Riding Giants

Back when surfing was just beginning to catch fire in southern California and elsewhere, there was an intrepid band of film producers from this region (themselves legendary surfers, like Greg Noll) who were contributing to the sport’s popularity by making a series of films that documented the first big wave riders and their assault on Oahu’s fabled North Shore.

Complimenting this furious output of homegrown moviemaking was a series of film posters that more than anything else serve as a time capsule to the early days of  surfing and the artistic sensibilities that surrounded our culture at that time.

The posters in many instances have a common type usage and format similar to the popular film posters of graphic designer Saul Bass but begin to play off in wildly imaginitive tangents, each one a small document to the heady days of the burgeoning surf scene.

The films themselves had their world premieres in locales such as the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and Van Nuys High School. The venues may not seem that impressive in comparison to their Hollywood counterparts, but these locations, these movies and these incredible posters all played a seminal role in influencing generations of young surfers and skaters – such as the legendary Z Boys of Dogtown – creating a youth culture phenomenon that continues to this day.