Stephanie Gilmore rides the longest wave created by electricity in film for Audi
Audi has released a short film starring seven-time World Surfing Champion, Stephanie Gilmore, riding the longest, rideable open-barrel wave created by electricity.
The announcement:
• Audi has partnered with leaders in surf and film to produce landmark artistic surf film
• Seven-time World Surfing Champion, Stephanie Gilmore, rides electric-powered waves into the night
• Sustainability a key theme for Audi, with the introduction of the brand’s first all-electric vehicle in Australia – the Audi e-tron – in 2020
New York-based agency, Convicts, has collaborated with Audi to release Electric Wave, a first-of-its-kind film that captures surfers celebrating the beauty of electrification at Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch in California.
Electric. Sustainable. Cinematic. Performance. “Surfing is a dance,” mused seven-time World Surf League (WSL) Champion and future Olympian Stephanie Gilmore, as she entered the water of Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch in the middle of the night.
Exploring infinite possibilities of electric-powered technology, Electric Wave is a surf project that celebrates the connection between performance, innovation and sustainability.
Directed by one of Australia’s most prestigious arthouse filmmakers, Daniel Askill, Electric Wave is a choreographed exploration of surfing’s aesthetic possibilities and a vision of sustainable progression. Inspired by the beauty of electrification, the Convicts original short film also features female surfers Coco Ho and Leah Dawson.
“Creating beautiful and unique surf imagery is something I love to collaborate on,” said Stephanie Gilmore.
“I was honoured to work with Audi and Daniel Askill’s vision for this piece. Surfing is competitive, but it’s also an art of expression, and showcasing it through Daniel’s eye is so cool. I’m excited to share this film with the world,” said Gilmore.
Just as Audi continues to push the boundaries of the automotive industry’s electric future, pioneers in both the surfing and film worlds united to expand the frontier of possibility shared by their respective industries. Alongside Askill and Convicts, Japanese composer and Malibu surfer, Aska Matsumiya, composed an original soundtrack for the film.
“We were challenged to do something different, and big. So it had to be a first in surf. We instantly knew it had to be Stephanie riding the ultimate electric wave,” said Convicts CEO & Executive Producer Peter Maiden.
“The wave became a movie set. Historically, surf films cannot be choreographed due to the wild nature of the ocean. Yet, the predictability & scale of the KS Wave Co allowed us to produce a perfectly choreographed ‘surf like dance’ piece after dark for the first time,” said Maiden.
As Audi looks to further integrate its involvement in the surfing world, the brand with the Four Rings has partnered with Kelly Slater Wave Company (KSWC), a division of the WSL, as the Official Automotive Partner of Surf Ranch.
KSWC combines cutting edge science, engineering and design to create the longest, rideable open-barrel human-made wave in the world. Similar to Audi’s future, the artificial waves in Central California are electric powered and the KSWC team is committed to the sustainable development.
“This electric wave is the future of surfing, paralleling that of the electric car to human progression. The synergies between Audi and Kelly Slater Wave Company present endless possibilities when it comes to electric powered technologies. Our goal was to produce a revolutionary film that was able to showcase innovation across all industries,” says Thomas Glas, Head of Sports Marketing at AUDI AG.
Source: N2N Communications media release
