By Erika Scafuro

Alberto Maiorano is the eye behind the camera of Bear Surfboards’ photo and video content. With his Photomaio Production, more than 10 years of experience and a crew of professional videomakers, photographers and drone pilots, Alberto is in charge of producing video and photo content.

So many projects of the content creator together with Bear Surfboards: video and photo campaigns for each season, photo shooting, short films like the one just presented. It is titled ‘Bora, a slang word for “vamos embora” which stands for “let’s go, right now” and shows a new surfing adventure for a group of friends, a discovery to live all together.

‘Bora is the title of the latest short film you made for Bear Surfboards. An adventure between friends united by a passion for surfing who find themselves searching for waves on the south coast of Portugal. You wanted to specify that this video was born without a storyboard, tell us the creative process that led to the creation of ‘Bora?

«The short film ‘Bora was made without the writing of a storyboard and we relied completely on the daily ocean conditions that were in front of us. The intent was not to follow a script but to let the members of the group free to interact and live this experience in search of waves on this fantastic Portuguese coast. Even the name of the short film itself was born as a result of our return from the trip, confirming the fact that the whole project is the result of a natural improvisation following a creative process born along the way and then refined in the video editing phase in the studio».

On a technical level, the scenes in ‘Bora were shot following the ocean conditions, day by day going along with the rhythms of nature. How do you strike the balance between nature’s requirement to live in the present moment and the need to be quick to seize the right moments? 

«I intentionally tried to use the unpredictability of weather and sea conditions to our advantage to create variety in video shooting. A rainy day can sometimes give inspiration to create a story and visually something different from the usual glossy “blue sky.” This choice, however, implied always having the production team ready to record in any weather condition and perspective, whether aerial or from the water. In fact, upon arriving at each destination, it was evaluated together which perspective was best for surf action or lifestyle shots. A key factor in these kinds of on-the-road projects I think is the spirit of adaptation that everyone has to show and the speed of being operational to capture special moments, thanks also to the compactness and lightness of the latest cameras we use».

What is your relationship with surfing? When did you discover this passion?

«I practice surfing and I can say with certainty that it has greatly influenced my career as a creator that began photographically with travel reportage for an Italian magazine for which I was Photo Editor. Traveling the world together with the best surfers of the Italian scene and being in the water surfing with them allowed me to improve my surfing and to better understand which perspectives are the most correct and appreciated by surfers to create content that can communicate this lifestyle».

You have worked on several campaigns and shoots for Bear Surfboards. Who or what inspires you to storyboard each project?

«Each Bear Surfboards project requires careful research of the locations where the video or photo shoots will take place to present the new collection in a context suitable for the garment worn. The environmental landscape or place influences the whole storyboard of these video look books: The River, The Chalet, The Forest, The Snow…».

What is the indispensable element that must shine through your video productions?

«Creating video is a form of personal expression, but it must be adapted to what the market and client needs are. Where possible I always try to tell a story visually (storytelling) and I always try to give variety to the images so as not to bore the viewer. To do this I use different shooting techniques, lenses, color correction, selected music, sound design, voice over and then complete with the addition of “grain and burn” typical of the films that were used in the past to give that vintage effect that you can see in the latest Bear Surfboards video campaigns».

For Bear Surfboards last month you were in Malibu at the WSL Longboard Tour finals, if you had to describe this iconic spot with a picture, what would it be?

«Being in California at one of the world’s most famous surf spots is an experience that anyone who surfs should have at least once in their life. This is photography that I think best represents the Malibu spot».