Extreme sports are immersive for the actors and spectators by combining athletic performance and environment. If we lose the “environment,” we are left with the essence of extreme sports. Without the opportunity to actively visit Adrex Places, places for adrenaline and extreme sports, it makes no sense for sportspeople to engage in some of their favorite activities. Or? How would such lockdown “COVID Extreme Sports” look like?
We invited Tháda and Bery, experts from the Adrex University in flying, jumping, climbing, and diving, to have a word (and a demonstration) and took their “environment”. So, guys, can you do it without it? Don’t despair. We’ve brought in Koudy, a master of magic who can conjure EARTH, WATER and AIR.
Koudy, could you please introduce us to this magical technology you used to simulate sports?
"Surely, you’ve seen shots of car factories where giant robotic arms assemble cars together with perfect precision and furious speed. And maybe you’ve thought, as I have, that it would be great to add a seat at the end and turn it into a carnival attraction.
When I found out that my colleague and friend Vojta Nedved had just acquired one of these arms and was filming a unique movie with it, there was nothing else to think about. After several months of testing, tuning, anchoring, and harnessing, which for the first time in Central Europe will carry a human, we could finally test in March what the stunt and robot can withstand. It was a piece of cake for the robot, but the stuntman with the pole in his back and the chest harness pulled down could not breathe the whole day of filming properly. Moreover, he had to manage the difficult choreography.
After that, our athlete “only” needed to be lit in the studio and, thanks to greenscreen, placed in a 3D computer environment, and that was it. I’m still not sure if the few months of lockdown work were worth the 40 sec of extreme sport. I believe it was. See for yourself. I’m finally going to the real rock!"
Bery, you actively practice all the sports you demonstrate. How does it feel to have all the motor habits and automatisms to perform in the outside “environment”, e.g., when you don’t feel air resistance when flying in a wingsuit?
“Diving on land, flying in the wind of the fans, balancing in the air, or climbing on non-existent rocks was quite a challenge with the robot on my back. I tried my best to apply my previous experience of stunt work in front of the camera, but this was a real challenge. Not all moves that work in practice look good or even believable on camera and vice versa. So definitely no, it wasn’t easy at all, the weight of the equipment, the unnatural positions, the hours in harness and the “thousand repetitions”, but whatever - if you’re lucky enough to work with a great team of pros and you enjoy extremes, you’d still do it again tomorrow.”
Thada, can you imagine life without your favorite extreme sports? Could virtual reality create a similar adrenaline experience?
“This year has shown many athletes, including myself, that you can live without it to a certain extent, but too much isn’t good. It’s the places, people, and experiences you just look forward to and want to come back to. And as for virtual reality? For a person who has never jumped out of an airplane, climbed rocks, or dived to the bottom of a quarry, virtual reality can be a cool experience, but once you actually try some of it and experience the cocktail of emotions, then you don’t want it any other way.”
How did it end? Stay tuned for July 1, when we launch the campaign on Adrex Places together with this unique spot! Until then, don’t sit at home and go to your favorite places:)
