Part travel diary, part soul-searching surf flick, 2010’s Castles in the Sky was a departure from the typical surf cinema of its time. For perspective, this was just a year after Kai Neville dropped Modern Collective. Two very different films, both influential in their own right.
“It started with Sipping Jetstreams,” said filmmaker Taylor Steele. “I was burnt out on doing the whole action film thing. I wanted to show the world as something beautiful and romantic and inspiring – I wanted to convey that for my kids, who were young at the time. Sipping Jetstreams was fine, but I feel like it lacked a few things. So, with Castles, I was fixing all the flaws.”
The result: Dane Reynolds clinging to an “oh shit” handle on frozen roads in Iceland. Dion Agius roaming the streets of Vietnam. Rob Machado rocking back and forth in a rickety train car in Peru. In fact, the first surf clip of the film doesn’t come until 12 minutes in. And that’s by design. Steele wanted to show that there’s more to surf trips than just the surf.
But of course, the film also features amazing surfing in distant lands – some of which had never been seen or surfed before. And so, ahead of premiering Castles in the Sky in full for Surfline’s Premium members on Thursday, we caught up with Steele to hear about the film, and why you should always, always follow Dave Rastovich when you’re on a surf trip.
Dane Reynolds, Iceland. Photo: Nathan Myers
Surfline: First off, let’s hear about that car accident.
Taylor Steele: We had a 12-hour drive in India, so we hired a driver to take us in this small bus. We were chasing a little swell, so with limited time we decided to drive overnight. At like 4am, we were all sleeping in the back, and we hit something. In my mind, it felt like a minor accident – like a side swipe or something. I thought he was just pulling over to check what the damage was.
But then, I’ll never forget it, I look up and we’re going through trees. The driver is just screaming. It’s pitch black and the headlights are only showing trees. I didn’t know if it was going to be a 200-foot drop or something much smaller. Such a crazy thing to wake up to. We crashed at the bottom of probably a 20-foot slope. I hit my head and got a big gash, which needed like 50 stitches.
The funny thing was, Dave [Rastovich] wasn’t feeling good. So he decided to fly and meet us. The moral of the story is, if Dave ever gets out of your car, you do the same. He’s got good karma for all the good things he does. Just always do what Dave does.
In most surf films, the surfers are the stars with their own designated sections and whatnot. But in Castles, the locations are the main subject. Why?
Totally right. The locations were the stars of this film. And I tried to include surfers who felt natural to those locations. A lot of times, the surfing is the spotlight, and you don’t capture what it’s actually like to be in these amazing places. I wanted to go to places that were inspiring to look at, but also to capture what it’s like when you’re there.
Rasta, India. Photo: Nathan Myers
What drew you to these specific, far-flung countries? (India, Vietnam, Iceland, etc.)
One of the themes of the movie was to show the diversity and how amazing this world is. The countries I chose have very diverse looks, in terms of people, architecture, landscape, and waves. I wanted to show that contrast between all the locations. But also, these were places that I had always wanted to visit. For some of the locations, I think I was the one who was the most stoked to be there. Surfers generally want to get good waves, more so than exploring new places.
Was it difficult selling the surfers on some of the locations?
I think Sipping Jetstreams helped pave the way for this one to be easier, but we really pushed hard on some of these places. Like Vietnam for example. We spent a month in Vietnam. That’s a big ask for surfers to spend a month in a place like Vietnam. I don’t know if the surfers knew what they signed up for. [Laughs.] But for the most part, we got good waves. We got it done.
“The locations were the stars of this film. A lot of times, the surfing is the spotlight, and you don’t capture what it’s actually like to be in these amazing places.”
Some of those waves had barely, or never, been seen before. Do you ever feel conflicted about exposing new spots on film?
I have a mantra about discovering new spots and not giving away a roadmap to those locations. I feel bad about showing new spots on film. Because no matter what, people will find the locations that you showcase. The waves in India, for example, they were surfed months later. They would reveal a little more info, then the next group would spill a little more – that happens until it’s obvious as to where it is.
I’m definitely aware of that, and I’m sensitive to it. These spots, for the most part, nobody had surfed before. It’s not like blowing up a local spot that’s been guarded for a while. Even when that happens, say, in Indonesia where a local crew has been surfing the spot for a while, it’s a conflict. It’s lame for the spot to be crowded. But it also might be good for the local village or the local economy. It can bring opportunity for the community – they can have options; they can have the chance to make money. It’s a conflict, I think, that every surfer has to face.
Somewhere in Iceland. Photo: Nathan Myers
What do you make of the current deluge of internet clips, versus the heyday of full-length surf films?
I definitely lived in the golden era of surf films. We’d spend a year making a film, then people would watch it for six months to a year. People would have the film memorized, and they would watch it before they went surfing. Myself and every other filmmaker has had to adjust to the Instagram, short attention span thing. But I think there’s a nice diversity now. People watch 30-second things, which is great for the purely action stuff. But people also listen to three-hour podcasts or watch a 10-hour TV series. So, it’s not all gloom and doom with the short attention span thing. You just need to have the right kind of story to make it longform.
What do you hope viewers take away from Castles in the Sky?
At the end of the day, I hope it inspires people to travel. I hope it shows people that we’re all the same people in this world, we all care about our friends and family. And it’s a beautiful place out there. There’s nothing to be afraid of.
Stay tuned to watch Castles in the Sky in its entirety, airing exclusively for Surfline Premium members on Thursday.
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