Q&A With Jacob Willcox On His Latest Clip ‘2021 Winter Leftovers
Jacob catches up with the Rip Curl crew to chat about his latest edit, filmed around glorious West Australia.
You’ve mentioned that these are the ‘B-clips’, run us through the process of putting this clip together & why did you release the so-called B-clips first?
I had to spend 2 weeks in home quarantine once I returned home from almost 4 months on the road doing the Challenger series. There are only so many hours you can spend annoying your girlfriend, researching crypto and in the gym so I thought I’d look through some clips from last year. I was just putting it together for personal memory of the places I explored and some waves. It was nice to give some clips a home instead of them getting lost on a hard drive and never seen.
Everyone who watches it thinks the same thing … ‘How good is the other content going to be if this is the B-roll!’ What have you got in store for us?
Yeah, ahhh shit, might have hyped myself up a bit here, but I think that the clips I’m sitting on have more impact and I still have tricks and combos I want to stick before I put out another A grade edit.
You’re great mates with Isaac Jones, he’s a weapon with the camera, give us an insight into the ups and downs of producing such good content.
He’s a wizard! Isaac and I have been filming and sharing memories growing up in, and around the ocean for 10 years. It’s pretty special to be able to do all of this with your best mate. Isaac has been pursuing a DJing and Event managing career lately in Perth and making a big impact on the party scene, check out @setfree.dance and @getdownclubevents on Insty to see what he’s been getting up to. It’s awesome to see him chasing his dream outside of filming and doing well. In winter last year I got him out of the city, we did a 7-day trip north and got his disco rig nice and bronzed and shared plenty of laughs. Most of the clips in that edit are from that trip.
What about the editing process, were you more, or less involved than your last film ‘By Default’?
When we put ‘By Default’ together it was all Isaac running the show and I sat by and put my 2 cents in. With this clip it was all averagely edited by me, I learnt a lot when sitting in the editing bay watching Isaac put ‘By Default’ together, but I’ve still got a lot to improve on.
How long did editing take this time?
I wasn’t counting but it took me a couple of days, on and off. I was just grinding it out on iMovie, learning as I go. I had to convert all the Jenno’s red clips and learn how to grade the footage and then compress the massive file I was left with at the end. Full rookie but thanks to YouTube and my annoying texts to the filmers, I got it worked out.
When you’re editing do you dwell on things or make the decision and move on straight away?
I wouldn’t say dwell, but I do actively change and rearrange a fair bit. Thank god for the ‘Command-Z’ key … haha, but I guess that all makes the end product a bit more sweet.
What was your favourite part (and least favourite part) about the editing process?
The music. I like finding the songs that match the footage, but then by the end of it all, these songs I liked are now ones I never want to hear it again, or at least for a while!
Have you got any advice for crew who are wanting to make a clip?
Just give it a go. If you’re passionate about what you’re making then I’m sure it will look mad.
Any memorable ‘behind the scenes’ moments that you can share with us about the content for this release?
My girlfriend and I drove about 10 hours inland to a place called Karijini, it was the furthest I had ever been from the ocean. It was a nice way to connect to the country and explore somewhere that was truly foreign to us. I got a few brownie points up and was blown away with how beautiful it was. A win-win scenario.
What about your year as a whole? It seems like it was split in two parts, hanging at home and then travelling on the Challenger Series, give us a snapshot of this past year.
I feel like it was almost split into 3 parts. I spent the first 1/3 over on the east coast competing to get into the CS. The 2/3 I was back home where I did a couple of the CT events and filmed with Isaac and Tom Jennings. Then the 3/3 I got to travel internationally for almost 4 months doing the Challenger series.
How was the CS? You were staying with other Rip Curl riders and hanging with the Aussie CS crew. Can you give us some insights into life on the CS late last year.
