artwork now available via Art for People

fun vid i did a few years ago- professional prints now available.
check out  Art for People

Singlefin: yellow posters finally available to public !!

the audience has spoken and we've tried to clear the wax, sea salt and sand from our ears to listen!!  SFY movie posters are now available to the public via our online etsy store (click to enter).  now you too can have the yellow board in your home -- this series is 14"x17" on heavy weight stock.  thank you for all the support !  -jb films

tyler's bali-bob-dazzler

i've been talking to tyler hatzikian for a while about creating a pulled in longboard gun that would be a bit scaled down from what he charges hammerland on. this conversation has evolved ever since the el nino winter of 2009 and finally, we found the right inspiration to get this vehicle made.

after my non-stop run of work travel i've happily booked a month long trip to bali with my wife who will be there teaching a yoga training. this is my first trip to bali and i knew i would need some pretty tuned equipment for the quality and level of surf i'm going to find myself in.

i hooked up with tyler earlier this summer and discussed the possibility of crafting a longboard-gun for the trip. zeke, the good friend he is, put aside his 80 hour-a-week work load, smiled, and said, "yah, we'll figure out a way to get you on that board." in zeke we trust... the mustache rides again.

i just stopped by the factory for a day- my head somewhere between South Africa, Rio, El Porto and Bali -- tyler pulled a gorgeous, 9'2" 60's inspired gun off the laminate rack. i can't tell you how exciting it is to see such a well crafted piece of equipment, custom made for a surf trip. most of my surf trips entail renting camera lenses, packing bags of gear, listing expensive equipment with customs -- this is the first trip to begin with picking up a hot-rod.

zeke has coined the new ride, the Bali-Bob-Dazzler - an off beat reference to a tee-shirt he bought years ago on a tube-riding jaunt through the region. i will check in periodically with up-dates, so that my good friend burning the mid-night oil to finish boards for friends, can mind-surf along with me. thanks zeke - let the adventure begin.

note: the bali-bob is the middle board with pale-green color. waiting finish sand and a fin - about 20hrs pre-flight to kuta.

nalu magazine interview

nalu magazine in japan recently interviewed me about living in the south bay of los angeles. there is an online version here but fyi - you must be able to read japanese!

vibe ride...

i shot this with keith malloy, scott soens & scott kassenoff as a surf unit for a feature film that we won't mention. this was a pre-visualization we cut for the main unit to reference.

one cal. day - collector's board

after making singlefin: yellow, i asked tyler to build me a replica board of yellow that i could travel with. this point model has now traveled the globe and is probably the best, all around board i've ever owned. it's fun in small surf and really turns on in bigger point and reef waves. it even ended up in my 2nd film, one california day, when dan malloy took it out for a few waves in baja mexico. thanks to danny, my every day board is now a part of surf history. the board is well used but water tight - ready to ride or we can polish it up for a collector. i'm re-tuning my quiver and offering this board for purchase via the tyler shop. please call katherine for details. 310.322.6861

this is epic

sorry, but i am impressed.

I'm toying with doin' another film

never say, never - right? hmmm... i guess.  i keep swearing that my next film will be about something besides surfing - and i guess we did do the king of karaoke for fun but here i go again.  had a long talk with devon howard yesterday about an idea he and i have toyed with for a while.  it will have a coffee table companion book and possibly begin production this winter '09.  no more four year beasts, i want to release this in fall 2010.  i'm not giving too much away at this point but talking to the malloy crew and praying greenough borrowed falzon's copy of singlefin: yellow... and enjoyed it-  i'll keep ya all posted.  

Guerrilla Filmmaking II

a lot of people email me who are interested in making their own film and want advice or feedback.  here is an awesome resource i just found.  guerrilla filmmaking 101

Spit Studio, Hermosa Beach

I was lucky enough to drop in on the SPIT studio opening for photographer Bo Bridges and Co. Bo's work is outrageously cool and his creative team has hooked up with David Carson, one of my print design idols.  Spit is part gallery, part creative firm and the boys put on a killer host bar event flowing non other than Primo Beer.  Talking surf, art, graphic design and Primo? hmmm... no wonder i had fun.  Not to mention that the girl in the skate shot above was serving the drinks. Cheers to the Spit crew on a seriously cool space - how often do you get to stand in front of a Teahupoo grinder and pretend you're Andy Irons getting pitted?  If you are anywhere near the hermosa pier, go by and check out Bo's photography. 

Jasonbaffafilms.com

JASONBAFFAFILMS.COM  is up and running.  This will be my central creative hub, with links to all the movies, my production reel, travel imagery and artwork.  I'll be updating artwork and videos often so please stop by and visit.

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.

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

www.hesssurfboards.com

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    

tylersurf@earthlink.net

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.

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