Five content creators sailed to Sardinia with Eleveight to capture the magic. Caroline Morris managed the production, with Kaimar Halliste and George Kintis as the pro riders, Cristiano Adorno shooting video content, and Kerli Halliste behind the camera. Thanks to Kite2Sail, they discovered a paradise kite cove in Corsica, making kitesurfing history on camera. Go behind the scenes with the Eleveight crew here!

Caroline Morris - Eleveight’s Content Manager

I put the project together after an opportunity arose that I couldn’t ignore. I was catching up with Lea from Kite2Sail, and she suggested I join their yacht for a sail around Sardinia, which sounded like an offer I shouldn’t refuse! After some musing, I gave her the idea to see if we could turn the trip into a media shoot, and she very much agreed to have our entire team on board. Before I knew it, I was planning the production schedule, having never worked from a boat before!

I selected the team based on glimmers of ‘magic’ I’d spotted, and they all offered something unique to me, but we’d not met before, so staying together in the confines of a boat would be a test for my theory. Sure enough, the team slipped into their natural roles from the get-go, and the Kite2Sail crew facilitated everything perfectly. 

On the first morning, Captain Marco took us to the most stunning kite spot I have ever seen, and George was literally ready to kite before the boat even anchored. Just as well he did, as he managed to get out in a fleeting breeze to foil with the new OS V5. Our videographer, Cris, has bags of personality and probably the most energy out of everyone, and he was ready to capture George against the idyllic backdrop of Isola Tavolara.

Besties George and Cris constantly spark ideas with each other, spring into action, skipping lunch to get on the water, and taking every possibility to capture beautiful video. Cris has become quite the FPV drone pilot and can get that thing into impossible angles, so the pair did their utmost not to miss a beat. His energy is infectious and reflected in the riders pushing to do their best on camera for him, even if it meant diving into cold water repeatedly.

Kaimar is more calculated, finding the right time to score the best wind window for the day and helping shape where we travel. Thanks to his focused study of the forecast apps, he was able to suggest where to go for the most promising wind. This led us to Corsica, where we sailed past Bonifacio to find the perfect turquoise stage for our shoot. Cris wasted no time putting the drone up to survey the area, and the riders started exploring a secret cove with rocks to jump off.

The media team and captain geared up to see if we could get onto the rocks and base ourselves there for filming, and it all worked out perfectly. We filmed for 2.5 hours in nature’s paradise playground, with George and Kaimar jumping off the cliffs, sending floaty airs and dark slides, and Jesus walking close-up. Cris was in the water using water housing to capture above and below the water line, Kerli was perched below me, and I was up high on the tripod filming from an additional angle.

The boys were on the water, yelping in delight, and even though the wind was light, they could find all sorts of new ways, inventing moves and using the rocks and scenery around them. Cris switched from filming in the water to taking out the FPV drone for amazing action and panoramas. Kerli was making noises of wonder below me and confirmed it was the most beautiful shoot she had ever done. She has such an eye for photography that she can capture the magic in any situation and a great creative vision in the action shots she wants to achieve. Her ability to direct the riders from a small splashing dinghy in 360 really stood out. My production side was always busy organising gear, directing the team to meet objectives, and stepping in where needed, but I couldn’t wish for a better team!

Kaimar Halliste - Eleveight Team Rider 

Wow, that was a crazy cool week on the yacht! I will do it again soon, as we discovered many epic hidden spots! I really loved shooting from a boat because you can sail everywhere with it and follow the wind according to the conditions. The yacht was super good for shooting and filming because you could choose all the necessary angles. The magical after-surf vibe it offers with sunsets and fishing on the yacht is something for my soul.

Shooting with these talented friends is something different. Their spirit is just insane; they always put 100% into everything, and you can see it in the results. So many crazy cool ideas about shooting arose, and everything was so easy for me working with the team because they loved what they were doing. We understand each other without even saying anything. This is something magical!!! I already saw the content results, and they gave me goosebumps!! Everything was perfectly organised during the shoot, and we couldn’t have done it without Kite2Sail hosting the crew!

George Kintis - Eleveight Team Rider 

The kitetrip with Eleveight and Kite2sail was one of the nicest experiences I've had in a while. The feeling of actually following the wind on a catamaran and being able to wake up in the heart of the nicest spots in Sardinia, pump a kite, and launch in zero time is just insane.

There were great vibes with all the crew, and my teammate Kaimar made our filming so much fun. The communication with our videographer Cris and our photographer Kerli was excellent, making us enjoy every minute of kiting. 

The trip was insane, and although I would have liked more wind to send some tricks, we couldn’t have it all. We managed to get the coolest shots, being very creative with every possible scenario we could think of. 

Cristiano Adorno - Videographer

I’d never been on a catamaran or sailed before, so I was very stoked about the opportunity. However, I discovered the boat could be challenging at times due to the shaking on board, and I had to have the right equipment and work on the editing to make the shots as smooth as possible. It was also amazing to be so flexible in finding spots.

I used a variety of lenses, a gimbal stabiliser, waterproof housing for above/below-waterline shots, a DJI drone for cinematography, and an FPV waterproofed drone for acrobatics and aerial shots. 

The highlight for me was sailing to another country to catch some wind and hunt the best spot, as the forecast was relatively light for the week. Once in Corsica, I flew the drone to a channel I had seen on Google Maps and found a slice of paradise hidden between the rocks. The Secret Cove was remote and far out to sea and one of the best spots I have ever seen for kitesurfing. It wasn’t beginner-friendly, but of course, our pros performed. The FPV came in handy as there were many gaps and holes in the rocks for my drone to jump through and capture the action!

Throughout the week, we all bonded and coordinated amazingly without knowing each other before. In such a short time, we could perform well as a team. The boat allowed us to get to know each other pretty quickly!

Kerli Halliste - Photographer

It was a really cool experience photographing surfers from a catamaran. We were able to move to where the wind and conditions were best at the time, and you could shoot surfers in all directions. It was so amazing! It was very special when we reached the perfect spot of paradise, with light blue water, sun, and interesting rocks in the water—everything was perfect. 

When taking photos from a catamaran, it's difficult to move where you want as there are ship masts everywhere, and you have to be careful not to fall into the water. When you are in full-focus shooting, you don't watch where you step, but luckily, the Captain helped so much! He was always ready wherever we needed him. 

I work with a Sony a7iv (hybrid full-frame camera) and lenses: 35-150mm (zoom lens) and 20mm (wide-angle lens). The light was great, and the sun shone every day. We also got rain one day, but then there was no wind anyway!

All of us in the team met each other for the first time, and we didn't know how we fit in, but we were a dream team from the first moment. Everyone contributed their maximum, and it was fantastic. The guys were ready to surf for a long time, they had a lot of ideas and a lot of energy and soooo much positive vibe! We could discuss very well with the videographer who would take pictures and film from which angle and when. The cooperation was perfect.

Videos

Trailer - Finding Paradise, Eleveight Kites
By Caroline Morris

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