Thermal Mass Rocket Stove DVD with Ernie and Erica Kickstarter

Hi there,
For a while now I have been working with Ernie and Erica on an instructional DVD about building a Thermal Mass Rocket Stove. This DVD is a straightforward, step by step instructional video with timelapse, animation, and narration, so that anyone can build their first thermal mass rocket stove.
We’ve nearly shot all the footage, and we’re starting the post production process. We have just launched a kickstarter campaign to help fund this final stage. http://kck.st/VDAZXE When finished, the DVD will cost $40, but you can help us get this finished and pre-order your copy for a $30 pledge.
This video will take those unindoctrinated in natural building go through the process of permitting, fine tuning, finish plastering and will leave them with a beautiful stove and a curiosity and passion for natural building. Or, if you are already a natural builder, this will help you build a no fuss stove from start to finish.
Please consider helping us make natural building available to the masses.
Or at least see Ernie and Ericas smiling faces in the kickstarter video.

Cheers,
Calen

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/673303251/rocket-stove-instructional-dvd

Some more pictures of the build. Don't worry, I've got about 20,000 more where that came from.

You have my support!! Besides that you have my promise I am sharing this..even foisting this on as many who will listen. Will the dvd come with printable construction specs as well?

Thanks! You guys are great! Here are some more pics for you.

Just joined at Kickstarter, hoping for your success!

Johan from Sweden

I just jumped in on the fun @ kick starter too.

i have been wanting to build one of these for some time and have been a big fan. just chipped in my amount but was very happy to see you are already over the needed amount and you still have 19 days to go!!! that is awesome - good luck with post production and thanks!

Way to go, way over your goal!

Thank you all for your support!!! We have reached our goal! ...but we're not stopping now. We've still got 18 days to go! If we can keep raising money we will add more animation elements to the DVD and if we can hit the $12,000 mark we will also produce a short video on the science behind the rocket stove.

Has the $3,000 backer been verified? I'd hate to see people not bothering to support the project because you already met your goal and then end up being way under when that big backer evaporated.

Hi John,
Funny you mention it. They didn't contact me before they pledged, and I've sent them a message and haven't heard back. Thanks for paying attention and thanks for watching our backs!

Calen

John! Thank you so much for increasing your pledge! You rock! It really is touching to see how community can come to your aid and make great things happen!

Haha! I've just been thinking about it the last few days and keep coming up with more people I want to give copies.

Dear friends and supporters,

We are now halfway through our kickstarter campaign. With 2 weeks left of our campaign, we are filled with awe and gratitude for the generous support that helped us reach our $6,000 goal in just 9 days! If we can reach the $10,000 mark that means that we won’t have to fund any of the post production costs on our already burdened credit cards, and if we can reach the $12,000 mark, we will be able to put together a cool video on the science of fire. Anyone who has been to one of Ernie and Erica’s workshops knows all of the wild and crazy things they can convince fire to do, and this video will help you understand the underlying desire of fire with the help of Ernie and Erica and some animation and illustrations. We will also put this out on youtube for free so anyone can all learn a bit more about how your rocket stove keeps you warm and happy.

In case you’re wondering, your money will help hire Jesse Ambrose, a young filmmaker, illustrator and rewilder who is passionate enough about making the world a better place that he has been working on this campaign for the last six weeks for free and is willing to work on the video at far below market rate. He is also volunteers with Rewild Portland (rewildportland.com) as their media expert.

It will also help me, Calen Kennett, to get this project finished without going broke. I’ve been at this VillageVideo.org social entrepreneurship thing since 2007 and I have yet to get paid a single penny. I believe in Jon Young’s 8 Shields mentoring model (8shields.org) and I believe that the best that I can do for the world, and our future grandchildren is to help start people down a path toward building a meaningful relationship with the natural world. It’s a little ironic, considering I spend most of my life in front of a computer to do it, but it is a product of my own passion and a manifestation of the deep nature connection mentoring that has so graciously been given to me in my life.

If you believe in this message, please consider sharing this kickstarter campaign with others.

Thank you,
Calen

Hello Permies~
Thank you all for your support thus far. We are entering our final week of fundraising. Don't forget about us!

Cheers,
Calen

What a great project! I wish this existed already ... I don't want to wait until our winter for the DVD before building one though

I can't wait to get my copy!

Is the disc video only or are there data files/spreadsheets as well to assist with designing your own? Also, for international customers you might consider a download option allowing them to burn their own DVD and save the shipping.

Hi Max,
This video is straight forward instructions on how to build a pretty straight forward stove. I know a few people who have built stoves and then had to call in an expert (usually Ernie and Erica) to come make it work right. With this DVD that won't be the case. It will be a rocket stove that just works, but it will be a good starting point to tinker from as well. So, no, there aren't going to be a lot of options to customize on the DVD, but you will have a good idea of how it works and what makes a good rocket stove design when you're done with it.

I don't think we will have a download option. As we start on the design process, it's looking like it's going to be a pretty interactive DVD. But we are planning to have international sellers, so you should be able to order it locally without crazy shipping costs.

If anyone is interested in selling it when it's done you can email me at calen@villagevideo.org

Only 3 days to go! Yay!

