A Wave of Success
LAGUNA BEACH FILMMAKER GREG MACGILLIVRAY CELEBRATES THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS CLASSIC SURF FILM , “ FIVE SUMMER STORIES .”
By CHRISTOPHER TRELA | PHOTOS COURTESY OF MACGILLIVRAY FREEMAN FILMS
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efore Laguna Beach resident Greg MacGillivray was nominated for Academy Awards for his Imax films “ Dolphins ” and “ The Living Sea ,” before he managed to haul a huge , heavy camera up an icy mountain slope to film scenes for the Imax film “ Everest ,” before he went to Hollywood and worked on such films as Stanley Kubrick ’ s “ The Shining ,” surf culture ruled his life .
Growing up in Corona del Mar , MacGillivray started surfing at a young age . His parents gave him an 8 mm movie camera for his 13th birthday , and he began to shoot footage of his friends as they rode the waves .
According to MacGillivray , he ’ d borrow a projector , gather friends together , charge them 25 cents admission to his parents ’ garage , and show about 40 minutes of films . A couple dozen people would show up . “ Their encouragement inspired me to work harder for the next screening , and gradually I started to make better and better films ,” he says .
In fact , his films got so much better that he and longtime friend Jim Freeman eventually formed MacGillivray Freeman Films in 1963 . They moved into a historic building in north Laguna called Pyne Castle , which had space for an editing room , camera storage , offices , a bedroom and even a large living room where they could project movies .
Greg MacGillivray shooting an Imax film in West Papua , Indonesia
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