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RLAND: Thoughts And Inspiration Behind The Experiment Date: 07-27-2007
Author: Wakeskating.com Staff
All imagery courtesy of Bryan Soderlind
In 2004, photographer and wakeskater Bryan Soderlind purchased a 16 mm camera that was made in 1951 and began filming his friends wakeskating. Over the course of the next three years, Bryan continued to capture the art of wakeskating and eventually compile and present the footage as a work of art in itself. The final product is a 16 mm wakeskate experiment titled RLAND.
The name RLAND, which originates from a bench design in Orlando, presented itself as a working title to Bryan after having been inspired by a photo on his computer background. It's also a word that helps celebrate an atmosphere that's unique to Orlando, which also solidifies its place in wake history. Bryan explained, "We have a unique wake community here in central Florida that consists of a lot of people and a lot of opportunities you can't find anywhere else. It is really cool to think it has been happening for years and that we get to be around for the start of wakeskating here."
Finding a cast of riders to participate in this experiment wasn't too difficult; Bryan just looked to his friends, who also happen to be a group of riders that have earned his respect, and understandably so. Featured riders in RLAND include Scott Byerly, Brian Grubb, Aaron Reed, Brandon Thomas, George Daniels, and as luck would have it, Danny Hampson. Explaining Danny's involvement, Soderlind stated, "Danny Hampson ended up filming with me for one day and we got some really good stuff. One of the lenses I shot him with that day was really soft so I didn't use the footage; I could've had a lot more from that day."
Ultimately, the five main riders in RLAND have something in common in Soderlind's eyes: "I think the five guys in the film are true professionals. They all have a unique style of their own and are contributing heavily to the sport. I think all of these guys have a legacy of commitment to the sport and will be remembered years from now."
Accordingly, the locations featured in the film are in Central Florida and parallel the main cast of players, as these locations serve as the stomping grounds for themselves and their friends. Filming locations include Lake Georgia, Lake Jessamine, Lake Ivanhoe and The Projects. One key lake resides outside of Orlando--Lake Minneola. And according to the film's website, this lake has extended the boundaries of RLAND, courtesty of Aaron Reed and the seven years of dedication and time he's spent on this lake, honing and perfecting his style, and ultimately contributing to the progression of wakeskating.
An interesting part of the film's character and title comes from the use of the term "experiment." When asked why the film was characterized as such, Soderlind explained that it was due to the age of the camera and the trial and error style of creation that ensued. Soderlind said, "I bought the camera, read the manual, and started running film through it. Some things I messed up on turned out cool and some things didn't. I shot a lot of film that expired in the 1960s that I got from a friend, so essentially I didn't know if anything was going to come out. I also shot some rolls twice and got things processed weird ways at times. This whole film was really just an experiment to see what works with film and what was capable with my 56 year old camera."
In 2005, Bryan started getting some of his footage back and began to figure out what worked and what didn't. Still, he always knew that he wanted to do something with the footage, though not ever having set a time frame on incorporating it into a project but instead letting it develop and evolve without pressure or expectations. Furthermore, the friendships he's built helped greatly when it came to having people that were willing to work along with him as the experiment began to take shape and progress, as Bryan said, "I know them all personally and it was cool they were willing to shoot with me even though I didn't know what I was doing for awhile."
The medium for RLAND is another aspect that adds uniqueness to the project. Inspired by the look of old surf and skate films, Bryan said, "I really wanted to make a film and not just a video. I think it gives these guys incentive as well. No rider is going to get as stoked on shooting video. I think when you have a limited amount of film and are telling guys you are about to shoot slow-mo or something, they really get pumped and break out their A-game." A significant point of inspiration came from a video premiere for the surfing movie Sprout. Bryan recollects, "At the end, the film maker, Thomas Campbell, held up a camera (a Bolex) he made the film with and I thought it was awesome. It wasn't some big budget camera that he used to make the film look that good. After that I saw that making a great film was an achievable goal. All I had to do was have some initiative."
Film also brings a certain sort of character and visual appeal that video just can't replicate. According to Bryan, things like light flashes at the beginning and end of the rolls work well as natural cuts between scenes. In addition to the medium and the more artistic style of RLAND, Bryan maintained an editing philosophy that set out to "keep it simple and chill, and let the footage speak for itself if it's good."
After three years of filming and editing, RLAND is scheduled to premiere on Friday, August 31 at the Plaza Theater in Orlando. The evening begins at 7:30 pm with an art show in the lobby and a presentation of all the available prints from The Standerd gallery, live music and a fitting twist with a silent auction comprised of autographed wakeskates. As the evening progresses, so will the anticipation as RLAND is set free to the crowd of supporters and admirers.
For more information on the director, the premiere, the lakes, the riders and a nice trailer, check out www.rlandthefilm.com. Just as important and entertaining are the teasers on select Myspace profiles of riders who took part in the film and friends of the director. It's a pretty interesting method to draw attention to the film and give the public additional samplings of RLAND. But more importantly, the teasers are a way to include everyone who helped make the film a reality, and everyone who was in the film to "be proud of what they are a part of and show their friends who might know nothing about wakeskating and our area." So if you want an even better look at RLAND the film, get to digging through those Myspace profiles, since there are 14 trailers to uncover--you won't be disappointed.
Lastly, if you're hyped and want to get your pre-order on, or if you have $20.00 burning a hole in your hot little pocket, check out The Standerd Store, since they are the only outlet that will have RLAND available for purchase. The film is currently available at its "pre-premiere" price, which also includes free admission to the RLAND premiere. After the film is shown, it will retail for $25.00. Furthermore, it is a limited edition item. So if you're a fan of the art of wakeskating and you want to have something in your video collection that's unique and presents a different perspective, check out RLAND.
"I love to wakeskate and feel it is the funnest thing on the water to do. I also think there hasn't been too many wakeskate films out recently that were too good or all wakeskating. It is really just a personal choice; I get pumped to be getting history like Scott's first inside to out kickflip..."--Bryan Soderlind
![[O]RLAND[O] bench](http://www.wakeskating.com/media/data/548/Rland_Screen_Shot_2_.jpg)
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