Historically, South Carolina has been known for mediocre surf.  In the trailer for Waves In Our Pocket, Bryant Thomas seems to be telling everyone exactly what they expect to hear about the state of surfing in our community.  The young filmmaker from Folly Beach says, “Waves In our Pocket is a beautiful story about a small barrier island.  There are no waves in South Carolina. You can’t surf there and we’re going to show that.”

Are we condemned to live in the shadow of east coast surf destinations like Cape Hatteras?  To the contrary, the Thomas Brothers have produced a beautiful film with plenty of waves and amazing surfing.  Moreover, their work celebrates surfing and the surfing lifestyle in true Lowcountry style.

For months, Charleston surfers anxiously awaited the release of the new Folly Beach surf movie.  Thomas Brothers Productions had a great following on the internet with their short clip features, but no one knew whether the local boys could put it all together in a feature length film. On March 27, Waves In Our Pocket premiered to a sold out American Theater in downtown Charleston.  Any doubts the audience may have had were erased as thousands of hours of work over the last twelve months converged on the silver screen.

Local surfers, friends, and family packed the house twice that Saturday night, cheering each time they knew a rider on the screen.  The applause was almost nonstop, and many of the area’s surfers were featured.  The crowd was stoked and everyone praised the cinematography, soundtrack, and polished production of the film.  Bryant, Ellison, and Robert Thomas thanked God, their family, their sponsors and the local surfers for making the movie possible.  McKevlin’s Surf Shop sponsored the event and everyone was extremely happy with the attendance and spirit of the crowd.

One week later, on April 2, the film premiered on Folly Beach. After speaking before City Council twice during the month of March, the Thomas Productions crew was permitted to block off West Cooper from the beginning of Center Street to a bit shy of the fire station. Another great crowd came out for a festive block party. T-shirts and DVDs sold briskly at a booth beside the screen, and the staff of film sponsor Surf Bar worked hard to keep the lines short for the capacity crowd, with the bar open and a cooler outside selling draft beer and barbeque.

The band Jason and the Juggernauts kept the crowd at ease with some of their familiar classics for an hour or so while they waited for the sun to set. Around 8 p.m., McKevlin’s Brian Eichelman took the stage to thank the crowd and praise the Thomas Brothers for their work.

As the screen leaped to life, a collective smile washed over the faces in the audience.  The feeling was that these truly are the best of times and we all should be thankful for what we have.  These are our friends on our waves at this time. Of course, we share all three.  Perhaps this feeling and a willingness to share it are the greatest ideas a community can produce.  A block party like this can only happen on Folly Beach, and the support of the City Council and the Public Service Department was instrumental in its success.

Since the 1960s, surf movies have been made and watched by surfers.  They exist outside mainstream cinema and are distinguished from Hollywood movies by many factors.  Surf films have a strong sense of place and time. However, plot lines and dialogue are less important than action and cinematography in surf movies.  This allows imagery and energy to step to the front. As you watch Waves In Our Pocket, you get a strong sense of Folly Beach and its interaction with the Atlantic Ocean.  Bryant’s cinematography and editing seamlessly merge the area’s finest surfing, best waves, and a driving soundtrack that is upbeat and current.

In one scene a surfer is skateboarding in a bowl, overlaying a sequence of “skatey” surf tricks.  The movie then briefly shifts locations to California, showing the vast difference between the west coast and east coast wave heights.  However, in the film, there are easily a ton of overhead waves caught on Folly proper.

All in all, the film is a highly personal view on what it means to be a surfer in the southeast.  Here, you surf because it is what you enjoy.  It’s definitely not for the recognition, although in this case it’s highly deserved.

Whether you own hundreds of surf movies or have never seen one, consider watching this impressive local effort. Viewers have one more chance to see it on the big screen when it airs at the Charleston International Film Festival in May. The film is currently available at McKevlin’s for $20, ready to nurture your surfing soul. Waves In Our Pocket is the essence of life and surfing on Folly Beach in 2011.

Share on Facebook

Surfers Healing brings professional surfers to Charleston to teach autistic children surfing skills as a form of therapy. The Surfers Healing Charleston Chapter has hosted this event for the past two years and hopes to raise enough money to continue the program into 2010. “The surfers have worked with a lot of kids with autism and know what to do”, said Lorri Unumb, who works with the research and advocacy group, Autism Speaks. Unumb’s eight year old autistic son, Ryan, helped to author South Caro¬lina’s “Ryan’s Law”, which requires state-regulated insurance companies to cover autism treatment.

If you are interested in learning more about Surfers Healing, please visit www.surfershealing.com or email surfingtherunway@gmail.com. Visit www.facebook.com/surfingtherunway for weekly updates on community donations, special appearances, giveaways, and more.

Surfing the Runway is the largest fundraising event for the 2010 Surfers Healing camp. The designers hope to raise enough money to keep the Folly Beach camp coming back year after year.

Share on Facebook