19 July 2011 - 15:13 SURFING THE WILD EAST - The worlds first surf movie realized by crowdfunding
ENTERTAINMENT. On September 26 of this year, the Blickinsfreie team together with professional surfers Ian Walsh, Gabriel Villaran, Cristobal de Col and Perth Standlick will embark on a three-week adventure through the Caucasus Eurasia with a mission to surf the Caspian Sea just north of Baku, Azerbaijan. Fusing the intentions to expose new surf territory with a fever for adventure and foreign land, our mission is to deliver a compelling story to an audience of core surf enthusiasts on a global level.
Stoil Dimitrov surfing at Black Sea spot near Achtopol, Bulgaria, photo: Stoil Dimitrov
It all started when a group of us discovered a surf scene along the Black Sea in Bulgaria. Local surfers shared their idea of searching along the Black Sea for uncharted surf territory and together we formed an international crew of surfers to write, film and photograph our travels as we discover and explore the Wild East.
Tony Gogov surfing at Black Sea spot near Achtopol, Bulgaria, photo: Stoil Dimitrov
And as we began to map out our trip, we brainstormed for ideas on a possible route. We found surf spots in both the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, and our goal is to complete a 3000km journey to Baku, Azerbaijan, where we can surf and document waves never before shown.
Our angle?
To tell a story of surfing undocumented and exotic territory in the "Wild East", with tales of traveling through countries saturated in a life that's captivating and foreign.
Our green light came when Red Bull and FOX saw our potential and sponsored us with wheels, Pro Surfers Ian Walsh, Gabriel Villaran, Cristobal de Col, Perth Standlick and some lunch money. But like any good project, we need more support to make our dream come true.
Ian Walsh, photo by www.jeffflindt.com
Since this movie project got just partly funded by sponsoring, Blickinsfreie is aiming to fund the lack of budget by innovative crowdfunding. We work with new ways of crowdfunding on both, our website and crowdfunding websites like STARTNEXT
People that appreciate this project have the opportunity to support the post-production through the different donation options. Unique rewards like HIGH DEFINITION DOWNLOADS to FREE ACCESS TO ALL FILM FOOTAGE or YOUR LOGO IN THE MOVIE are waiting to be given to the backers.
We are also seeking sponsorships to help fund the excursion from September 26 to October 12. There are various levels of sponsorships to satisfy all needs of modern sponsoring. Agreements are negotiated individually.
The three-week journey, set to be a documentary through a tri-media production of video, photography and text, will take this team through the ancient and exotic regions of Turkey, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. We will find and follow exotic surf spots along the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, while inter-twining surf sessions with adventure to create our story. Our footage will capture unique encounters from cultures and characters dripping with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities at our fingertips.
Visual media output will be widespread and includes a full feature documentary including Teaser as well as a stunning photography report including a unique blog journal and compelling storyline that will cover this adventure with clever, creative and absorbent text. We aim to share our story in both print and online surf media worldwide.