Does A 720 Count If You Didn’t Get A Clip Of It?
Noah Hill discusses his new film and the evasive nature of self-affirmation.
I see a Noah Hill video, I click.
The mind of a goofyfooter is a truly simple contraption.
Since his hiatus and subsequent return to professional surfing, we’ve become very fond of Noah’s demeanor, talent, and creative tastemaking.
Between Indonesian Stab High appearances, Chilean fisticuffs, and his trademarked approach to Maui’s cupped out left bowl, the good-natured thrasher perpetually impresses us. Of late, he’s taken to editing his own clips, with the result manifesting above.
“I’ve been making films with Quinn [Graham] for so long, with this one I figured I should probably learn some editing skills. I’ve also been writing and working on some more narrative based projects that I want to do that don’t really have anything to do with surfing.
“I wrote my first feature film, so that was fun and kind of a big learning experience. And then I actually ended up getting a small micro budget to go and film it, and then the project blew up, and so now I’m back to the drawing board, reediting the script and going through that whole process again.”
Both of Noah’s parents worked in the film industry, offering him a look into a world not completely dissimilar to surfing.
“I recently had an internship at a talent management firm in Hollywood, so I was kind peeking into that world just because, as everyone knows, surfing doesn’t really make a lot of money — and eventually one day I want to have a family and stuff.”
“I think there’s a lot of parallels in terms of people and characters, and I think I learned a lot from surfing about how important it is to be really personable — just being a cool, easy person to get along with can bring you to a lot of cool places as long as you have some talent. But Hollywood seems like a lot. Things can happen a lot faster.”
On his Instagram, Noah has been posting a handful of near 720 attempts, and I ask him how realistic he thinks it is for him to join the exclusive club of double rotators (Kelly, Noah Beschen, Albee, Kai Paula, Matt Meola.)
“That one’s a little frustrating,” he laughs. “I’ve actually landed a few of them now, but I just don’t have any clips of them. It’s such a weight, I feel like when I get the clip it’s going to feel more of a relief than anything. It feels sick, but then when you don’t get the clip, it’s a little bit frustrating.
“In a world of no social media or Instagram, then maybe it would feel a lot better. We’re constantly comparing ourselves to things, and our value is so easily quantified by what we post and what we make public. There’s not a lot of self-validation you can give yourself at that point.
“Honestly, my dream air to get is just a really big backside, stale straight air. I’ve never seen anybody just do a backside straight stalefish that was huge before.”
Tap in above to watch his latest creation — filmed by Quinn Graham, McKenzie Baldwin, and Noah’s dad.
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