About this user
In his first feature length documentary, Paul Kraus told the story of legendary surfboard makers responsible for the development and evolution of modern wave-riding vehicles. Until Kraus put these master shapers on the screen, in the genre of surfing films, they were the most neglected stars of the art and sport of surfing, and the movie "Shapemakers" was quickly recognized by the surfing media.
As it happens, before he began "Shapemakers", Kraus was a surfboard shaper.
In his second documentary, Kraus turned his camera towards another neglected star—this time in music. The subject of "Jumping Flea" is the ukulele. As it happens, Kraus also builds ukuleles.
But, it also happens that before Kraus began filming documentaries, he worked in special effects for Hollywood. He was inspired by Stanley Kubrick's epic "2001- A Space Odyssey."
He and college class mates Jamie Short, John Dykstra, and Jim Dow went to work for Doug Trumbul at one of tinsel town's first special effects studios. Kraus's credits include "Andromeda Strain" and "Silent Running." His special effects work landed Kraus at Lucas Films' Industrial Light and Magic, where he worked on "Star Trek" and "The Abyss." He also worked with Steven Spielberg to create some of the "Indiana Jones" effects.
Kraus also took on work filming commercials before settling on the North Coast of California in 1979. His resume also includes designing houses, page design for Surfer magazine, and nearly 40 projects for Lionel trains, under the ownership of musician Neil Young.
For over a year, Kraus turned his filmmaking experience towards his passion for the ukulele.
In the 1960s, when he was 15, Kraus's father taught him the art of guitar making. It was one of his father's hobbies, while he worked days on the Apollo space program.
Five years ago, with an affinity for miniatures and the demands for workspace, Kraus renewed his interest in hand-built musical instruments and concentrated on the ukulele. In the process he found a complete subculture of musicians, craftsmen and just plain fans. The instrument's most famous player might be Tiny Tim, a fringe character of the 1960's to 80's. But Kraus is quick to note that Beatle George Harrison was a fan and proponent of the small four-stringed uke, for its portable size and the ability to compose melodies on it.
Kraus's film, however, is not a crusade for the little ukulele that could. He traces its already noble origin from the viola family and its history through the travels from its Portuguese roots and the harrowing trip around Cape Horn that introduced it to Hawaii. Later, the Hawaiians brought the instrument to the mainland, where in the 1920s it was incorporated into the 20s Tin Pan Alley music styles. But, the ukulele, which looks like a miniature guitar, was often used as a Vaudeville gag and as Kraus explains, "When Tiny Tim appeared on the scene, that was the nail in the coffin for the ukulele being taken seriously as a musical instrument."
