Conversation With Jet Dreams Director Gary Shlifer
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Although it’s tame by today’s standards, one of the breakthrough PWC videos of all time has to be 1989’s Jet Dreams, a kind of documentary/music video mix that featured stars like Scott “Hollywood” Watkins, Larry “The Ripper” Rippenkroeger, “Haulin’ Harry” Goatcher, and Chris “The Flying Fish” Fischetti.
Filled with great cinematography, freestyle and freeride antics, and a glimpse into the personalities of the day’s hottest riders, Jet Dreams made t
he sport seem legit, a cool video with the coolest riders. I remember seeing cameraman Gary Shlifer filming scenes during 1988’s World Cup finale in Islamorada, Florida, and vividly recall the teaser preview he showed during the award ceremony later that night. It made me want to concentrate on freestyle, move to Florida…and buy every piece of neon Jet Pilot I could get my hands on.
That was over 20 years ago now. In the years that have passed I’ve seen some other good videos come around, but I still think Jet Dreams set the standard. Director Gary Shlifer re-released the video on DVD as a 20th Anniversary Edition in 2009. I recently caught up with him to ask him about the experience. Here are some excerpts, along with a few exclusive photos from Shlifer's private collection...
How did the idea for Jet Dreams come about?
I became a water and underwater enthusiast while in Elementary School. It may be corny, but it started while watching the “Undersea World of Jacque Cousteau”. At the age of 10, I became enthralled by the series. I wanted to become a scuba diver more that anything else in the world, but at the time, recreational scuba diving was just emerging and there was no place for a 10 or 12 year old in the sport. Now, you can. At that time you had to be at least least 18. From childhood to my freshman year in college, I got into any body of water I could find. Growing up in Philadelphia, it would be summers in the pool and on the Jersey Shore.
My major at Temple University was Radio, Television and Film. Coincidentally, Temple had Department of Underwater Education, believe it or not. Along with my basic film studies, I took basic scuba. I still count my first experience breathing underwater as one of the milestones of my life. I completed an associate degree in Marine Sciences concurrently with my Bachelors.
Philadelphia was too cold for my existence as ‘water person’. Upon graduation, I got a job teaching diving on the NCL Cruise ships based in Miami. After spending a few months aboard the ships and in the Bahamas I moved to Hollywood. During the the late 1980’s there was a special place where you could pull up your car to water’s edge on the Intracoastal Waterway. Every weekend, tons of people trailer in their small boats, windsurfers and Jet Skis.
With a background in cinematography and photography I decided to hang at the Intracoastal Beach in Hollywood and shoot stills of anyone who’d let me. This is where I began to develop my ‘in water’ shooting style. I bought myself one of the nicest SLR’s of the Time and put in an underwater housing, put on a pair of fins and swam out and shot Jet Skis from the water.
This is where I met some of the hot local riders, one of which was Scott Watkins. This was also when I bought my first of five watercraft.
Shortly after I met Scott, I started working at the local motion picture camera rental house which supplied film camera and lighting equipment to feature films, commercials and documentaries. The manager of Cinetech and I got along very well and he mentioned that he’d be happy to let me use some of the equipment on the weekends. It was then that I knew I could take what I learned with shooting stills, to the next level. High speed cinematography.
I came up with the idea of Jet Dreams after going to several local IJSBA races and realized that there were some very talented riders out there.
What were you guys trying to capture on film that hadn’t been shown before?
Driven by my passion and knowledge of photography and cinematography I wanted to capture the close-up interaction between man, machine and water in ultra slow motion. My inspiration also came from the hundreds of hours I spent on the water with my own Jet Skis. I wanted to capture the freedom, the beauty and the thrill of the ride.
You used some pretty cool equipment. Can you tell me a little about it?
With my connections in the film industry and my friend Pat, the Rental Manager at S. Florida largest film camera rental house I was able to garner an array of film cameras and housings. Jet Dreams was shot on 16mm and 35mm film. But the equipment is only part of it. I needed the right riders, in the right place at the right time. Fortunately, my producer David and I made it happen.
What was it like to work with that foursome, some of the highest profile riders the sport has ever known?
Working with Larry, Chris, Harry and Scott was a thrill. Each had their own style and personality. I can only say it was an honor to work with them. Especially Larry, he was a real leader. I have to say it was tough getting them up at 6 am during our 9 days of shooting. I can’t thank the team enough for helping make Jet Dreams a success.
What do you think of the film today?
I still think the film is the best that has ever been made. After re-releasing it at the end of 2008, I was taken aback by the amount of interest from young and old alike. I still have dreams of making a second one. In fact, I began Jet Dreams II in the fall of 1998, but couldn’t raise enough money and interest to get it off the ground. I hope that can get a second one off the ground in the coming years. It really did set itself apart through the cinematography and style of film making.
