3 questions to Jack Pirie
British writer and director, Jack Pirie has just released a rare film with The Storm Chaser, between aestheticism and realism. To Windsurfjournal.com, he talks about the genesis of this documentary and his meeting with Thomas Traversa.
Windsurfjournal.com: Why were you interested in windsurfing and Thomas Traversa? Did you know the windsurfing world before The Storm Chaser?
Jack Pirie: I had no real knowledge of windsurfing before making the film. I found Thomas after seeing a few videos of him windsurfing online and was immediately drawn to his unique perspective and the elegance of what he does within these extreme conditions. We ended up chatting over several hours as I learned more about him, his methodology and the sport itself. It became clear that for Thomas windsurfing in storm conditions wasn’t about personal accomplishment or death-defying risks, it was more of a chance to experience nature in flow, and at its extremities, reconnecting with the rhythm of life. This connected with me on an emotional level and I wanted to explore it in film. Spending time with Thomas and some of the other people he travels with (Jamie Hancock Pierre Bouras) – I’ve got a new appreciation for the sport, and the people who capture it in on film. Being out there in these conditions requires real dedication but in the end it’s really magical.
WJ: What is the immersive entertainment that is very present in this production?
JP: I set out to create a film that explored the profound encounters between humans and nature at its extremes. I love blurring genre boundaries in film, and through my conversations with Thomas, we spoke a lot about the sheer enormity and scale of natural forces at play when windsurfing. How do we as humans try to make sense of these things? The mythology of storms across history is an echo to that, so creating these more fantastical elements to the film seemed like a natural extension. It was also key to me that we try to convey the sensations and visceral feeling of windsurfing in these conditions - to make the audience feel it how Thomas does rather than being a passive observer. We wanted to capture that energy and roughness and for it not to feel too clean or perfect!
WJ: What did you learn from this experience and in particular from the shooting that took place in the north of Spain?
JP: It certainly instilled in me a great deal of respect for people like Thomas and his team, who dedicate so much of their lives to this, and the unbelievable levels of skill and ability they possess. Thomas has been chasing storms for decades and has an intuition for the natural environment that can feel almost supernatural at times. If you want to know when the wind is going to change, or the rain will start, just ask Thomas… I remember watching him enter these really ferocious waters directly from the rocks off the coast of Galicia, and you immediately knew this is someone most people would never dream of doing. But he was totally comfortable. It’s a joy to see someone who is a true master of their craft. In terms of what I learned - a new sense of humility and patience! Making this film was a constant waiting game - and we’d spend hours waiting for the conditions to line up to try and get the shots we needed. As soon as you realise you can’t control anything there is a peace to be found within that. I imagine this is quite an intrinsic part of the craft of windsurfing! There was a line Thomas said in our interview which didn’t make it into the film but that has stuck with me “ when you’re windsurfing you’re always in movement, you never sit still and wait for anything” - this kind of echoes the cycle of life, which I think it’s quite a beautiful and very apt notion.
Source: Jack Pirie
