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Apr 17, 2011
I know, this may seem boring, but getting these scenes
finished, with clear explanations and visuals, is REALLY rewarding. I
just finished Chapter 3 which, among other things, explains the various
twisting forces acting on a paramotor. And there are many! Some are
nearly irrelevant while others are ill-understood. These animations
should clear it up nicely.
One force, what I call Loaded Riser Twist, is
something I've observed for a number of years but didn't have a good
explanation for. It's where, if the wing goes to the right on launch,
just as it start to lift, you'll twist left. The same is true in flight
as long as you're under power. The effect can be very slight or,
especially on small wings, can cause an oscillation. I credit Phil
Russman for figuring out what was going on and I created an animation to
show how it works. This stuff gets me fired up. Who knows why but it's
cool that these things will no longer be a mystery and will hopefully
help pilots succeed by better understanding what's going on.
43 minutes of 103 minutes is done and work continues.
Filming at Beach Blast 2011, too. See ya there!
Mar 18, 2011
I've been at it since November 2010, getting some
remaining shots but mostly editing. It's a lot faster now that I have
all the templates, titling and processes down but still the going can be
slow. It's like drilling through rock. Most of the time you make good
progress, cutting through sedimentary scenes with ease. Then granite.
Whack. Progress slows to a crawl. Nothing seems to fit. You can't find
just the right scene to depict an exact concept. Or a bit breaks --
that's the computer crashing, taking your last hour of work with it.
Yes, yes, save, save, and save more often.
I learn.
But it's also quite rewarding to see a concept jump
clearly through the graphics, or to find that perfect clip, etc. It's
those moments, and comments I get from those who have watched video 1,
that help motivate me. As I'm writing this, in seat 16A deadheading to
Las Vegas to fly the jet back to Chicago, I realize this is the most
income I'll ever earn on the project -- even with video 1 selling
briskly. As an aside, getting paid to fly rocks. Getting paid NOT to fly
rocks even more. If you gotta work, this really is an incredible gig.
Video 2 is, of course, all about launching. As such,
there's very little animation involved but a fair amount of time
remapping, where I slow or stop the action to reveal the nuance that
leads to consistent success. Launching is all about the nuance and it's
beneficial to have targets, to know what it should feel like and how to
practice.
Most of it is shot already with Eric Dufour as the star
performer. When you see him fighting with a cravat or running around an
object in his way, know that it was all staged, ever bit of it. You'd
never know the old man was so old. He just kept it going, flight after
flight, shot after shot, angle after angle. There are, of course,
others, including Tim Kaiser who has been a trooper in front of and
behind the camera. His shots now frequently turn out better than mine.
Even though the primary shooting is done there are some
scenes I can improve on so I'll have the camera rolling at Beach Blast.
Oct 12
It's done! |
Mar 18, 2011 Update
This is a still, extracted from a scene that puts
uses graphics overlays to show how the motor can be adjusted on this
style of harness. Adjustments for other, more typical, harness types and
hang points are also described.
Showing the affect of different harness adjustments
is especially helpful with video. This stuff is described in the PPG
Bible but, putting it into motion makes a real difference. Just think,
if a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is 30 frames per second
worth? Apr 17, 2011 Update
A screen shot of the editor that includes an animation showing the
horizontal component of torque. Although much of this is explained
in the PPG Bible, there's nothing like seeing it in motion. |
