BMX film shot in Govan warehouse featuring Kriss Kyle set to become global viral sensation

Scottish BMX rider Kriss Kyle performs a series of jaw-dropping and gravity-defying stunts in the £1million film Kaleidoscope which debuted earlier this week.

The 23-year-old – who hopes to emulate the worldwide success of fellow Scots cycling legend Danny MacAskill – tackles specially made jumps, rails, see-saws, trampolines and knee-knocking wall drops.

Clydebank-based Kriss, who honed his skills at the Unit 23 skatepark in Dumbarton, has steadily built a stellar reputation in the BMX world with backers that include big names Nike, Sony and Red Bull.

The Hollywood-standard short film, produced by Red Bull Media House and Ridley Scott Associates, was shot over 10 days earlier this year.

The ambitious project employed a number of crew who had previously worked on James Bond flick Skyfall and hit sci-fi film Gravity.

Kaleidoscope has gained huge interest since being launched on the Red Bull site earlier this week with viewing figures expected to explode overnight following the clip being uploaded to YouTube on Thursday evening.

Kriss's phone has been ringing non-stop, while his text messaging and email has been blowing up from the sheer volume of social media alerts mentioning his name.

"I've never experienced anything like it," he says. "It's crazy but I'm enjoying every minute of it."

The video set-up is akin to a giant playground for BMX stunts. "It is a massive dream come true for me," says Kriss. "I was pretty much given a blank canvas to build and design what I wanted. I designed some of the features I have always dreamed about riding since I was a kid.

"I travelled all over the world looking for set-ups I had in my head and things I would love to do, but was never able to find them so I had to go ahead and build it.

"I have never worked on anything like that before. The scale of the project was crazy."

On film, Kriss makes it look slick and effortless, but the blooper reel which runs towards the end shows just how painstakingly complex and tricky his two-wheeled moves are.

There was one trick – called a "grind to flair" along a rail which involves a 180 degree turn in the air – which took hours of non-stop attempts to perfect.

"That took me by surprise," he admits. "I knew it was going to be hard but I didn't think it would be that difficult. It took four hours to land it properly.

"By the time I actually landed it I was delirious. It was an amazing feeling when I finally did it."

The combination of his daredevil manoeuvres and intensive filming schedule did take its toll.

"I had a few bumps and bruises, but thankfully nothing too serious," says Kriss. "By the end, though, I honestly felt like I was 95 years old.

"My body was ruined for a week afterwards. I have never been that physically burned out. It was constant adrenalin and pushing my body to its absolute limits."

Kriss, who grew up in Stranraer, got his first BMX aged 10 and has been hooked ever since.

"I still get that same feeling now when I ride my bike as I had all those years ago when I got my first BMX," he says. "It is hard to explain. It is sheer excitement."

He left home at 14 to move closer to Unit 23. Kriss reveals that when he should have been sitting crucial exams, he was helping build a bowl at the skatepark.

"I put my parents through a lot," he admits. "They both worked at the school: my mum as a teacher and my dad as the janitor.

"I wouldn't go to school. It wasn't that I was bad, it was just that the only thing on my mind was riding my BMX.

"I would go to hell and back just to ride that bike every day. It is all I ever wanted to do."

Soon afterwards Kriss picked up a Nike sponsorship and his rise to BMX fame began. "It's crazy because I still feel like that 14-year-old kid," he says.

These days his parents Veronica and Alex could not be more proud. "I have my face on a Red Bull can which is absolutely mind-blowing," he says. "I feel so fortunate it has all worked out."

Kriss has no quibbles about the inevitable comparisons to Danny MacAskill. The pair are great mates and Danny even popped along during the shooting of Kaleidoscope.

"We have totally different styles, but if I can get compared to Danny I must be doing something right because he is absolutely amazing," he says.

"He is a good friend of mine as well. He came along for a few of the days I was filming Kaleidoscope so it was good to have him there and get his input.

"We get on well. I even rode his set when he was filming Imaginate. We help each other out with ideas sometimes."

Danny's quirky film Imaginate, shot in 2013, has been viewed more than 42.5m times to date. Kriss is keen to reach the same dizzying heights.

"I would love to get those kind of numbers," he says. "I guess I will just have to see how it goes. The feedback so far has been amazing."

For more information, visit redbull.com/kaleidoscope