Darius Devas is a filmmaker from Byron Bay who now calls Melbourne home. Over the last decade he's made a range of films, from standard surfing fare, to a feature film (Further We Search), and an award winning interactive documentary series (Goa Hippy Tribe). Darius' latest project, called the Within Project, is a range of smaller films that culminate in the main film, Within.

For Within, Darius drew on a range of experiences to create what he calls impressionistic cinematography. However, all the influences lead back to one life-changing moment, the death of his friend Billy Whitton ten years ago.

Swellnet: How did Billy die?
He committed suicide by hanging himself. 

At the time were you aware of the troubles he had?
No...I mean, I was aware he wasn't in the best space. But what was so shocking about it was that I never would’ve picked him to do that. It impacted me in a big way, I was 19 and just out of school and I was fancy-free about life, not really too concerned with what I was doing. And his death really rocked me and made me think about things in a very different way.

No-one can be sure how others are feeling. And your film, it is very much an inward journey in that you're trying to conjure feelings. Why use waves to manifest those feelings?
Around the time Billy passed away I saw Echoes by George Greenough, and I was just floored by it. I hadn't seen anything like it, and I still don't think I've seen anything like it. In my mind it was unparalleled in terms of connection to the ocean. I couldn't get past that – it stayed with me. So I watched it over and over again.

And at that time I was really active in making bodyboarding movies and I thought I really want to have a go at exploring that terrain with digital technology once it becomes available. Basically it's been a ten year wait since then for a camera that's both able to shoot enough frames, like slow enough motion, as well as compact enough to strap to a board.

But why the insides of waves? What does it represent to you?
(pause)...the ever-changing nature of waves is a metaphor that I like. The ultimate metaphor. I really felt that was a powerful symbol and I wanted to explore that in an impressionistic way. It's a mix of many things: My connection with the ocean, and also having been inspired by Greenough's work around the time of Billy's death. I had a real drive to explore further inside. And even though I hadn't had the opportunity to do it I just knew there was going to be something really special there once the right technology gave me the opportunity. To be honest it completely exceeded my expectations. I had a feeling it was going to be good but I'm really thrilled with the way it came together.

What camera did you use?
It's called the TS3cine

A camera that you bought..?
Luke, my friend in this film, he found it. We were trawling the 'net for high speed cameras, and he found it. Just before it was released I happened to be in the States, so I flew up to Boston and put my case forward for the project. It was kinda hard...it's hard to explain to someone the vision you know is possible when no-one's done it before. I showed them some of Greenough's film and they were sort of ho-hum about it.

So I came back to Australia and I got engaged in another project, and a year went by, and I went “What's happening? I've got to make this project.” So I started a crowdfunding campaign and I flew back to Boston and I gave them no option. I said, “Guys, without you this isn't happening...and it's already happening!” I knew from the first trip that they were at least interested in the project but I really put the hard word on them in that second trip. Very graciously they offered to sponsor the project by lending me the camera for one month.

So you had it for a month and then took off for a remote part of the Australian coastline. How did you choose where to go?
It had to be somewhere remote. It was really important for me that there was no human context in this film: no surfers, no housing, no infrastructure. This location was ideal for that.

The filming took place last year, when will the film be released?
It's going to be released this week. [Ed's note: 'Within' was released this morning and can be seen here.]

...and where will it show?
On the World Wide Web.

Everywhere.
Yeah. I had an official launch at the National Gallery of Victoria about three weeks ago as part of an exhibition at the time called 'Melbourne Now'. That was an honour for me. It's a turning point in my career from just being a filmmaker to being considered an artist.

How's the response from non-surfers been?
Well I think one of the reasons it's exceeded my expectations is that its allowing a view that hasn't been seen....uh, I don't want to sound presumptuous saying that, but it's is a view that has very rarely been seen to people who don’t surf. The slow motion technology really allows a non-surfer to sort of soak into that feeling – to go to somewhere they haven’t been before. That's an incredible opportunity in any form; to show someone something they haven't seen before. That feeling of possibility, it's exciting.

I believe you’ve had Professor Patrick McGorry involved? [McGorry was named the 2010 Australian of the Year for his services to youth mental health]
Yes. One of the people who’s been supporting the project connected me with Patrick because of the crossover there, because of the story with Billy and what Patrick does with his organisation, Orygen. It was a great honour to have someone of his league looking at the project.

What I didn't know at the time, and nor did the man who introduced me to Patrick, was that Pat's a really good, keen surfer. Actually, right now he's in The Maldives getting shacked while were having this conversation. So there was this whole other appreciation happening that allowed us to just talk surf.

I really wanted this project to be an opportunity for people to appreciate life. And if it helps people to have a conversation about suicide then it's done it's job. Even though that may not have been the original motivation to make it I'm happy that that's where it has ended up.

Watch 'From Within', surfing offcuts from the Within trip. Incl. Kelly Slater.
Visit Orygen, Patrick McGorry's youth mental health organisation