Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Docu. tour with Utada - queen of japanese pop







you may have never heard of "utada" but my guess is that you soon will.  she is the number one selling artist in japan - of all time!  she has broken all japanese pop album/song/music billboard charts and she is currently doing a marketing blitz in the US for the release of her new album and free video download on iTunes.

i'm about to get on a private jet with utada and her entourage.  we are headed east for nyc and miami - i'll post some updates soon.  my producing partner and editor of my films, one california day and singlefin: yellow - carl cramer, is along for the trip.  should be fun.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

A visit with Danny Hess- SF, Ca





i had heard about danny hess through the malloys and his beautiful boards caught my eye at the wet sand surf shop in ventura.  later that year i shared some waves with dan malloy in front of keith's house and he was absolutely killing it on his hess shortboard.  he explained to me the parabolic stringer set up and the flex it generated through his turns - all this resulting in explosive speed off the bottom.  it was around the same time that dan got a surfer's journal cover shot riding the very same board at rincon.  

while spending a day in SF tracking down local glassers with brad gerlach, we decided to stop in and say hi to dan hess and crack a few Primos.  having spent a lot of time in shaping bays i was really excited to check out dan's set up.  meeting new people can go in many directions and we sorta crashed in on dan un-announced but with our case of liquid social lubricant in hand, everyone settled in pretty quickly.  this being one of the things i love about surfing, it never really takes long to relate on a really unique level.  i've also found that as a filmmaker, i really enjoy talking with other craftsman.  whether its a board builder, a contractor or an artist, anyone who's mastered a craft usually appreciates others who have dedicated themselves to something they do.  the process of having a creative vision, mastering tools to execute it, staying open to where the process might take you seems to relate well with filmmaking and to building surfboards.

dan's setup is as much a carpenter's wood shop as it is shaping bay.  tucked beneath an old SF home, two wooden doors open to a space filled with lumber, cork, saw dust, metal tools and the quite master craftsman himself.  when i saw all the wooden "hand guns" he is also making for bodysurfing i knew we would get along well.  my dad taught me to bodysurf when i was about 6 and my first love for surfing came from there.  no one was around to show me how to ride a board so i would just bodysurf.  i even made my on "hand gun" in mr. wydra's summer wood shop class.  i think mr. wydra gave me an "A" on the project but that's probably because dan hess wasn't in my class.  his stuff is unreal, functional art.

his hospitality was all time and his excitement for these sustainable wooden surf craft was infectious.  the stringerless hess boards are built within a wood/cork outline.  eps foam is then placed in the center and shaped for deck and bottom contour, wood panel sandwiches it all together with a final layer of 4oz glass and epoxy.

dan showed us a board he had ridden about 50 times and it looked pristine, literally, untouched.  the whole concept is sorta mind blowing.  he is utilizing recycled materials, organic materials and creates a product that is more durable than the competition.  finally, the damn things just look really f'n bitchin'.  

we had a great time chatting - and the beer disappeared pretty quick.  dan kindly gave brad a wooden "hand gun" for body surfing.  all in all it was one of the more memorable nights from our week on the road and i really want to thank danny for taking the time to hang and talk story.  if you want to check out his work you can visit

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Josh Hall Surfboards

my old friend josh hall has been making some beautiful wave sliders out of san diego, ca.  i first met josh about 15 years ago through a good friend and even then, he was dedicated to making pure surf craft.  he's studied under skip frye and is truly tapped in.  if you're interested in a new vehicle, check out - josh hall surfboards.   

j. hall with tyler warren photo borrowed from ryan tatar at shakas and singlefins - check out ryan's photography, i'm really fired up on his work.  

Waveriders an Irish Surf Doc












i was lucky enough to work with director, joel conroy on his Irish surf doc. waveriders.  we did a really fun trip with chris and keith malloy and then i went back for what is called the biggest day ever surfed in ireland.  congrats to joel, the film has pulled in some big awards in ireland and he is a great, deserving guy.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Limited Edition Tyler Boards








tyler did 20 killer, limited edition singlefin: yellow boards and they were absolutely beautiful.  i think he maybe doing a series of one california day boards next.  contact their shop if interested, they look insane.  -JB    

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Glass Roots





i joined brad gerlach for seven days on the road delivering cases of free primo beer to all the glass shops along the california coast.  titled, "the glass roots tour," gerr's idea was to pay homage to the age-old-tradition of leaving your glasser a sixer for that lil' bit of extra love in getting your board finished.  primo re-launched in hawaii last year and is just now coming to the cali coast.  iz gooood.

One Cal Day Merchandise


for those looking for where to get one cal day tees or limited edition box set dvds - here is a link - we thank you for all the support.

new giclee artwork prints available

"Impact II"
48 x 60 inches on mounted canvas

signed and numbered series of 250
$750  USD ea.











"lone palm"

24 x 24 inches on archival paper

signed and numbered series of 250

$2oo USD ea.

*plus shipping and handling

these are the first prints i've released and i'm super stoked on the quality.
for info:  jgbaffa@yahoo.com

Fuel TV Network Promo with SALT

i teamed up with my good friends at SALT to create a really unique network i.d. for fuel television.  ian douglass and eric fulton spear headed the creative and scott kassenoff (singlefin: yellow and one california day) did the underwater dp work.  the promo has inspired a short film mocu-mentary that the team is currently shooting in and around venice, ca.

collage inspiration


this was the first collage test - old photo copies, aged photos and color tint on re-claimed wood.

keep-a-breast.org event





i recently worked with tyler hatzikian's wife, katherine, to contribute a torso cast for auction.  inspired by one california day, i created a collage of images that represent the history and tradition of the south bay - tyler's home.  i also incorporated a few shots of zeke, the finished piece embodies much of the people and things that have influenced tyler and his wife's company, tyler surfboards.  the benefit raised money and awareness towards www.keep-a-breast.org 

JB Films new website


we are currently re-tooling the jason baffa films website.  please stop by in a few weeks and visit for updates on new projects, artwork and cool things goin.    www.jasonbaffa.com