When last we saw Adam Krolfifer, he’d just been sprung from a trunk on the outskirts of Las Vegas. I was there and I can tell you, it didn’t smell very pretty. Since then, however, the Lenslinger Institute’s first night class graduate has cleaned himself up, married his sweetheart and furthered his studies afield. He’s even taken flight. Truth is, we don’t hear from him very much anymore. Adam’s just shadowy like that; he cloaks his vast gadget acumen behind a slovenly facade. But every once in a while, a shadowy dispatch will reach El Ocho, letting us all know our favorite man-child is somewhere out there, zooming in on his quarry and quite possibly knocking something over in the process. Now it seems the whole world will learn of his cleaning bill exploits, thanks to an exciting new reality series, Krolfifer One, in which Adam and his band of lighthearted mercenaries make California’s airwaves safe for bent sheet metal, pointless remotes and the occasional misplaced media format.
Okay, so Adam didn’t score a reality gig, but a Vimeo clip he recently shared packed more entertainment value than anything I’ve ever seen on TruTV. Yeah, the plot’s a little thin but the visuals are spectacular and the action is taut as Adam and company hover over the Golden State in the name of news. What they’re covering I’m not exactly sure, but the mission is clear: shoot some aerial footage, then deliver it to a gaggle of live trucks on the side of the road.
They couldn’t have picked a better guy for the job, for Adam is versed in video and flight and I’m not just saying that because he used to sleep in a car with personalized plates that read ‘Newshawk’. That was back when he was but a plebe at El Ocho. These days, he’s a fully accredited lenslinger, one who’s youthful exuberance hasn’t been beaten down by a flurry of deadlines. Proof? Not only does Adam get the footage where it needs to go, he shoots the whole damn thing on his GoPro, often holding the tiny camera outside what looks to bean even tinier helicopter.
But my favorite part comes when the chopper lands in a cow pasture and Adam has to run the footage over to his cohorts. Upon exit, he takes a slight tumble, just to prove to all who know (and love) him that at no time was a body double used. After that, he’s off – dodging cow pies and giggling all the way. As he approaches the live trucks, a photog walks over to retrieve the media, probably wondering all the while what the big guy is so excited about. Then the crucial hand-off is mad and Adam turns to lumber back toward the waiting chopper…
But wait! That photog dude on the side of the road, the one who told Adam he’d better take off before the cowboy got back… that’s no nameless extra… that’s Chris Nelson of Photocalypse fame! Dude has a righteous blog of his own, photographs all kids of cool rock concerts and is known to be a close, personal friend of Alfonzo Beta! Now that’s some stunt casting. Yes, even though this episode is a bit open ended, I have look forward to another installment of Krolfifer One. Maybe Adam and Chris will team up and save an orphanage or rearrange the photog’s lounge at their station or just sit quietly in a live truck and eat fast food…
Either way, I’m setting my DVR and selling my remote control.
Video shoot in helicopter. from Department98 productions on Vimeo.
