The Pool Collective’s Christopher Ireland directs ‘Salt In The Blood’ doco with Canon Australia

The POOL COLLECTIVE and Canon Australia have launched a documentary about Tom Carroll, “Salt In The Blood” directed by Christopher Ireland; a portrait of the man behind the surfing legend and concurrently a piece of marketing that cuts to the core of an international retail brand.

Instigated by Canon Australia, Carroll unpacked thousands of film slides he took as he “made sense of the world” on tour that were forgotten for over 40 years.The photographs were rediscovered, and an untold story surfaced.

When presented with this unique set of circumstances, The POOL COLLECTIVE and Canon Australia recognized an opportunity to create something different, to tell that story through a format befitting its depth. In this case, a 25 minute film.

VIEW THE TRAILER

Throughout the eight-month process with Carroll, we see memories surface and emotions faced as we begin to understand what compelled Carroll to take these shots and what they mean to him in retrospect. As a result, we are prompted to think about why we take photographs and what they mean to us. In the end, it’s a unique and broadly relatable story that happens to nod to the Canon brand without avarice or product sell to cheapen the experience.

Says Ireland: “My approach was to be unorthodox. I wanted to engage Tom in a way that was unfamiliar to him. At one point I decided to set up a video diary in his house and began to direct him by proxy, having him speak to the viewer directly. He didn’t really know where I was taking him and, at times, neither did I. What came back from that footage was surprising and revealing. That’s what inspired me most about taking on this project – being able to explore a story as I uncovered it and to develop a message organically. It’s amazing to work with a partner like Canon who trusts you to find that story and is willing to explore alongside you.”

After the film premiered at the Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro, it has since been selected for the Bali International Film Festival (Balinale), and will be airing on National Geographic Channel and Qantas InFlight Entertainment.

Through this project, Canon Australia and The POOL COLLECTIVE have embraced this breed of content marketing that is indicative of what thoughtful, authentic long-form film can do to support a brand.

Director: Christopher Ireland

Social Media Manager A/NZ: Tom Cole

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