Seen Unseen

The man tasked with capturing surf footage of one of the best surfers ever is a mysterious gentleman known simply as Mini. Mini films Dane Reynolds nearly every day and runs their website, Marine Layer. Marine Layer recently released Seen Unseen, a 30-minute compilation film of Dane free surfing. The footage is refreshingly gritty – not every turn is a make and there’s plenty o’ less than ideal conditions surfed. Mini’s a man of few words, but Stab caught up with him anyway to find out what it’s like shooting Mr. Reynolds.

Stab: How does it feel to be documenting one of the most talented, hyped and idolised surfers of all time? 
Mini: How do i feel ? If I could freeze a moment in time it’d be right now, because in the blink of an eye Dane will be off to Oregon with the wife and kids and k9. Nah, I’m privileged to say the least, but it feels pretty normal actually. We’ve been pounding away at this filming thing for so long now – in my eyes, Dane is just Daner. I think he appreciates that.

From a creative film perspective, can you tell me about Dane as a subject?
I’ve never really viewed Dane as a subject. Shit, I don’t know, sometimes it feels like I’m chasing tornadoes in the midwest.

Does he ever ask you not to film him? 
Only at the U.S. Open.

Is it a hard job separating the good from the not-so-good? 
Nah, with Dane, it’s all good. We keep everything because once you erase that card, it’s gone forever. We didn’t hold anything back for Seen Unseen. It’s all there.

Does Dane ever seem over it, or is it the opposite? 
I don’t think Dane will ever be over it. He still surfs a few times a day, but lately he’s been more selective with his filmed surfs. We don’t really attack it every single day anymore, but four months straight of perpetual fog doesn’t help either.

His surfing is really spontaneous. Have you come to understand his surfing, or are you often still surprised? 
Dane surprises me every session. I’ve always believed the better the surfer, the easier it is to film him/her. The gifted surfers draw the cleanest, most committed lines. With Daner it was learning how to pan skyward.

Does he have bad days? He always seems to be on. 
That’s the illusion we here at Marine Layer try to present. Nah, he has off days I guess, but we usually post those too. – Elliot Struck