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Art of Flight

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This one will not necessarily be what you were expecting.  Despite the title, this is not about flying – at least in the normal context of this blog.  This is about snowboarding.  Some time last year, I came across a trailer for a movie called Art of Flight.  It is a movie in which some of the world’s best snowboarders go to some of the most remote parts of the planet to ride slopes that have not been ridden before.

Red Bull, ever one to support extreme sports activities, obviously provided a lot of support to this process with a number of Red Bull helicopters showing up throughout the film.  Helicopters are the best way to get to some of these locations but even then the trip can be a bit hairy.  Some of the helicopter flying is pretty extreme as well!

The featured snowboarder is Travis Rice.  This guy certainly knows what he is about and is willing to try some amazing stuff.  He is joined by a variety of guys in the different locations but they all like to try some cool descents across terrain with little in the way of forgiveness and weather that doesn’t always want to cooperate.  They also go to some more normal locations but try some amazing tricks even then.

All of this sport would be impressive on its own but that is not what makes this film special.  The magic comes from the way it is filmed by Curt Morgan.  He makes use of innovative filming technology and improvisation and a lot of cameras to film the boarding from multiple angles to provide a phenomenal perspective.  The quality of the camerawork and the editing turn this from good to great.

I got the BluRay/DVD box so I can watch it now on DVD and on BluRay in HiDef when I get around to having a BluRay player!  You can get it at Amazon and I certainly recommend it.  In the mean time, check out the trailer below to get a sense of what is included.

El Centro Video

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We were kindly hosted by the team at NAF El Centro for a photocall.  I will post later with some of the shots from the visit to the base itself.  However, one of the things I wanted to do this time that I learned following my previous visit to El Centro was to shoot more video.

I was still going be predominantly shooting stills but the motion and proximity of the aircraft is hard to appreciate sometimes from a still image (a failing of mine as a photographer of course).  Video gives you more of a  sense of the activity.  Therefore, I took a GoPro with me to the day and mounted it on top of my camera on the hot shoe.

This had the advantage of allowing me to shoot video at the same time as stills.  It did have a couple of disadvantages.  One is that the sound of the shutter clicking is picked up by the camera on the soundtrack.  When the jets are close it isn’t too bad but when they are further away, it becomes more intrusive.  Second, the GoPro is fixed at quite a wide angle so it makes everything look a little further away than it is.  However, this is an add-on to my normal shooting so both compromises are worthwhile.

I did shoot a small bit of video with one of the SLRs and it probably won’t be hard to spot which bit of film that is when you watch.  I didn’t bother with any music since I think the sound of the jets does a pretty good job.  Here is the result.

Ziplining

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Recently, I bought myself a GoPro camera.  They seem to be ubiquitous these days showing up on TV shows on a regular basis to provide the footage from unusual angles or mounted on fast moving items.  They make good cockpit cameras as well and are really very affordable.

As part of the Kauai trip, we spent a few hours riding zip lines at Princeville Ranch Adventures.  I took the GoPro along with us in case a good opportunity came up to use it.  I was not alone as another person in our group had one.  Originally, I had intended to get a head strap for the camera for use on the lines.  Unfortunately, I didn’t order one in time before we left and couldn’t get one locally.  GoPro stuff seems to sell out very quickly so I guess I am not alone in liking the gear.

As it was, I think this proved to be a lucky break.  Since I didn’t have a mount, my only option was to handhold the camera.  Since it has a very wide field of view, this can be done without needing too much accuracy in pointing.  I could also then point the camera in any direction I wanted.  Having a fixed wide view is not always ideal but it seemed to work pretty well.

From the footage I shot that day, I have put together a short video of the ziplining adventure.  I don’t think it is going to win any awards and those people I know who are real editors will, no doubt, cringe at the quality of my cutting but it is a vacation memento at the end of the day so I am not going to get too bothered about it.  Besides, as Vincent Laforet said in a recent interview, when you need editing done properly, get a proper editor to do it.  You can’t do everything!

Here is the video.  Hope it gives you a bit of a feel for a great day out.

 

Some Cool Sukhoi Flying

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Was flipping through the Dew Line blog on Flight International’s website and came across this video of the SU-35 displaying at MAKS in Moscow.  Some interesting maneuvers in there!  Maybe makes up for those how went to see the PAK-FA fly on the day when the engine surged on take-off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRV-c4s5vMo