Kieron - 8-8-2010 at 12:40 PM
Hi Guys - I'm new to this forum, hello!, but some of you might have seen my kites before. I've just finished another one, so I thought I'd join and
let you know about it.
If I've been quiet these last few weeks and months, this is why. This is the is the latest, and last, in my series of Calvin & Hobbes kites, and
it's taken me near on six months, on and off.
I'm not sure how to post a video directly, so here's the vimeo link:
Kite Making Two
At times I felt my spirits flagging, thinking I'd taken on too complex a design on too small a kite. I had this design in mind from the very start,
way back when I was building the kite featured in my first kite making video but the complexity was daunting and I didn't feel able to tackle it back then. I'm glad I waited.
I learned a lot making those earlier Calvin & Hobbes kites; filming and writing about the process helped too - and so, back at the start of 2010 I
started work on this one. Strictly speaking it's not a Calvin & Hobbes kite, as Hobbes doesn't appear, and Calvin's appearance is a brief
daydream.
In typical Calvin fashion he's ignoring his teacher whilst sat as his school desk: instead of the tedious business of learning he's off traveling the
galaxy as his alter ego, Spaceman Spiff.
I've tried to tell a story with this kite. In much the same way as Bill Watterson used to in the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip, this kite has a
distinct narrative; the three sections following on from each other. Foil kites can't be seen in the round when flying. The back presents one side or
the other, depending on the direction of flight, effectively separating imagery into two distinct halves; you never get to see both. Whereas the front
foreshortens images into one complete whole.
So with this one, Calvin daydreams his way through the school day on the first half of the back, and takes to his flying saucer as Spaceman Spiff on
the other. The front features the inevitable conclusion of his space-faring: being shot down by aliens (which usually coincides with a rude awakening
by his teacher).
The making of this kite fell into to two phases; prompted by the popularity of my first kite making film. There was the process of making the kite
itself, and that of documenting it. I decided very early on that I would make a special effort to improve on that first film.
I'd done the informative "this is how I do it" film, and written a very detailed blog of the process from start to finish. So this film takes a
different tack. I doubt very much that you'll be any the wiser about how exactly I go about making these kites after you've seen it. I hope instead
you'll begin to understand how it makes me feel, making and flying my own kites, and knowing that each one is unique (that's code for "heavy on drama,
light on information").
One of the other reasons this kite, and film, has taken much longer than I'd at first hoped, was that I switched from Final Cut Express to Final Cut
Pro, and invested Adobe After Effects, meaning that I faced an unpleasantly steep learning curve. It was worth it though. I finally feel like I know
exactly how to get the result I want; rather than trying to cobble together the footage I happen to have shot that day, I now know what I want before
the camera comes out of the bag. The downside? Well, I could always do with a better camera...
Hope you like the movie, and the kite: photos to follow...
bigkid - 8-8-2010 at 01:07 PM
Wow, month after month of work. My hat is off to you. My biggest hope is to order custom colors for my Century Soulfly. :D
I was impressed with the first movie, you topped that one by a mile.
Awesome work, I would like to just sit and watch you fly the kite.
furbowski - 8-8-2010 at 01:15 PM
my connection wouldn't let me watch the whole video, but I love the combination of slow panning shots and sped-up motion...
your attention to detail is amazing...
thanks for sharing!
Maven454 - 8-8-2010 at 03:11 PM
Man I wish I could get one of those kites. I love Calvin and Hobbes.
flexiblade - 8-8-2010 at 03:26 PM
Pleased to meet you and you honor us by joining our ranks. I was astounded the first time I saw your kite making exploits. Your dedication to the
craft of kite making and design work is truly astounding. I find it fitting that another of our members who is very highly regarded here for the art
he brings to building buggies (Popeye) has posted a link to your new film as well.
Gotta know how you got the vertical pan in time lapse for some of your shots - you must of gotten some help. Your film making skills look to be
rivaling your kite making abilities with a definite improvement in your setups for your shots from the first film to the second.
All I can say is I wish I had your patience and keep up the good work.
P.S. If your done with the Calvin and Hobbes theme . . . what's next?
Kamikuza - 8-8-2010 at 06:03 PM
Welcome!
That ... that is the awesomesauce! I love it!
Kieron - 11-8-2010 at 12:46 AM
Thanks for all the positive comment guys; it's good to know that people like my kites.
flexiblade - you asked how I did the vertical panning shot - well I used something called a "motorised dolly" - in fact all the time lapse shots were
done using it:
Essentially it's a track along which a camera can be pulled - they're hideously expensive things so I had to make my own from bits bought at a certain
well known DIY store.
It was seeing an wonderful film by Sean Stiegemeier - "Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull" that inspried me to make one - it's not kiting related but it's
worth a look just because it's so beautiful:
Vimeo - Iceland movie
I thought that some of his techniques would work beautifully for the kite making film I had planned. It worked reasonably well, although I've since
improved it and will be heading out again soon with another film in mind.
The rig is a 2 metre alloy box section with channels on all four sides that are big enough for bearings to sit in. Around that sits a larger box
section that houses the bearings and effectively clamps the outer box section to the inner one, whilst allowing the bearings to run freely up and down
the alloy section. Attached to that is a cable that runs the length of the alloy section, through a pulley at one end, then around a very high
torque/low rpm 12v motor: the torque is so high that it'll pull a 4 kg camera rig vertically, and hold it in position when it's not moving.
And as for what I'm moving onto next, well, I'm keeping that under my hat for now!
thanson2001ok - 11-8-2010 at 04:21 AM
Amazing kite. Amazing video. Both works of art!
gemini6kl - 11-8-2010 at 06:17 AM
beautifull work man, makes me wana go out and fly or even build a kite.
flexiblade - 11-8-2010 at 05:38 PM
Watched the Icelandic video - very beautiful the way it combines the smoldering energy of the volcano with the stark and bleak surroundings - the
soundtrack sets a perfect pace for the editing. Great inspiration and thanks for the link.