The Mystic (2004)

Two and half years in the making, THE MYSTIC is the latest film from director Bill Ballard. Shot entirely in film, the movie blends 16, super 16 and 35mm film beautifully to bring this imagery-based movie to life. Along with world class water cinematography by 2 of the fields best, Daren Crawford and Mike Prickett, this surreal film will need to be watched many times to take in all of the amazing film shots. Six different trips to Chile, Australia, Lombok, Europe, Hawaii and the South Pacific make up THE MYSTIC. In each piece our cast and crew goes to the outskirts of hidden surf destinations to bring the viewer breath-taking shots from rarely seen before locations. Set to an amazing and eclectic soundtrack from Ubiquity Records, the movie allows the images from each location to tell the story. We begin our mystical adventure by scoring 1 of the best days of the winter in Hawaii with a handful of very talented surfers, aggressively attacking the dangerous surf. Next we really score, when a giant swell arrives in Fiji and Kelly Slater tows into wave after wave with world-class ability! The combination of camera angles and his incredible talent make this a must see piece. The movie continues with 3 more amazing travel pieces to Australia, Chile and Europe, combining scenic and action shots very smoothly, once again allowing the images to take center stage. The movie climaxes with another amazing score in the outskirts of Lombok, Indonesia, as Braden Dias, Kalani Chapman and friends score a life-changing week of waves. Watch as they surf some of the longest tubes EVER caught on film, more than 8 waves clock up over 15 seconds plus of tube time, and a couple of them travel over 20 unbelievable seconds in the barrel. THE MYSTIC'S perfect blend of sound, music and film make this a keeper for years to come.