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Darieus Legg

@darieuslegg

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Storyteller • Filmmaker • Animator
Award Winning Documentarian
Making my next film with @redbull about @whoisjob

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What Makes You Stoked?

This talk was made possible by the amazing @tedxkerrisdale. Your amazing editing skills and encouragement kept it all on track. Thank you Vancouver for an incredible experience last night. The speakers and event organizers are some epic humans doing legit work in the world. Humbled to be handed the mic and share Stoke. @georgeharjani for being a wizard at rehearsals and believing this story is worth sharing on stage.

Huge thank you to all the people behind the scenes who make this event run smooth and keep the vibe fun. Sound checks, lighting, camera operators, speaker wranglers, ticket masters, all that jazz. Without you folks there is no Ted Talk. Thank you for throwing shakas 🤙🏽 and not tomatoes 🍅 at my Canadian tux 🫶🏽

“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.”
- Pierre Marc - Gaston, from @timferriss Tools of Titans. It’s one of my fav quotes in the world. @tedx_official @tedxgrandviewheights
@silver.moonphotography
#ted #speaker #surfing by @darieuslegg

Here is the full-length theatrical trailer that was made for the fine folks @hiffhawaii . The entire week was a surreal experience. You know when your flying in dream? If you look down you wake up. I kept my eyes forward the whole time because it felt like we were flying. I feel so blessed to have met incredible new friends and spend QT with lifelong friends. A huge mahalo to everyone who came down to support the documentary Stoker Machine, the festival artwork, and all the wonderful artists and films who really care about the movies. Cinema is definitely not dead. The appetite people have for stories and community was on full display at every event and screening. And cinema is the opportunity to feed that hunger. Thank you @whatdreamslooklike @anderson_le @joeycarranza and the entire @hiffhawaii team for the tireless work and support you gave all of us artists. All of you are Tattooed on my heart. #art #surf #documentary #animation #2danimation by @darieuslegg

In today’s episode filmmaker @darieuslegg extolls the virtues (and perils) of being raised on a sailboat, explains how valuing external validation is a zero sum game, recounts why creative expression can buoy depression, and shares how his simply pursuit to tell the story of a used surfboard unraveled his life’s calling. Enjoy episode 494 of Surf Splendor on all podcast platforms 🎤🎧 @david_lee_scales #StokerMachine by @darieuslegg

Kona, Hawaii. Home. I’m so grateful I grew up in this magical town. And I love coming back. Coming home to see my dad, and witness one of my dearest friends get married, was moving. Life is so cool. And I’m constantly baffled at how everything intertwines together neatly. The unmistakeable coffee. The childhood surf spots and friends. The Smell of salt from Banyans. The warm smiles and dinners. The laughs. Everyday, I saw my life flash before my eyes. And, I also saw a very bright future. Very excited. 💪🏽 🙌🏽🙏🏽❣️ #kona by @darieuslegg

Hard to describe this moment.

Over the last four months, I’ve had the privilege of working with @macfreefilms and @surfingheritage. If the ten year old surf grom, from Kona, could have seen where I got to take my family this past weekend, he would have been so proud. And so STOKED. We sat there all night, listening to our heroes keep the flame of surf culture and history alive. And when Greg said my name out loud in that room, I felt complete gratitude and family.

Rewind four months…

@gregmacgillivray called me up and said he needed my help to build “something” for SHACC. He wanted it to teach kids the geography of the planet, educate them on waves, and make sure people left feeling STOKED. He described it to me, and I saw it in my head immediately.

Neither Greg nor I had ever built an interactive kiosk. But serendipitously, it was like everything I’d learned in my career up to that point had been preparing me for exactly this. Programming. Documentary and animated storytelling. Writing narration that makes people laugh.

So we got to work. And I started by imagining… what if Bud Browne, Bruce Brown, John Severson, and Greg MacGillivray had teamed up with my favorite animation artists from Looney Tunes and Disney — Tex Avery, Maurice Noble, and Mary Blair? What kind of film would they make? What would it look like?
The result is 20 Great Waves, on display only at @surfingheritage.

