FRESH perspectives on the North Sea coast were captured in a short film set to be aired on TV.

Shot on location around Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, Beyond the Scars is about the highs and lows of surfing in the North East.

The six-minute film receives its debut on Channel 4 on Monday night.

Starring the talents of Tynemouth- based surfers Gade Davies and Sandy Kerr, the film was put together by director Chris Maclean and director of photography Lewis Arnold, who also works for The Journal’s parent company ncjMedia.

Gabe, whose company Lola Cove Films helped produce the piece alongside Chris’s See Saw Films, said the team had been shooting during most of last year.

“We were filming it on and off during 2012,” said the surfer, who lives in Tynemouth with his writer wife Lauren.

“The film takes people into the sea, looking back towards the landscape. We were trying to put a fresh perspective on the North East coast.

“We are really pleased with how it has come out. I think it really captures the essence of what it is like living by the sea in the North East. It shows both the good and the bad – the beauty and also the cold and the harshness.”

The 37-year-old added: “I think everyone in the North East appreciates the North Sea, not just surfers – whether it’s walking the dog at the weekend or a having an ice cream on the beach in the summer.

“People think you have to go abroad on holiday to enjoy the beach, but on a January or February morning when the weather is crisp and clear, the North Sea coast has its own beauty.”

It isn’t the first surfing film for director Chris. His previous short, Uncommon Ideals, was nominated for accolades at film festivals in California, Hawaii, Bali and Australia, and won awards at film festivals in London, Sheffield, Lisbon, Brazil and San Sebastien.

Gabe and the team hope Beyond the Scars will be equally successful as it tours this summer. “Chris wanted to do a series of short films based around the North Sea,” he said. “Channel 4 picked up on this one and chose it for their Shooting Gallery series of independent short films.

“After Monday’s screening, we will be taking it to film festivals and hopefully it will lead to bigger and better things.”

Beyond the Scars premieres as part of The Shooting Gallery on Channel 4 at midnight on February 4.