In addition to producing its flagship podcast, Airspeed is the jumping-off point for other projects, most notably in independent film. Airspeed teams up with an ad-hoc groups of new-media personalities from all over the country on projects that require a deep and broad collection of skills.
Acro Camp is an independent documentary film series comprised of Acro Camp and Ray: Another Acro Camp. We took four pilots (two men and two women), none of which had ever flown upside down before. We brought them to Michigan for four days to take over a Part 61 flight school and fly aerobatics for the very first time. In each film, we used a Citabria, a Super-Decathlon, and a Pitts S-2B and aerobatic instructors Barry Sutton and Don Weaver. We put HD cameras and digital audio systems in and on the airplanes and ran cameras on the ramp and around the airport (including turning an SUV into a camera dolly and doing 80 mph down a taxiway at an active Class D airport shooting takeoffs!). Acro Camp is in post now with release planned for 2012. Ray: Another Acro Camp is in the can and awaiting Steve’s editing after the completion of the first film. Both films feature the stylings of director Steve Tupper, director of photography Will Hawkins, camera/tech (and, in the second film, pilot/camper) David Allen, and chief technical consultant Roger Bishop. Ace camera guy Shawn Viaggi and writer/new-media producer Jack Hodgson contributed mightily to the second film.
A Pilot’s Story is an independent documentary film about plots and why they fly. It would take less time to say who’s not in the film than to say who is in the film. Airspeed’s Steve Tupper is a co-writer, contributor of footage, and a composer and performer of much of the acoustic music for the film. The film – produced by Rico Sharqawi and directed by Will Hawkins - is due out in 2012 from Wilco Films.
