IMAX NEWS

What better cinema backdrop for the giant waves of Tahiti than the World's Biggest Cinema Screen! Nine-time world champion surfer, Kelly Slater, and his big wave companion, Raimana Van Bastolaer, have completed principal photography for Ultimate Wave Tahiti, the first 3D IMAX film to combine extreme surfing footage with the fascinating story of the science of waves.

Scheduled for worldwide release next February, Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D was primarily shot in the big wave environment known to surfers around the world as Teahupoo. Directed by award-winning director Stephen Low and his team of in-water and airborne cameramen, Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D captures the power, majesty and danger exhibited by ocean waves reaching their crescendo. Newly developed camera equipment was used to bring the theatre-goer into the heart of these giant waves, capturing for the first time the energy and sounds familiar only to a handful of surfing's best.

GET SOME EARLY WAVE ACTION. WATCH THE TEASER TRAILER NOW.


The film's treatment of Tahiti's historical relevance to the sport provides an engaging look into the people of this lush tropical paradise. Van Bastolaer, whose ancestors have surfed Tahitian waters for generations, brings a unique familiarity to the story-telling that is punctuated by Slater's acknowledged mastery of wave formation. The two surfers bond together as they lead viewers to discover how the ocean's waves influence not only geography, but the people whose Polynesian lifestyles are built on an ancient platform, part fact and part mythology. Low's camera team also delves deeply into the crystal blue waters to investigate and communicate the importance of the endemic sea life that populates Tahiti's offshore reefs.



An incredible shot captured by Stephen Low while on location filming Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D.

But, the true star of Ultimate Wave Tahiti is "that" wave. Teuhupoo has challenged surfers for years -- from the time men fought their way into it, until today's more common use of personal watercraft to be towed into its towering strength. The surfer committed to riding this type of wave is greeted with an upwelling of choppy water and the sting of sand vacuumed from the sea floor and fired from the wave. The noise is at times deafening, and the released energy sufficient to rocket the escaping surfer up and out of the wave trough, sometimes to heights of over 20 feet. Both Slater and Van Bastolaer bring this experience to film.

The production team and participating surfing professionals are quick to acknowledge that Ultimate Wave Tahiti is not your traditional surfing movie.

"Where waves come from and what causes their occurrence - the ocean science of waves - is the foundation for our film," said Low. "The information is dramatically captured through the surfers' interaction with this force of nature. The challenges of producing this unique glimpse inside and under some of the planet's most treacherous water are unparalleled," he said. "We considered how best to educate a viewing audience about the natural science of wave creation and its importance to the overall ocean ecology. To make these points as dramatically and effectively as possible, the combination of advanced IMAX film technology and the world's best surfer challenging Teahupoo's incomparable power was a tableau better than any other," Low added.

The film benefits from the significant involvement of the (US) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other experts, including the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. NOAA scientists from a variety of relevant disciplines are consulting on the science content in the film, as well as its related educational outreach materials. “Our involvement with the film was predicated on the accuracy of the scientific information being delivered to theatre audiences,” said Linda Taylor-Austin of NOAA. The surfer’s Kelly Slater Foundation, has as its mission the raising of awareness and financial support for existing social and environmentally conscious charities. His personal commitment to that cause includes an educational component that is a perfect fit for NOAA.

According to Taylor-Austin, “NOAA will guide the development of film-related educational materials and we view the Slater relationship as an authentic, believable mechanism for reaching out to the student community.” NOAA plans call for involvement in the development of the teacher’s guide and educational content for the film’s Website. Consisting of lesson plans geared to grades 4 through 6, with adaptations for other grade levels, the educational outreach will be centered on themes in the film, including wave types, volcanic island science, Polynesian culture, and storm formation.

Ultimate Wave Tahiti will serve as an educational resource for those with an interest in the ocean and its dynamics and will also provide viewers with a combination of thrills and intense beauty never before seen on the giant screen.