Watch: Snapt3 For The First Time Online, Now!

[Ed.’s Note: The Password is @snapt3. You can stream it, or download the whole thing for posterity, above]

Surf films are dead, they say. 

But ask any of the thousands who showed up well-heeled and in droves to the US Open premiere of Snapt3 two summers ago, and they’ll surely recall feeling life breathed back into the form.

At the very least they’ll remember the absolutely nuts party Logan Dulien, the film’s director, and longtime figure within the Newport Beach scene, threw in honor of the occasion. 

Four years sober, and with 12 years between films, the the guy still knows how to do two things damned well: putting together and motivating an A-list cast to film a surf flick and throwing fuckin rangers. 

This month, Logan and his band of madmen officially began filming for the next flick, Snapt4. It will feature a handful of Dulien’s reliable characters, some fresh faces, and even a wildcard or two chosen by public vote and peer review. Final say will be had by Bobby, Mason, Asher and co. (Heavy.)

In celebration of the new film’s announcement, Logan was kind enough to offer Snapt3 online, streaming and downloadable for free on Stab for the weekend, above. (Again, the password is @snapt3). We caught up with Logan below, for a brief chat about making the film and what’s in store for 2020’s premiere of Snapt4.

Surf films are dead, so long live ’em! 

Stab: You started making surf films in the early-00s. A lot has changed since then. The web clip killed the video part, then the insta clip nearly made the web clip extinct. Snapt3 felt like the first raw independent, full-length surf film a la …Lost, Taylor Steele, etc. in years. What prompted?
Logan Dulien: Making Snapt3 – that was crazy time in my life. I was around six months clean from opioid addiction at the time I decided to make the film.

I remember seeing this quote from Kai Neville, who was making the sickest movies at the time, saying something to the extent of “independent surf films are dead…”

So I figured it was the perfect opportunity to give it a go again! [Laughs]

Seemed like there was nothing to lose and everything to gain. Plus, after a 13 year hiatus since Snapt2, and being strung out for five years, I felt like the odds were definitely not in my favor—so I kinda combined my recovery and making the movie together, doubled down, and Snapt3 kinda became my new addiction in a weird way

You were able to build an absolutely fucked up roster for your comeback. What was it like feeling the guys getting motivated finishing a part for a film?

It all depends on the individual, but most of the guys were so enthusiastic towards the end it was like watching your team go hard in the 4th quarter. Seeing it all come together was really special, and a massive team effort.

Mason [Ho] really helped motivate the younger guys to get their best clips for the movie. I’ll always be thankful to Mason for that…

How’d you and Bobby and Asher meet? That Oz session section is still one of the craziest clips.

Funny, I met Bobby in my first and last NSSA contest. We were 14, so that’s 25 years ago. He was a straight up prodigy, and I felt embarrassed to be in the water with him. He surfed that good.

I met Asher straight out of high school. I was 18 and just got hired to be the global surf TM for Australia-based brand SMP. I was at a WQS in Newcastle and remember Rory Parker [the fallen surfer, not Stab‘s own] telling me, “Wait till you see this kid surf…” I came home claiming Asher was the best surfer I had never heard of, and started to hype him up over here in the states. Been best friends with him ever since, was his best man in his wedding.

Asher and Bobby are good friends, and that trip really set the tone for Snapt3. Bobby said it was the best two days of surfing in his life. The stars aligned and it was that trip and those clips that made me think the movie had potential.

Mason is one of Stab’s most beloved, and his Snapt3 section was properly fucked up. Tell us about that 45-minute Pipe session he had? What other trips were you on with him finishing the film?

Mason is the biggest legend, both in and out of the water. Can’t say enough good things about him and his surfing. The Pipe session, I guess he caught 3-4 bombs in like 45 minutes. His filmer, Rory Pringle nailed the land angle, and he got me in touch with Erik Ippel, who nailed everything from the water with a Phantom cam. Definitely seemed like a special 45 minutes out at Pipe for him, but you can’t put anything past him, especially when it comes to producing content or getting bombs at Pipe.

Mason’s section, which he edited himself with Joe Alani, was filmed in Hawaii, and then we did a trip to the Bayou wave with Barca, and the last big trip was like a two-week run he did in Indo, where he brought Sheldon [Paishon] and Rory [Pringle] with him and those guys just went to fucking town…. Clip City. Mase and Sheldon, with Rory filming, it’s like a dream team. They just produce.

You had Bruce, Bobby and a few A-list vets, but also plenty of spots for young guns—Josh and Seth, Parker, Sheldon, etc. Who are you excited to add to the roster for Snapt4?

I’m good friends with Shawn Ward / Ward Management, and thanks to him backing it we’re going to have Barron Mamiya and Eli Hannaman added to the lineup for Snapt4. I think that’s two big additions.

And you’re going to be announcing a comp in the next few months or something, to get a few outliers in the mix? What’s the story? Surfers drop clips and tag y’all and Bobby, Asher, and Mason will decide who gets a section? And they get an invite on a filming trip with all them?

I still have lots of logistics to figure out on the idea, but thinking is to have everyone online get involved and narrow it down to a few guys, and from there let some of the guys in the movie choose who gets the slot. Kinda like the Innersection wild card.

Maybe it will be for a surfer who has who has no contract. It’d be cool to give that slot to someone who is working on getting sponsored. That’s what was so rad about Sheldon getting his own section, or Parker Coffin. It was really cool to see Snapt3 help as a platform to hype them up. They both surf so good. I’m all for the underdogs and giving guys a opportunity..

The Snapt3 premiere was one of the heaviest we’ve ever attended. How much bigger can you go!?

Only one way to find out! [Laughs]

We’ll see—summer of 2020 is when we plan on dropping Snapt4. Pat Tenore [RVCA founder] taught me how to produce events, and I feel like throwing parties is one of my strong points. I’ve got a Mickey Avalon and Dirt Nasty Australia tour coming up in March. Hoping to sell out all four shows, and put lots of the money towards Snapt4.

So, Chucky: Why do surf films matter? Why do you still love this shit?

‘Cause it’s the heart and soul to getting you pumped for that next surf. Fom Endless Summer or Momentum or The Lost Movies—they’re all timeless to me. I love this shit because I have Obsessive Compulsive Surf Disorder [Laughs]. I’m completely obsessed and addicted to surfing no matter how shitty or good the waves.

Surfing and Snapt3 saved my life from drug addiction. In two months, I’ll have four years opioid free. I love chasing down waves and video clips. It’s way better than chasing the dragon. And we gotta keep the dream alive!