A Pleasant Surprise, Indeed

A Pleasant Surprise is an East Coast(US) Surf flick, shot entirely on Super 16mm. The movie was filmed over the course of 3 years, initially releasing in 2009.

Shooting a surf movie entirely on film is more challenging than its digital counterpart. Old equipment, fucked up rolls, no playback button. Basically, many things can go wrong, and it’ll hurt the piggy bank if they do.

While 16mm provokes feelings of nostalgia, it can be hard on our 1080p conditioned eyeballs. Imperfect, grainy, and the exact opposite of what today’s Tik Tok-ers want to see. Filmmakers Zegel and Pahlow did exceptionally well with this piece, properly capturing rugged surfing from the mid-Atlantic region. And after a decade in the archives, it’s finally made its way online for all to see.

Click here to relive the glory days.