Kitesurfing footage
Also known as: kiteboarding video, kitesurf POV, kite footage
Video of riders pulled across water by a large kite, featuring jumps, high speed and spray, usually shot from line, board or helmet mounts.
Updated
What it means
Kitesurfing, also called kiteboarding, uses a large inflatable kite to pull a rider on a board across the water. With enough wind, riders reach high speeds and launch jumps several meters high, sometimes much more for experienced big-air riders.
The footage combines the best parts of surfing and freestyle sports: water, speed and air time. Jumps are the highlight moments, while long reaches between them are mostly transition. Like wake surfing and cable park riding, kitesurfing rewards a mix of POV and outside angles, because the rider, the kite and the water all play a role in the shot.
How it works in practice
The most popular setup is a camera on a line mount, attached to the kite lines above the bar and looking down at the rider. It shows the rider, the board and the water, and catches jumps from a unique angle.
A board mount or helmet mount shows a POV of the water, and a camera on the shore with a long lens catches big jumps from the side. Drones can track riders, see ActiveTrack, but stay clear of the kite lines.
Shoot at high frame rate. Jumps happen quickly, and slowing the peak of a big air shows height clearly.
What to watch out for
Water droplets on the lens are constant. Use treated lenses or wipe and lick the lens before each session.
Line mounts can tangle the camera with the kite lines, and drones near kites are dangerous. Keep distance and follow local rules on drone flights over kite spots, where beaches are often busy with launching riders.
Long reaches are repetitive. Trim heavily to the jumps, crashes and transitions, or the edit loses energy. Also expect heavy wind noise: music works much better than original audio, which on most clips is a constant roar with no useful detail.
How RawClip handles it
RawClip finds the jumps and peak action in hours of kite footage, removes long reaches and dead time, and cuts the best moments from several cameras to the beat of the music in one highlight.