Forums > Videos > My DVD: The Scales of Poi! :P

Posted: 14th Jun 2006
Thanks Matt

AH, the camera angles. SOme day I'll tell you about all the things that went wrong while working on this project (there are a LOT of things that went wrong). Because of my limited budget, we were shooting from the hip a bit, so to speak. I was paying the camerea guys, but not big bucks, and only for one evening. Turned out that a lot of the footage was unusable, which meant heaps of extra time editing. I want to throw up just thinking about it.

...anyway, it somehow turned out great in the end. The next DVD will be easier, and ultimately produced more effectively. It might not have the rocky-horror-picture-show, cult classic feel of this one, though

n

"They're interdimensional fractal intelligences. That's why they wear funny shoes."

Posted: 15th Jun 2006
.. even your member number is cool, nik ..! :P

those that know, dont say. those that say, dont know.

Posted: 15th Jun 2006
Nick, you're an inspiration - I was mesmerised by your spinning at Falmouth and ordered the DVD last friday. Should be here any day now I hope! Can't wait to watch it

...incidentally, I may have some prototype HyperLights for you to play with soon

Cake or Death?

Posted: 15th Jun 2006
Well i guess wibbling does kinda work like compound circles.

Yeah i can imagine how hard the filming was.

When i made the tutorial videos for my website i couldn't write a list of everything so i just figured i'd get in front of a camera for 2 videos worth and get everything i could on tape.

First problem was making the background totally white. Used loads of sheets, string to hold it all up to the ceiling and then filled in the gaps with paper. Then back lit the whole thing. Plus i had two 500 watt lights pointing straight at me in a tiny room.

I was cold when i started and had a fleece on, then i got way too hot but didn't wanna take it off for continuity. Funny times.

But getting a camera on the ceiling is hard as. Even something as simple as fixing it so it doesn't fall or being able to see if you are in shot. A big X on the floor would have been handy.

SO have you been playing poi again since the dvd is out nick? i had a quick spin after wating your dvd and my flowers were infinitely better. It was really funny. The tips you gave about beat counting are priceless. Thanks. But to anyone else, you gotta buy the dvd to know what i'm talking about

I can't think of a single person who wouldn't benefit from learning the scales of poi. Funny cos i took your scales class at uberOz but there were still things on the dvd that i learnt from.

Teaching students to be better than me and then teaching me stuff has always been a goal of mine. It's one of the hardest things to let go of. But if teachers don't do this then progress will always be slow. I was really happy to see you mention this on the dvd.

I'm totally looking forward to the next dvd. Today is the first day in months that i've done no work on my dvd. I'm really sick today, and rebecca arrives tomorrow, and her parents are snowed in so we can't see them, blah blah. It's rediculous how many things have gone wrong this week.

But the dvd is so nearly finished, if i wasn't such a perfectionist i would have finished it weeks ago. But it's gonna rock, it's better than i ever imagined, i'm looking forward to a holiday.


Anyways, enough delerious ramblings, i'm gonna head back to bed and rest up.

laters,

m

Spherculism ~:~ The Act of becoming Spherculish.

Posted: 16th Jun 2006

"God *was* my co-pilot, but then we crashed, and I had to eat him..."

Posted: 19th Jun 2006
Oh! Oh! Yes, do I ever want some hyperlights to play with!

Shen Shui: Thanks for the compliment, but when did you see my member?

...oh, my member *number*! Hee hee hee. I never noticed. That is a nice number. Very poi-ish.

n

"They're interdimensional fractal intelligences. That's why they wear funny shoes."

Posted: 19th Jun 2006
your dvd is sooo good and no one has said anything bad about it before, so i think i (might) be the first.

A small section on the end would be good showing different moves such as the hyperloop.

However I think you should start working on another DVD with footage from your training classes. The hyperloop video and isolation videos on youtube are really good for learning. So a dvd packed of just learning moves would be great, probably not for people who can already do them but for people like me learning new moves (im sure theres plently of moves, even for the advanced)

Id pay the same price for a dvd with that sort of footage as 'the scales of poi' dvd

Posted: 19th Jun 2006
Hi Geeza,

Not a bad thing to say at all! Yes, there are many more things I could do in the next DVD. This is my plan, but I want to be careful not to jump into it too quickly. I doubt this will ever pay much, per hour, and I really want to focus on practice and exploration for a while. With a little luck I'll be able to do that all fall, and then next winter or spring I'll make even better DVDs.

I personally can see many ways The Scales of Poi could be improved. But it also has a certain "cult classic" b-movie feeling that will be hard to re-create, much the way my first videos seem to be so many people's favorites.

...anyway, yes, I will be making more videos.

Oh, and I'll be posting free tutorials on my website as well, starting in a week or so. Subscribe to the blog or mailing list and you'll get updates: www.playpoi.com.

My dream would be to have a couple thousand people paying a couple dollars a month to be part of a "virtual studio." Then I could bring the most dedicated poi artists together and we could let everybody join us. It's hard to get people to buy into a subscription model on the internet, though, so I"m starting with the DVD.

I would also happily take a part time job that paid well enough for me to do all this on my spare time. Then I wouldn't have to care at all about making money, which would be nice. Anybody have a lead?

"They're interdimensional fractal intelligences. That's why they wear funny shoes."

