Chris McClean - The road to The Edge of Sanity

Chris McClean hails from the surfing and filmmaking hotbed of Grimsby, nestled on the east coast it is not really the first place you think of when it comes to world class surf films. However Chris over the last couple of years has carved a name out for himself producing high quality, rich productions which have thrilled and inspired. So with the latest, the highly acclaimed Edges of Sanity, we thought we’d have a catchup to see where he’s come from and what he’s up to.


So how did you get into filmmaking, because it’s not your original career is it? 

Nah, I trained as a graphic designer and have spent the last ten years or so plus honing my design skills with various brands and agencies. 


Uncommon Ideals, for most of us out here in the surfing world this is the film that started everything off , how did the whole concept for that come off? 

Uncommon Ideals stemmed from a project to document North Sea surfing called Doggerland (named after the landmass now under the North Sea that connected the UK to Northern Europe). It was basically a photo and blog project that got legs and after chatting to Mark (Waters) we decided to work together on a film, I got more and more involved and really enjoyed the marriage of words, visuals and music… it’s reception took us by surprise so I ran with it.


After that had been successful on the film festival circuit, did it then become easy to start to talk to people about funding?

Yeah definitely, with something solid in the bag, people take notice, but funding is still really hard to come by. We were fortunate in the fact a producer at C4 loved it and commissioned a second in the series, Beyond the Scars. 


How did the hook up with Finisterre come along?

Chance I guess, I’d bumped into the boys (Tom, Gregor and Ernie) at ISPO over a few beers we chatted about waves and mutual friends. The next day we spotted each other on a elevator in the Munich subway. I was going down they where going up as we shouted our hellos, goodbyes and said we’d we’d keep in touch as we passed each other it was kinda bizarre. I think I had a snowboard in tow as I was heading to the alps, then Ernie dropped me a mail saying he’d seen my films, put two and two together and figured out it was me… a week later I was driving north to meet them in the Hebrides shooting FV25. 


Having done several films for them, would you say working longer term with a brand making films aids the natural evolution a story they are trying to tell?

Yeah it’s becomes a relationship where you build up an understanding. After FV25, I felt more comfortable telling them what I wanted to create and they felt more comfortable telling me what they wanted from me. Finisterre hadn’t produced much video material before I came along so I never had to shoehorn my style into someone else shoes. They’re also pretty unique the in fact they’re blazing their own trail, creating something uncommon rather that fitting into the stereotypical surfing mould, I’ve a lot of respect for them for that.


How would you say things differ from working on a project like Atlantic Diversions for Epic TV, to working on a commercial project? Do you have total creative freedom on the Epic Tv series? 

With Epic TV, I pitched the idea for the Atlantic Diversion series and yes as long as it falls within certain parameters set out I have creative freedom. Their platform is set up to hit targets so as long as my series hits those all is good. With Atlantic Diversions each episode isn’t storyboarded, it’s down to chance where as with a commercial project it’s storyboarded to eliminate chance, you know exactly what is needed upfront and you work to that. That would be the big difference, both ways are good.


So Edges of Sanity, epic film, how did it all come together, the poem, the music, the film and the voiceover, because it seems to be a step up in all areas?

I think as a team we’re learning how we all work, from CJ Mirra on sound, to Dan Crockett writing the narration… this is the third project we’ve worked on together and it’s great to see that progression. This project was helped as it’s for a brand that have a unique take on surfing which immediately brings a lot to the table and having people like Matt, Noah, Jarrad and Mick at The Mill, Dan at Red Bull Studios, Charles Dance, Freely Systems all at the top of their game understanding what we’re creating and keen to jump on board. There wasn’t a lot of budget for this so it shows what you can create when belief and enthusiasm are the driving forces behind a project, blows me away how it came together.


What now, are you off trying to make your own films or looking more at the commercial realm? 

I think it’s good to have a balance, a solid commercial project one you believe in is always good to get stuck in to.  I’ve a few projects in the pipeline a couple more commercial ones and another Atlantic Diversion trip in the works, I’d also love to turn Atlantic Diversions into a feature, we’ll see if I find time!


Finally, what about your photography, it’s really stylish, is this just something you shoot form the hip as you’re filming, or something a little more serious?

Cheers… yeah I love shooting stills. I tried for a while (with a 7D) to do both but I felt both sides suffered. So when I stepped up and got a cinema camera (C100) which didn’t do stills I made a decision to buy a Fuji x100s and keep it in my pocket so I could snap away when the urge took me whilst concentrating on filming. It’s a killer little camera, it has it’s limitations but not having to worry about changing lenses etc means I can enjoy it without it being too serious.