Just joined the Kickstarter campaign. Found Permies two days ago, and have been reading practically non-stop. Also read the book PDF. This is very timely for me. I have a small workshop under construction with a cement floor/foundation that has two horizontal runs of flueblock in it. I'd planned to have a wood stove outside and run the flue through the floor and then back to use a single chimney flue, first to establish a draft, then to switch the gasses through the floor to heat the mass. I hadn't determined what sort of stove I would use, and wondered if I'd need a fan assist to make it draw. You can imagine how exciting it is to find this information. Some key questions are formulating themselves in my mind. I'll study a lot more, then post. Best wishes and thanks for info already received.

Only six hours to go!!! http://kck.st/VDAZXE

Hi D Elliot, Thanks for backing our kickstarter campaign!
Also, these folks run a pretty good forum, eh?

Kickstarter is over and I'm in for one of the DVD's so get crackin' there Calen . Please keep us up to date on the release date .

Thanks Max, and thanks everyone~

I'm on it! I'll keep updating this thread to keep you in the loop!

When I see how much money actually comes through I'll make up a final budget and see where we go from there. Ernie and Erica are coming down at the end of the month to do some voiceover work. I've already got Jesse (he works with me) working on some of the transitional animations. I think we have a pretty good idea of the stylistic elements that we'll be using and we've got an outline of the whole story. I'll be posting updates here and on the kickstarter page. I'll try to copy those here too. Here's my latest update from the kickstarter page: (Back story: This is in response to a guy who was thinking of filling in the $500 that would take us to the $12,000 mark and allow us to make that science of fire video as well)

Thanks Jonathan! And thank you all! It's quite amazing and I'm very touched and motivated! In the next 2 weeks we will see how much money actually comes in and touch base with a couple potential under the table kickstarters and see where we're at and create a budget from there. If I can afford to do it I will make that Science of Fire video, because, well, in the words of this kid http://youtu.be/l-gQLqv9f4o "What will you create that will make the world awesome?" I want to make the world awesome! I'll let you know if I'm a little short
Thank you all so very much!
In gratitude,
Calen

Sorry I missed this kickstarter, was oblivious to it otherwise would have pitched in.

Please let us know when can purchase the DVD as am interested. Looks like it will offer a good walkthrough of the process.

Ernie and Erica are on their way in to town to spend a couple days in the studio with us to shoot all the talking parts for our DVD. We've spent the last couple days building a set and getting our lighting right and working out our shot list. We posted some pictures up on our facebook at facebook.com/villagevideo Village Video Facebook Page

We've already spent about a month with the rocket stove in 3 different trips; the first to build the bulk of the stove, the 2nd to put the finish plaster on, and the 3rd trip just to take pretty videos of the finished masterpiece when the woodwork was all done. All the footage we've shot is cut in a timeline and we're ready to have the masters talk about it! Once that is done we will be editing and working on animation. We'll also have a couple more trips to show and tell different finish plaster options. Things are coming together nicely.

We ended up with $1,400 of pledges falling through, so I'm still a little shaky on having enough to do the animated science of fire video. I haven't finalized our budget yet, and I'd really like to pay off some of the debt from the first 3 shoots, but the priority is to make the best DVD we can! I'll keep you updated. In the meantime feel free to contact me with any questions at calen@villagevideo.org

Thank you all for your support!

Calen

Aren't they cute? You can see Jesse's favorite quote from todays shooting on our facebook page at facebook.com/villagevideo facebook.com/villagevideo

And this is what that set if for...

If you want to learn more about tinkering with your rocket stove you should check out Paul Wheaton's kickstarter. Our DVD is an instructional video teaching you how to build the stove you see pictured with a few variations. If you want to change your stove from this design, I highly recommend Paul's DVD. It will help keep you out of trouble This is the last day for his kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulwheaton/wood-burning-stoves-20-the-dvds

I'm looking forward to getting my DVDs. I'll probably be laying the foundation for my rocket stove in May. It won't be a single weekend build, but the video's will probably come in handy when I start in on my second one.

Thanks for posting that little bit of video of Ernie and Erica! Ernie always looks so serious when he's talking about rocket stoves - you rarely see him smile!

Hello friends~

We are still hard at work. We have an editor cutting b-roll in and looking for gaps. Our animator/illustrator is working on the DVD menu and some finishing animations. As all these pieces come together we can see these little gaps in instruction, so I've been going out and collecting more footage to make sure everything is as clear as can be, then our editor is cutting that footage in. Today I will be sourcing the right kind of sand and the wrong kind of sand and shooting macro "close up" so you can clearly see what kind of sand you should and shouldn't use in your stove. In the next couple days I'm also going to be shooting a section on making cob test bricks so you can test your materials and find the right mix. This weekend I'll also be heading out on a road trip to tour some other Rocket Stove Mass Heaters and shooting some video and photos to give you some more design ideas. I've got about 3 pages of these pickup shots left to collect.

Currently I'm thinking that we will have all our assets together in 3 weeks. We will then send it out for Closed Captioning and start the DVD authoring process and have a cover designed. At this point we can do a short run duplication of a rough copy without a finished DVD menu for those who are anxious to get started. After that we will send masters out to be manufactured and should have DVDs back in 10 business days! So, you should have your DVDs around the end of August or early September.

Thank you all for your support and your patience. Please feel free to contact me with any questions and check in on our progress at facebook.com/VillageVideo (even if you don't have a facebook account).

In gratitude,

Calen

P.S. Keep in mind, this is the instructional DVD from Village Video not the informational DVD from permies.com. Very confusing, I know. This has been 5 years in the making and it hits the fundraising point just before and is scheduled to be completed just after the permies.com DVD. It is clear to me that the time for Rocket Mass Heaters has arrived!