Helicopter Shoot

[digitalinnovations]

I am looking for some guidance on my first helicopter shoot. It is still a little ways off, but I am trying to get ducks (and expenses) in a row. What do you all suggest for stabilization? I had thought about mounting our cine saddle, but I want to be able to maintain my pan/tilt abilities. I had also thought about a steadicam/glidecam. What are your suggestions? Also, feel free to offer any advice you might have. BTW I intend on using a full size, shoulder mount cam (hopefully my soon to purchase 500). Thanks in advance!

[Justyn]

I just shot from a helicopter with incredible results, but that's because maybe that I shot from a photo helicopter that's balanced and stabilized and really didn't have many bumps and such.. so with the OIS on the camera, and shooting in slow-motion I got some really really smooth shoots that look very good indeed. I think that the cinesaddle might work.. but I wouldn't recommend the glidecam or anything like that.

Your absolute best bet is to rent a gyroscope to mount to the camera. That'll take a bit of getting used to but you'd get really smooth silky looking shots from that. There's some places here that rent them and they are reasonable indeed.

A couple of pointers I found... and that's basically to communicate the whole time with the pilot and allow them to get you in the positions and you adjust your shot and/or tell them what you need to do but try to allow the pilot to get you in the positon for the most part. Also watch the horizon as its sometimes hard to get a sense of how slanted you might be so either avoid it or compensation accordingly.


I would love to go back up again.. Was so much fun. Another tip is to gaffe tape your buckle so there's no chance you can undo it when you are moving and such.. and also you'll probably be shooting from the right side of the copter. After a bit of time I got out there on the skids and it was awesome.

Good luck and if you need any more info hit me up on the messenger.


J

[thekreative]

yes gyro.....! a must!

[mmm]

Do a search both here and DVinfo as this has been asked several times before.

The bottom line is safety! Make sure you have an experienced pilot, 2000 hours plus. Also make sure that you can't fall out, but in case of emergency (especially over water) you can get out very quickly.

You can get acceptable wides handheld but for longer lens work you need a professional stabilized system.

[jetaddiction@mac.com]

i use a shoulder mount with all controlls on the left hand .the ks8 gyro can mount under the camera (best) or for long shoots it can mount on the back and counterweight the camera . with this set up i even can use the 2x tele . then if i have the time i have a glidecam v8 arm that will mount over my shoulder to take the weight ,just have to mount the glidecam arm . i have a perminant mount in my boat for this. take off the sunshade lots of down force wash. shooting everything overcranking adds even more smoothness,you can always speed up. don,t worry about the sound , it won,t record you screaming when he banks it over and dives 1000 ft. . i had my belt come off over jaws in hawaii. they won,t tape it shut over water . take a velcro strap over water, time will fly by and you will forget all the different setings you wanted to try.

[ChrisDTV]

Make sure you have a pilot who has done this before - failing that, give him a very thorough briefing and make sure he pays attention to your instructions. If you have a low budget then go for one, or possibly two KS6's (mounted in opposing directions) - can go for KS8s if you are wielding a heavy camera - go to KenLabs website for more info/ideas on how to mount http://www.ken-lab.com. If you have the budget you can afford a proper copter with door mount (e.g. Tyler)... Make sure you can take the door off the copter, and preferably sit with your feet on the skids so you can lean out and get the best unobstructed view (careful of getting the rotor blades in shot at the top of frame). Use a wideangle and shoot wide as much as poss. Whenever poss get the pilot to do the camera moves - e.g. don't zoom in, ask him to move in instead. BE SAFE! Make sure everything is really secure on the camera. If you wear long trousers tape them down or wear gators - make sure you don't have any lose clothing when you stick body parts out the door. Shoot at different heights and speeds for variety of shot. When sticking lens out of copter keep an eye on the focus ring - I noticed during my last aerial shoot that the wind was hitting the grooves in the focus ring and racking the focus in!!! Bring your own harness, karabiners and slings/daisy chains - on my last shoot the helicopter harness was very unsafe - easy to open - I have experienced this more than once... Hook yourself onto one point in the copter (shouldn't be too hard to find), and hook the camera onto another. Have a sharp knife close to hand just in case you need to cut the sling in a hurry! Make sure that you do not leave anything lying about on the floor - it will probably end up falling out the copter. Remember g force - if the copter banks at any speed you may feel the camera trying to pull itself out of your hands. If poss bring an LCD monitor that you can attach securely for the pilot to see (superclamps should help) - that way he can get a much better idea of what you are doing. NB - this will mean trailing more leads etc in the copter - only do so if you are confident that NOTHING will work free - a battery, tape or monitor under the foot of the pilot could lead to a serious accident... (Gaffer tape is your friend!) Did I say BE SAFE??? And have fun!

[mikkowilson]

DO NOT use a STEADICAM (or similar (glidecam, etc..) stabilizer) in a helicopter, ever. It is very dangerous.

A trained, experienced, crew & pilot is the right way to do this. They will bring the right gear like Tyler Mounts, Wescam, and Gyros to do the job right and most importantly SAFLEY.


- Mikko

[digitalinnovations]

Thanks everyone! That is great advice and I will take it all with me! Do you have any rental houses you recommend for the different types of mounts/gyros mentioned? I am doing research on the KS8 as we speak. Thanks again! I am really excited about the shoot!!

[mmm]

Thanks everyone! That is great advice and I will take it all with me! Do you have any rental houses you recommend for the different types of mounts/gyros mentioned? I am doing research on the KS8 as we speak. Thanks again! I am really excited about the shoot!!

Where abouts are you based? I have a KS8.

[Pamplemousse]

This is an older post, but I thought I'd add my own two cents.

I have spent several years in and out of helicopters and though only a small portion of it was in the role of camera person, I am used to working with pilots.

What no one has so far mentioned is the engineer (often termed helicopter mechanic in the US). These folks are the ones that keep helicopters in the air. They are the ones to consult before adding bits and pieces to a helicopter. Electronic gear can interfere with the radios, so that should be tested before lifting off. Anything new to be bolted to the side should only be done by an engineer, not by the camera person.

The size and type of helicopter you are working with is important as well. The lighter the machine, the more careful you have to be in your movements in and outside. Skid work is dangerous, more so in flight. Before worrying about taping up your pant legs (which I have never done despite many rappels out the door of a helicopter) I'd be more concerned with the footwear. Most skid gear has a no slip coating on it, but vibram soled shoes/boots are advisable.

Keep in mind that communication with the pilot is essential. She/he will know if something very bad is about to happen. Be ready to jump back into the helicopter... all the time. You should never be out of communication with the pilot for any amount of time. If your headset or helmet breaks down, shut everything down immediately.

Also, you movements in flight, either in the seat or on the skid should be verbalized in advance of the move. If the pilot is hovering, every movement will be felt and she/he will have to adjust as it occurs. It is rather obvious that everything inside the helicopter HAS to be tied down. One would think that stuff falling out would fall to the ground, but it doesn't all the time and if something hits the main rotor or the tail rotor, it will make for a nasty landing.

Of course you should always get a safety briefing from the pilot. If you don't get one, or the pilot isn't willing to give you one, you got yourself an idiot and you should back away very quickly.

Don't take anything for granted on these helicopters. They've got moving parts all over the place. Even closing the doors of a machine will vary from helicopter to helicopter and a mistake can be costly in time and money.

I'm sure this seems all very preachy, and I apologize for that. There are many other things to consider before you even bring the camera work into play.

The biggest rule is that the pilot in command is just that, in command. The engineer is also very important because if you break anything, he/she will be the one to buy beer for.