Kayaking
Meet the man who films the coolest kayak movies ever
Evading crocs, resuscitating paddlers and getting a perfect frame on wild rolling waves – it’s all in a day’s work for film producer Rush Sturges. This is how he does it.
Filming extreme kayaking is one of the toughest and most taxing camera gigs on the planet – just ask Rush Sturges. Over the last decade and more, American Sturges – who is a top competition kayaker himself – has been through hell to capture the world’s best paddlers in some of the most amazing whitewater sequences on the small screen.
We caught up with him after his latest gig – filming a ‘sick freestyle kayaking’ film with off-the-wall freestyler Benny Marr – to find out just how he manages to get it right time and again.
You just filmed super-cool kayaker Benny Marr – what was that about?
2 min
Meet Benny Marr
Benny Marr is arguably the best big wave freestyle kayaker of all time. Each spring, Benny heads out east to the flooded rivers of Quebec to surf the largest river waves on offer.
Benny and I wanted to create a short edit that focused solely on action so we linked up during prime time flows on the Ottawa River to shoot this segment. It’s kind of like the old days of athlete segments – no story, no narrative, just sick freestyle kayaking.
How do you pick the best spots to film from?
It sounds obvious, but shooting at the golden hour is pretty crucial. Sunrise and sunset always end up accounting for a majority of shots in an edit. Beyond that, it really just depends on the location.
Rafa Ortiz drops over Spirit Falls with Rush watching over
© Michael Clark/Red Bull Content Pool
Sometimes I like to get up close and personal with a subject hanging off a ledge right next to the waterfall, other times I find a super dramatic wide angle captures the height of a drop. It varies quite a bit from location to location.
With Ottawa, I’ve been going there to film freestyle kayaking for 15 years now so over time we’ve just learned a lot of the best angles and the right flows and spots to film.
What’s the most insane location you’ve ever filmed from?
Murchison Falls National Park on the White Nile in Uganda. There are hippos and crocs everywhere and often you have to get out of your kayak and bush whack through hippo tunnels to get the shot. Going to set up for a shot is literally rolling the dice with your life. It’s by far the sketchiest thing I hope I’ll ever do.
How much do you have to direct the paddler on where to go?
Rafa Ortiz and Rush Sturges Chasing Niagara
© Marcos Ferro/Red Bull Content Pool
Kayakers generally choose the line or rapid they want to run so there isn’t a tonne of direction from my side of things. With Benny, he often doesn’t know where he’s going on or off the water so it’s a constant battle to keep him in line! I find a leash shock collar combo to be most efficient...
What makes the coolest kayak action sequences?
2 min
Aniol Serrasolses at Kern River Valley
Watch top kayaker Aniol Serrasolses take on the famous whitewater of California's Kern River Valley.
I think telling a story is really important. Even if it's a short action edit, there should be some kind of narrative to follow along to. I think people relate to some kind of story much better than just a mash up of action clips, so I always try to incorporate that to some degree.
What do you do when it all goes wrong – drop the camera and help… or keep filming?
If it’s Benny, I would just keep filming. If it’s someone I care about then definitely drop the camera and help. We did lose one drone during the filming of the recent segment – but as the saying goes: ‘all drones die.’
What’s the favourite minute of footage you’ve ever shot?
Whoa! Tough one... I think the best action shot we may have ever shot was last year with Aniol Serrasolses lacing Scott's Drop on Royal Gorge. That was pretty insane and every angle was fire. It will be featured in the new film I’m working on called ‘Legacy’.
What’s the scariest moment you’ve had on a river?
When Gerd Serrasolses drowned on the Agua Azul and we had to resuscitate him, that was by far the most stressful day of filming I’ve ever had. But it all worked out in the end.
And what’s the coolest moment?
Spirit Falls is a scenic waterfall
© Kalob Grady
One of the best moments of this last year was watching Dane Jackson stomp a Cobra Flip off Spirit Falls after the Little White Race. And the crowd went wild. That was tight.
What’s most cinematographic place you’ve paddled?
2 min
Nouria Newman – Voss Norway
Nouria Newman and her buddies head out to sample a few classic Norwegian waterways – the Rjuande, Raundalselvi, the Teigdalselvi, and the Eksingdalen.
Probably Iceland or Norway, I’d say. They’re both super dramatic. The wide-open tundra and highest concentration of waterfalls in the world make it a pretty special spot to shoot. You can literally point the camera in any direction and it’s epic.
What’s in your kit bag?
We film on Red Weapons with Canon L series lenses and GoPros.
How have GoPros and drones revolutionised adventure filming?
2 min
Dane Jackson - Huckfest
See what it's like to be in the shoes of kayaking's most iconic huckster. Rain or shine, Dane is out there getting after it day after day, drop after drop.
GoPro changed the game on more levels than one, I think. From an athletic and filming perspective, it’s really opened doors for how people run whitewater and film rivers. The drone, of course, is revolutionary in its own way.
You started off filming and editing Otter Bar’s kayaking retreat videos – what do you think of your first works now?
Every project in my life has served a purpose. They’re all stepping stones and a projection of that particular time and place. That said, when I look back at my earlier works they do look cheesy and amateur.
You were a junior world champion freestyler – what drew you from competition to filming?
I competed in four World Championships and I actually do still compete. I’m still a pretty avid kayaker, although I’ve been dealing with shoulder issues the past two seasons and I’ve been way more focused on making films.
Rush Sturges runs the Santo Domingo River
© Marcos Ferro/Red Bull Content Pool
I’m 34 now, I have a mortgage and a cat to feed, so while kayaking will always be my love and passion, I’m also trying to build an empire and grow my River Roots business.
If you could only shoot one more kayaking film, what would it be?
I want to produce a scripted narrative based on the life and death of Hendri Coetzee, a South African who paddled the Nile from source to sea but was killed by a crocodile in 2010.
You’re also a bit of a singer – you’ve got more than a million plays on Spotify. What are your tunes like?
Go have a listen on Spotify and you’ll find out…