UI/UX design and architecture. Sixty videos. Forty hand-drawn animations. One spinning globe. Four months. @jennsette

I learned so much building this device. But mostly, Greg taught me to trust my instincts and my artistic voice. Little did I know, I’ve been making films in the lineage of Bud, Bruce, John, and Greg for years — unknowingly. Learning from Greg showed me the tradition and the giants we all stand on, and it’s one I’m carrying forward in every Stoker Machine film.

Bud brought ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit to surf films. Bruce brought world adventure and context. John brought humor and art. Greg brought an unforgettable eye, cinematic technique, and education. And building on them, we added hand-drawn #animation #interactive #kiosk to the world of #surf by @darieuslegg

Thank you @macfreefilms and @darieuslegg for kicking ass on our new immersive display for SHACC! And thank you @surfline for the in-depth science! by @darieuslegg

For the last five months, a team of talented people and I have been working on a project for the @surfingheritage museum. @gregmacgillivray said to me, “we need take your stoker machine animation, build an interactive device, make it fun, entertaining, and educational.”

When a godfather of surfing & iMAX cinema invites you to help, you say yes. I had never built a gaming device before, but I do love creative problem solving!

After assembling a team: Producer @jennsette background artist @brent_noll & @inkdem , editor @silvisuals and editor @liamjperry , 3D modeling @danidimarchi animation assist by @javadoodles Programming team: @axrstage

We set to work on 20 Great Waves! Which ended up being a culmination of everything I have ever learned as a storyteller; documentary, animation, 3D animation, 2D Animation, Motion Graphics, and @unrealengine

The end result is a 53-inch vertical device that teaches you about 20 great waves around the planet. Stylized in the Stoker Machine animation. It’s got everything from what makes the wave sick, to great rides, wipeouts, and a live stream from @surfline . Perfect for a museum, and applicable in so many more experiential events.

Special thanks to the @wsl for sending us some clips.

And a huge mahalo to @gregmacgillivray for teaching me the way. The films you, Jim Freeman, Bruce Brown, Bud Brown, and John Severson made; brought wonder and magic to surf films. Something I think the world needs more of. I plan on continuing what you guys started, and tossing the Stoker Machine cap into the ring.

BEYOND Stoked. 🪄 🌊 🎥 #surfing #animation by @darieuslegg

“Escape Layers”. Acrylic and water color. #summer by @darieuslegg

Some recent animation and drawings ❣️. #2danimation #figuredrawing by @darieuslegg

Happy Birthday. Today, I turn 43.

I have thought about surfing everyday since the age of seven. Although, I did not actually start surfing until I was 12. For Kona, that’s a late bloomer. Years later, the image of drawing lines on waves has not been lost on me.

Surfing has given me a life worth examining. Whether it’s the natural world, or my inner world, surfing has guided me through and through.

I owe everything to surfing.

At 43, the horizon looks stacked with sets. Some brutal beatings behind, and surely some ahead, I’m ready for whatever may come.

Because being in the water with friends sharing stories, is enough.

Camera 📷: @tuckerwilliamsmedia @maddix_alotis
@sacraficialamb

#surfing #documentary by @darieuslegg

Looking at art is such a personal experience.

The meaning in artwork, is the one you project onto it. Thats what makes each art viewing experience so unique.

When someone tells you what you are looking at, it tells you more about them, than it does the art itself.

#creativity #art by @darieuslegg

Practice writing fiction.

In my creative practice, I enjoy writing fiction. The things a character says, or does, bubble up from the subconscious.

Then when I read what I wrote, I’m shocked. Surprised, even. Because I gain a little more perspective on the character, and ultimately myself.

The fictional characters become a reflection, that if we are being open and honest, can sometimes teach us much more than any non-fiction character ever could.

There’s something magical about that space that exists between us and fictional narrative. For a brief moment, our inner world becomes objective. And with enough courage and coffee, we can see ourselves much more clearly. #fiction #creativity by @darieuslegg