RAWsome Waves | Ben Skinner
A SHORT-FORM branded documentary SERIES for Rubicon RAW — Be A Force Of Nature: RAWsome Waves — uniting Surf Legends Ben Skinner, Lucy Campbell and Tassy Swallow in a mixed-media portrait of UK surfing’s grit, flow, and the raw power of nature in the Atlantic.
ABOUT
LOCATION: Newquay, England
Be A Force Of Nature: RAWsome Waves is a multi-film branded documentary campaign for Rubicon RAW, produced by IMA Global and directed by UK film director Simon Mulvaney.
Anchored by the hero film Team RAWsome and supported by three character pieces (Ben Skinner, Lucy Campbell, Tassy Swallow), the series celebrates UK surfing where grit, flow and the raw power of nature collide on the Atlantic coast.
Built to balance impact and authenticity, mixed media visuals mirror the sea’s unpredictability: cinematic ground work, FPV and aerial drones, underwater cinematography, retro MiniDV textures and archival assets. That visually intoxicating blend creates a tactile, lived-in surf experience—from the intimacy of board carving to the raw power of heavy water—while energetic editing and layered sound design keep the momentum high.
Shot at dawn and in challenging UK conditions, the campaign explores what it truly means to be a force of nature: discipline, respect for the ocean, and the courage to turn fear into focus.
Designed as high-performing branded documentary content for sport and lifestyle audiences, the series positions Rubicon RAW at the intersection of performance, nature and culture—while showcasing Simon’s commercial direction for multi-deliverable, mixed-media campaigns.
“That feeling of being alive comes from being close to dying.”
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Lucy Campbell
This short branded documentary spotlights professional surfer Lucy Campbell as progression meets presence in raw UK conditions.
Blending archival moments with high-energy sessions, the film traces grit, learning and landing the manoeuvre—expressing the campaign’s pulse: be a force of nature.
BEN SKINNER
A short branded documentary for Rubicon RAW following 12-time European Longboard Champion Ben Skinner from workshop intimacy to heavy Atlantic water.
Mixed-media visuals (FPV, underwater, archival textures) chart respect, resilience and control—what it truly means to be a force of nature in UK surfing.
TASSY SWALLOW
A reflective short branded documentary with Tassy Swallow, where perspective and equality meet the Atlantic’s power.
Through mixed-media imagery and calm-in-the-chaos sequences, the film explores respect for the ocean and the grounded confidence at the heart of Be A Force Of Nature: RAWsome Waves.
CREATORS & COLLABORATORS
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Simon Mulvaney
DIRECTOR
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Rubicon RAW
BRAND
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IMA Global
AGENCY
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Lucy Campbell
RIDER
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Ben Skinner
RIDER
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Tassy Swallow
RIDER
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Stewart Wells
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
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Sarra Yaya
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
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Mark Waters
CINEMATOGRAPHER
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Ben Jones
1ST AC
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Tom Wadsworth
DRONE PILOT
PERSONAL REFLECTION
I’d never made a surf film before, but years of action-sports work (which culminated in the international release of Ground Control in 2011) plus a decade of mixed-media documentary filmmaking made this feel like a natural step.
The brief for Be A Force Of Nature: RAWsome Waves was clear: build a suite of branded documentaries that put audiences face-to-face with the raw power of nature on Britain’s Atlantic coast—told through the lived perspectives of three iconic UK surfers: Ben Skinner, Lucy Campbell, and Tassy Swallow.
In pre-production I spent time in research calls with each rider, listening more than talking. We shaped stories they could own—narratives that respected UK surfing’s cultural legacy while staying true to the campaign’s energy.
With the research locked, we headed to Newquay, Cornwall for five days: a recce day, one shoot day per rider, and a final day with the whole Team RAWsome together.
Sometimes bad weather can reek havoc on your shoot; this time it was the opposite. One of the hottest, calmest weeks on record—cloudless skies, 30°C, and the flattest sea I’ve ever seen—for films set in a world of heavy conditions. But we adapted, shooting lifestyle and reflective moments before at dawn and dusk, and resting during the bright heat of the day.
We leaned on my friend, cinematographer and long-time collaborator, Mark Waters’ masterful manipulation of exposure and composition to pull mystery and mood from an otherwise bright, heavily-saturated world—so everything felt more rugged than it actually was. To round it out, first-unit AC and Newquay local, Ben Jones jumped behind the camera for a pick-up day when a swell finally arrived. Intercutting that with archival footage from each surfer gave us the action and jeopardy we needed.
Across the series we embraced a mixed-media toolkit—drones, underwater cameras, retro MiniDV textures and archival assets—to mirror the ocean’s unpredictability and bring a strong sense of lived history to the films, as well as keeping them tactile and alive.
Back in Manchester I handled post-production end-to-end: edit, sound design, mix, and colour grade, shaping three rider pieces and the Team RAWsome hero film into a cohesive commercial direction package for our happy client — Rubicon RAW.
The project’s lesson? Being a “force of nature” isn’t just charging big waves—it’s respect, adaptability, and presence. When conditions don’t deliver what you planned, you move with them. That mindset—rooted in authenticity and craft—is how I approach every branded documentary as a UK film director: let the environment lead, honour the people inside it, and build films that connect, move, and inspire.