or American Dick Brewer was the first to take design to the level where surfboards could be ridden up and down a wave as well as along it.
The pair, still world-renowned for their craftsmanship, had come to Noosa for the launch. Some 40 years on from the sport’s momentous evolution to the short board era, each remains adamant he was the instigator. The feud between the film maker Raymond and the surf author Jarratt about who caused the premiere’s fiasco may last as long.
If you see a good surfing wave, just shoot a free panorama or a 360 to share it with other surfers. It is easy and fun with pixeet and its fisheye lens.
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