There's nothing quite as escapist as a film about surfing: the freedom of travelling the world in search of the perfect break and hanging out on exotic beaches. Perhaps that explains the enduring popularity of films like The Endless Summer, Riding Giants and Stoked and Broke.Cape Town-based big-wave charger Frank Solomon is making a film of his own and will be spending the next few months completing the Red Bull-sponsored Let's Be Frank - a full-length biographical documentary that will "break down misconceptions about what it means to be a big-wave surfer".Solomon is not fearless. And yet this 31-year-old matador of the ocean specialises in hunting down the world's biggest waves - and taming them.A classic big wave is a wall of water that produces face heights of at least 20ft. First, to ride a wave like this, you'll paddle out on your board (if it's far offshore you'll be towed out there by engine-powered craft).Then you'll paddle up the rising wall. Finally, you'll stand on your board, soar over the foaming cliff edge and carve a brave line across the glassy face.A cubic metre of water weighs a ton. Wipe out and you're in big trouble - several big-wave surfers have died pursuing their adrenaline-fuelled dreams."But I feel more stressed out on land," jokes Solomon. "I've faced massive waves a lot. Conquering your fear is simply about relentless practice - doing something over and over until it becomes normal."One of South Africa's top professional big-wave surfers, Solomon was raised in Hout Bay, home to Africa's biggest wave - a snarling brute of a right-hand break called Dungeons.He started surfing when he was 12, earning pocket money by accepting dares from his friends to ride sea behemoths.His teenage exploits culminated at 19 in an audacious stunt during the 2003 Red Bull Big Wave Africa event at Dungeons. "I had a burning desire to surf with the best of the best in my own back yard. But I was this unknown kid and no one would tow me out there. They said it was too dangerous."Solomon's riposte? Jumping on his board and paddling out the full 1.5km through "Shark Alley"."I don't think I even got to surf waves that day - but I showed an influential crowd that I was serious," he says.By the time he was 21 Solomon was sleeping on couches and hustling for odd jobs in California and Hawaii. In 2012 he competed his way into the World Surf League's Big Wave World Tour.Now ranked 33rd, he is only the second South African after former world champion Grant "Twiggy" Baker to currently feature in the top 40.Yet, it's a miracle that Solomon, who has a degree in quantity surveying, is still surfing at all. In December 2014 he wiped out on a reef in remote north-west Ireland and broke his back. Two months later Solomon pitched up in a full back brace at the California headquarters of Hurley International, the surf apparel and accessories giant, and said, "Please sponsor me."Impressed by his track record and chutzpah, they said yes.A year later he returned to the Irish coast and beat Baker to win the Monster Pitstop contest.The documentary is not Solomon's first foray into film. In 2014 he appeared in View From A Blue Moon which follows the famed surfer John John Florence and friends from the North Shore of Oahu to his favourite surfing destinations around the globe.Follow Solomon at www.facebook/frank.solomon.75. "Let's Be Frank" is scheduled for release this year..