Balinese cameraman Ivan Tanjung has been filming the top surfers coming through Indonesia for over six years now. He was one of the principle filmers for Stranger Than Fiction, Days of Strange and The Drifter, and has contributed footage to just about every surf movie with an Indo section.

We thought we’d find out what all this experience behind the camera has taught him:

Here's a tip: find some shade to film from.
IVAN TANJUNG: My Top Five Filming Tips:
1. Start rolling when you see the waves coming, that way you can edit the whole take-off.
2. Keep filming, even if you don’t think they’re gonna pull it. Don’t stop until you see the board pop up.
3. Shoot a lot of lifestyle.
4. Shoot everyone who’s charging that day, even if you don’t know who it is. You never know when you’ll get something worth keeping, or at least stoke out a local.
5. Always try to spend time with the surfers and talk about the surf session (as long they’re are not tired) — it just helps everyone get a feeling of what just went down.

Here's another rule: make sure your filmer knows how to surf. Ivan? Check.

Good points…made us want to ask a few more questions:
INNERSECTION: What should filmers charge as a day rate to surfers?
IVAN: A fair day-rate is $100 – $ 250 per day day, depending on location and how much travel it involves.

How much is one-minute of usable footage worth to a pro, a filmmaker, or a surf company?
Good footage should be worth at least $500/ minute, or even more because usually people just want the good clips. That’s not easy to get in one day. Every deal is a bit different, though. Make sure you agree beforehand.

How do you keep surfers working hard in their sessions?
Go have a beer after the day of surfing and talk about their waves. Let them know what they need to make the section cool. From there, I show them the clips to make them froth and, then I tell them waves are going to be pumping tomorrow.

Thanks, Ivan.

I’ll just add that one of the reasons Ivan is good at what he does is that he’s a patient, cruisey guy to be around. Easy to travel. Mellow on the beach all day. And fun to go out with at night. Surfers are always stoked to have him around. That’s key for a good filmer. Don’t be creepy. —NM