Coopers & Stab Are Hunting For Underground And Original Australian Cinematographers

Pssssst. Hey, filmmakers. We’ve got something for you. How does $5K and a job shooting our next major project sound?

Coopers and Stab are celebrating surfing’s unsung heroes that stand in the sun all day and risk their lives to bring us digital pleasure that we’ll watch for a few seconds, double-tap, and then probably scroll right past. 

Surfing is used to celebrating folks in front of the lens, but ‘Real To Reel’ spikes the punch and uplifts the folks who capture the moments and stories we care about in aesthetically-delighting technicolour bits.

‘Real to Reel’ asks filmmakers to respond to a set of topical chapters using visuals, not words. Each filmmaker will be given an identical template to populate, elevating their footage as the main act. The finest reel as decided by a panel of industry experts will be announced at the ‘Real to Reel’ event held on February 15, 2022, The Park Hotel, Suffolk Park, and will take home a prize purse of $5,000 AUD, a truckload of glory, and a gig shooting one of Stab’s next major projects. 

So what are we looking for? Art, not content — something remarkable that we cannot wait to tell other people about, although struggle to do justice using words. A reel that dissolves guardrails and exposes tender interiors, that massages brains, suspends belief, and stands out from the endless blur of content on the information superhighway. 

Stab previously hosted Filmlyfe, a series where filmmakers submitted five-minute shorts and answered questions with visuals instead of words (see videos below). While the guidelines for the ‘Real to Reel’ differ in their specific requirements, they may provide useful references or sources of inspiration.

How to enter:

• Download the Coopers X Stab assets
• Get to know our chapters (you will need to use 8 of them)
• Watch these videos for inspiration (see below)
• Check your eligibility and read our T&C’s
• Get creative and email in your best reel to [email protected]

Without further ado, here is our list of 16 prompts. You must use a minimum of eight in your video.

• Where do you wish you were right now
• Best wave you’ve ever seen
• Favourite local to shoot
• A scene that typifies the mythology around a region
• A glimpse of home
• A wave you’ll never get sick of
• A local legend
• A tale as old as time
• A true craftsman
• An obsession
• The ocean in all its glory
• A moment in time
• Best surfing you’ve ever filmed
• Best characters you’ve captured (Must include audio)
• Wildlife encounters

Who can enter?

This is a contest for Australian filmmakers only — sorry, another closed-border event. Entrants must be Australian residents over 25 years of age, as do any talent featured in the reels.

When does it open and close?

The event window will open on December 16 and close on January 31. Shortlisters will be notified via email and will be asked to attend the event in-person on February 15.

How long can my film be?

No more than five minutes, no less than three. 

Does it need to be new or unseen footage?

It can be new or old footage, seen or unseen. This is up to you. All footage must be owned and cleared by you, the filmmaker.

Music, does it need to be licensed and cleared?

Sure does but this is also an opportunity to get creative – hit sound libraries, local bands or record your own music. Stab also has a library that we will allow you to access free of charge just drop us a line at [email protected] if you would like to use it and we’ll hook you up.

So folks, that’s all. Below is the downloadable assets pack where you will find an adobe premiere template that you can easily drop clips into with the correct fonts, transitions, and branding. It’s as simple as that really, drag and drop, click and collect. All submissions must be emailed to [email protected] by Jan 31 11:59 PM AEST.

For Coopers x Stab downloadable assets click here.

For all T&C’s click here.