Posted: 19th Jun 2006
alright man the your dvd is cool it threw some new ideas into my poi mind tank and kicked down a few barriers that cropped up so tanks

Posted: 20th Jun 2006

 Written by: Meenik



I would also happily take a part time job that paid well enough for me to do all this on my spare time. Then I wouldn't have to care at all about making money, which would be nice. Anybody have a lead?

good idea about the virtual room thing. Though I think most would rather just pay straight up money for some tuturials on dvd or whatever than pay monthly.

Personally I think for poi to get big (does everyone want it to go big??) it needs to be moved away from what many people think of it as, "why are you spinning those gay things, you look like a cheerleader" sort of view. To which my reply was, "**** you!"

I think for it poi to take off it needs to be looked as, as being cool, more on the lines of glowstringing. If footage, say, was taken from nightclubs of 'cool' people spinning and on beaches people spinning fire and saying how it improves co-ordination and relaxes you and all the other things it does then more people would start spinning.

Saying this I also like the fact its seen by many as being different and "why are you doing that" Thats enough babble from me for now, i should be working!

Posted: 20th Jun 2006
Maybe spinning some really cool, incredibly bright, multi-coloured poi on a few dance floors would help?

Cake or Death?

Posted: 20th Jun 2006
"You look like a cheerleader" Whew, I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one whose been told that. Lately I've been spinning my uber macho poi that I made from the shattered gears from the rear end of my '69 camaro which are welded to old greasy chains off of my Harley.

Either that, or practice with my wicks unlit. When people ask what I'm doing, rather than go into a long winded explanation, I usually just say " It's some hippy thing I picked up in Thailand". Works for me.

Posted: 20th Jun 2006
^ ha ha. its fun when for example, one of my mates tried it and smashed himself in the balls. he really impressed the girls we were at a house bbq with!

back to scales of poi.

Posted: 22nd Jun 2006
I've just bought this DVD, and i'm trying to figure out a way so that I can have it on, and be able to spin at the same time without breaking any more lightbulbs.

It seems great though (although i've only watched it through once)

I've been paying serious attention to my planes every spin since!

I am not a bitch.
I am THE bitch.
And Im Miss Bitch to you.

Posted: 11th Jul 2006
I just got my copy in. Thank you for sharing with us Nick. It made me happy to find out in 4 months of spinning that I've come to find many of the same ideas, but you filled in a lot of holes for me. Thank you again and if there is ever another video I'll be in line for it.

Posted: 9th Aug 2006
im working on it!

What if we think the jokes on them,
But really - the jokes on us....

and also... i wuv Rougie *snuz*

Posted: 22nd Aug 2006
Ok, you've been requesting a preview, and here's what I've got for now:

https://www.playpoi.com/secretofflowers

It doesn't actually use any footage from the DVD, but it does give you an idea of the style of the DVD, and my approach to poi. This is actually some of our first experimental footage. We took hours of this, distilled it, re-scriped it, then filmed it with three cameras.

....so, hopefully you will find this very enjoyable and useful, and then you'll order the Scales Of Poi immediately!

Enjoy!

"They're interdimensional fractal intelligences. That's why they wear funny shoes."

Posted: 22nd Aug 2006
the physiotherapy part of the dvd is really great.
i needed to hear some of that stuff since i have been having a bit of shoulder problems.
after following those advices it's gotten a lot better.

the only thing worth dying for is life itself

Posted: 22nd Aug 2006
Now THAT"S what the world needs....Narrated tutorials

Good work Nick

Posted: 22nd Aug 2006
The world also needs more links to playpoi.com, which would lead to more narrated tutorials

"They're interdimensional fractal intelligences. That's why they wear funny shoes."

Posted: 22nd Aug 2006

 Written by: Meenik



The world also needs more links to playpoi.com, which would lead to more narrated tutorials

don't you mean playpoi.com nick...?









cole. x

"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood

Posted: 22nd Aug 2006
Yes, exactly.

(Notes once again that he lives in a world of very clever people.)

n

"They're interdimensional fractal intelligences. That's why they wear funny shoes."

Posted: 22nd Aug 2006
seems poi has taken over my life lol, waiting for my copy to turn up now, watched all the vids on your site nick and they are very impressive indeed, i cant wait to get started on the dvd!

im sure that once i finish watching this one ill want more so get working on that second DVD!!

Matt

Posted: 23rd Aug 2006
wow nick, in the past week ive learnt so much from this dvd, planes have straightend, i can do moves easily like the buzzsaw, working on flowers. Oh and my little sis thinks your an absalute legend!

I jumped into the river, what did i see?
Black-eyed angels swam with me.

Posted: 23rd Aug 2006

 Written by: Meenik


The world also needs more links to playpoi.com, which would lead to more narrated tutorials

I have put them where ever i can.

Life's too short to worry about where you put your marshmallows

Posted: 23rd Aug 2006
Well when the HyperLight website goes up (soon!) it will feature a link

Cake or Death?

Posted: 23rd Aug 2006
i saw your DVD today and i loved it.
my friend also saw it and he's already doing the more basic stuff again

Posted: 23rd Aug 2006
linkage complete! i have poiticipated!

I jumped into the river, what did i see?
Black-eyed angels swam with me.

Posted: 23rd Aug 2006

 Written by: SunnySam


i have poiticipated!

careful with puns like that you mite kill someone by over-groan

"the geeks have got you" - Gayle

Posted: 23rd Aug 2006
but thats what they say on playpoi! .... no really!

I jumped into the river, what did i see?
Black-eyed angels swam with me.