It was the best CS trip of my life. Usually after a CS event, when people lose they head straight back home, but this time was different. None of us Aussies could get back home, which was kind-of a blessing in disguise as it brought us all closer together. I traveled through Europe with Dylan Moffat, Jackson Baker, Matty McGillivray, Koby Enright, Molly Picklum and Yann Martin (legend Euro team manager). We were like a little Aussie family who adopted a South African and a Frenchman! I couldn’t have asked for a better bunch of people to share the trip with.
It was a gnarly year in that there were only 4 events to qualify, which can be good or bad depending on how things go … did you approach this year any differently to previous years on the QS?
Yep it was different, but a lot of things have been different since Covid. It was an easy year if you got a big result, but not so much if you were building momentum through each event, finding your feet. But at the end of the season, everyone had the same chances and 12 people made them count. Sure, just missing out on qualification again hurt, but being there to watch a lot of friends achieve their dreams was inspiring.
You’ve been ripping, but a few things didn’t go your way last year. How do you approach that mentally and get yourself up for the next challenge?
I think I’m closer than ever at the moment and that makes me excited. I feel like I’m the strongest I’ve ever been and mentally ready for all the challenges. In the little off-season we have, I feel like it’s all about balance. Making sure I’m ticking the boxes with my training and surfing, as well as prioritising time to enjoy myself out of surfing with friends and family.
What about the best surfing you witnessed in person last year? Who impressed you and were there any surfs that stood out for you?
I surfed a lot with Kael Walsh last year. Over in WA it’s hard to find someone to surf with (mainly when it’s onshore, shark infested ramps) let alone someone that really pushes you, but some of the stuff I saw him pull off I was just like “F@#k that was tapped”!
Can you let us know how important it is to work with your shaper to get boards ready for the CS.
I’ve been working with DHD since I was about 14 years old. A good relationship with a shaper is vital. It just happens to be that DH is a legend bloke and straight-shooter, so it has come along naturally. The shapes he is consistently pumping out for me are top notch.
What is the most important type of board for a CS competitor to get dialed?
Considering most of the waves on the QS except for Hawaii, are pretty dismal, I like to have my 5’10’s dialed in. That's my grovel board and it ranges from 27.5-28 litres. When you’ve got a good grovel board it actually makes the dribble fun to surf.
What about you personally. Are you handy in the kitchen?
Yeah I can whip up a feed.
What’s your ‘signature dish’ in the camp kitchen when you’re on a surf trip in WA?
You can’t go wrong with freshly caught fish. Slap that together with anything green or fresh that you’ve got and you’re good to go for another day in the desert.
What’s a non-sporting thing/talent that you’re good at?
Fishing, I wouldn’t say it’s a talent but more a hobby. I’ve got so many memories of my old boy taking me fishing as a kid, so I always like to get into that when camping and try live off the land as much as possible.
Go to music for a drive up the coast at home?
My music genre is all over the show, but I like to drive up the coast at night, so most notable would be drum & bass.
Got any key personal items that you’d always take on a surf trip?
My axe. You never know when … haha, nah kidding, but if you can’t chop wood, then camping isn’t the same without a fire. Also this stainless can cooler. Never drink a warm beer again!
Are there any waves on your ‘hit list’ that you really want to surf?
Macaronis. I’ve never been to the Mentawais.
Oh, what about the name Chippo, can you tell us how that came about?
I was a baby and couldn’t pronounce Jacob. It came out as Chip, don’t ask me how but my uncle Steve just made it stick from there on, and like most Aussie nicknames, he added an “o” on the end of it. Voila!
Let’s finish off with your plans for 2022, what does the next 12 months look like for one of Australia’s finest?
I will be moving back to the Gold Coast in March, so if anyone has a room or house for rent hit me up, haha! But yeah, just keep improving as a person and a surfer. I think this will be the year I qualify. I want to compete strong and make sure I have enough time to film towards a big edit at the end of the year between events.
Thanks for your time Chippo, and all the best.