Denzel returns to the facetime vibes and sits down with his long-time pal, Billy Lee- Pope, who’s been making waves in the surf film industry for a bit now (pun intended), and questions him on the journey.
You know the drill; Wednesdays are speed dates and this week we leave behind the local music scene and dive into the surf film scene.
Yo Billy, how’s it going my man, tell the readers out there who you are and what you do?
I’m Billy Lee- Pope, I’m 24 years old and I’m a freelance filmmaker that’s usually based on the Gold Coast but currently stuck in Raglan.
You moved to the GC about two/three years ago now. Was this move solely career based or was it just a wild shot in the dark that paid off?
It started when a couple of friends were planning on moving over there and I thought that’s a sick idea and said ‘fuck yeah I’m keen on that. It turned out to be just me and my mate, Harry, that made the move. But mainly, it was career based. I wanted to specifically film surfing and there’s a bigger surf industry in the Gold Coast compared to here.
How does it feel to have become the go-to guy for a lot of surfers? Did you ever think you would reach that point?
I don’t really think I’m the go-to guy yet, but I’ve managed to have earned to work with and amongst some really good surfers and some well-known brands. I count myself lucky to have been able to build some great relationships with them and make some great connections, which is leading to more projects. It’s definitely a cool feeling to know that there’s guys and girls out there that want to be filmed by me.
Your clips are super dope and are always backed by a killer song. Where do you get the songs from? Do you listen to a shit load of music and comb through it all and think oh this track would dope on a clip? Or do you ask the surfers for their favs? What’s the science behind it?
A bit of both, if the surfer has a sick song they want to put on and it’s a banger then I’ll agree to chucking it on and we’re sorted (if it’s a shit song then I’ll flag it). But I do listen to a bunch of music and just go through playlists scouring good songs. It’s trickier when it comes to a clip for a brand cause then you have to deal with music rights and all that jazz.
In classic denny speed date fashion I’m gonna leave things with a top 5, give us your top 5 fav Australian surf lingo?
1. Skitz – ‘duuude that air reverse was skitz’ another word for good.
2. Psycho – ‘Bro how psycho was today’ which means how good.
3. Torched – another word for smashed, ‘fuck dude feeling torched after that surf session.’
4. Poked – I’m feeling pretty poked which is another word for tired.
5. But – basically another word for though, which makes no sense.
Peep Billy’s latest clip here : Billy's Vimeo
and keep up with his adventures capturing surfers here: Billy's Insta
Delving into the surf scene with Billy Lee-Popeby Denzel De Ruysscher
Cover photo and photo of billy by Denzel
All other photos by Billy.