So I'll be hangin' out the side of a helicopter in NYC today...

HybridCreations

HybridCreations

Well-known member
I have a shoot today where I'll be hanging my legs and a Sony 750 HD camera out the side of the helicopter. The camera's gonna be supported by a Tyler mount, stabilized by Ken-Labs gyros, and operated by ME!!! We're gonna be shooting a bunch of NYC footage for one of the Voom HD channels. I'm SO excited. Anybody who hears a chopper over the city today, look up and wave.
-Ryan
 
Ugh. :eek: Be carefull please.
I look forward to hearing all about it on your safe return in the evening. :)


- Mikko.
 
Nice! Good luck. And no spitting on us ants. Let us know how it goes. Probably won't be able to put up any clips, right?

Alex
 
Not nearly as exciting, but I was shooting out of a helicopter last Friday over OKC. Unfortunately, the tape went straight to the client after the shoot and I don't have any of the video to play with. :(
 
What's it like filming out of a helicopter I got some heli shoots lined up this year a little bit nervous with the hvx.



Derek
 
The OIS will be your friend.

I've been up before and each time its been in a Bell Ranger with the side door off. That wouldn't have been so bad but the pilot always approached our visual target head-on and it was tough to get a decent shot from either the open doorway or through the windshield. Now, fortunately, this heli is used primarily for video/photography and has a very clean plexi windshield, but the curve makes it tough to keep reflections from giving that fact away - even though I was using a B+W circular polarizer and we seemed to always be turning so the light would streak across the windshield at some point.

Basic suggestions:
Use OIS
Get a circular polarizer (or other polarizer)
Shoot early am or late pm when the Sun is a half hour to an hour into Sunrise or about 1 hour to 30 minutes before Sunset for best dramatic lighting on buildings and landmarks.
Start recording waaay before the shot becomes interesting, otherwise, you risk missing the shot while waiting on the DVX to begin recording. Therefore, take 2 60 minute tapes. You probably won't even fill one, but that will allow you to roll out longer takes for safety sake.
Get a reliable strap to connect your DVX to your body should it *egads!* slip from your Kung-Fu grip.
If you have access to a cool gyr-type-rig-like-thang, then go for it. I just shot handheld with OIS and it came out nice.

Anyhow, those are my ramblings...
 
Hey guys,
I made it back safely (Thanks for the concern Mikko:)) What a rush! Staring down the ENTIRE Empire State Building from above the spire is pretty intense with the door off the Chopper. Add a little banking and below my feet I see nothing but buildings, crazy. The shoot was TOUGH. Keeping the camera steady and level was a constant battle for me. Even though the Tyler Mount is kinda like a steadicam, it's attached more to the helicopter, not as much to the operator. You kinda have to let the mount do the work for you. Unfortunately the tape went straight to the client so I can't put any up, I'll have some pics in a couple days though. What's it like shooting from a heli? Depends...this was way different than shooting with a Gyro Ball or out the window. If you're taking the HVX or DVX I'd agree with Terry, use the OIS and try to get some gyro stabilizers. Also you won't be able to zoom much. Some helicopters are steadier in the air than others. Know and be able to trust your pilot. The pilot should not do anything for the shot that will jeopardize your safety. He/she will make the final call as to how close or how low you get to your subject. Don't be nervous, it may work against you...just take the proper precautions and enjoy yourself.
-Ryan
 
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HybridCreations said:
Hey guys,
I made it back safely (Thanks for the concern Mikko:)) What a rush! Staring down the ENTIRE Empire State Building from above the spire is pretty intense with the door off the Chopper. Add a little banking and below my feet I see nothing but buildings, crazy. The shoot was TOUGH. Keeping the camera steady and level was a constant battle for me. Even though the Tyler Mount is kinda like a steadicam, it's attached more to the helicopter, not as much to the operator. You kinda have to let the mount do the work for you. Unfortunately the tape went straight to the client so I can't put any up, I'll have some pics in a couple days though. What's it like shooting from a heli? Depends...this was way different than shooting with a Gyro Ball or out the window. If you're taking the HVX or DVX I'd agree with Terry, use the OIS and try to get some gyro stabilizers (Maybe even a Merlin or a Glidecam). Also you won't be able to zoom much. Some helicopters are steadier in the air than others. Know and be able to trust your pilot. The pilot should not do anything for the shot that will jeopardize your safety. He/she will make the final call as to how close or how low you get to your subject. Don't be nervous, it may work against you...just take the proper precautions and enjoy yourself.
-Ryan
Click to expand...

Sounds like it was amazing! I'd love to do that one day! Can't wait to see the photos.
 
HybridCreations said:
Hey guys,
I made it back safely (Thanks for the concern Mikko:)) What a rush! Staring down the ENTIRE Empire State Building from above the spire is pretty intense with the door off the Chopper. Add a little banking and below my feet I see nothing but buildings, crazy. The shoot was TOUGH. Keeping the camera steady and level was a constant battle for me. Even though the Tyler Mount is kinda like a steadicam, it's attached more to the helicopter, not as much to the operator. You kinda have to let the mount do the work for you. Unfortunately the tape went straight to the client so I can't put any up, I'll have some pics in a couple days though. What's it like shooting from a heli? Depends...this was way different than shooting with a Gyro Ball or out the window. If you're taking the HVX or DVX I'd agree with Terry, use the OIS and try to get some gyro stabilizers (Maybe even a Merlin or a Glidecam). Also you won't be able to zoom much. Some helicopters are steadier in the air than others. Know and be able to trust your pilot. The pilot should not do anything for the shot that will jeopardize your safety. He/she will make the final call as to how close or how low you get to your subject. Don't be nervous, it may work against you...just take the proper precautions and enjoy yourself.
-Ryan
Click to expand...

Good to hear you are back safley and had a good shoot - really does sound prety damn exciting! :)

One note on your comments.. DON'T use a Merlin, Glidecam - any Steadicam type inetial stabilizer - in a helicopter, ever! They arn't desgiend for that and are very incompatible! Dangerous to all, and very dangerous to the gear.


- Mikko ... doesn't want to sound like a tight ass, but has to say it for a clear concience.
 
mikkowilson said:
Good to hear you are back safley and had a good shoot - really does sound prety damn exciting! :)

One note on your comments.. DON'T use a Merlin, Glidecam - any Steadicam type inetial stabilizer - in a helicopter, ever! They arn't desgiend for that and are very incompatible! Dangerous to all, and very dangerous to the gear.


- Mikko ... doesn't want to sound like a tight ass, but has to say it for a clear concience.
Click to expand...

mikko9zh.jpg



worrying about us and our equipment so.:Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
Mikko,
I'm curious, why would it be dangerous to the gear? I have no experience using any handheld stabilizer in the air and merely made the suggestion for discussion here. Theoretically, since gravity is still at play in the air, why wouldn't a stabilizer like that help smooth out the footage and isolate any movement of the operator (or what he/she is sitting in)? Or is it the safety factor? For the record, I was thinking that these would be used with all the doors closed unless the equipment and personnel were properly secured and would pose no risk to the pilot's ability to fly the aircraft.
-Ryan
 
Since you ask...

This holds true for all size rigs:
Steadicam (and oher inertial stabilizers..) are designed to isolate the camera from movements from the oprator under walking, or possibly medium speed vehical, conditions. They are designed to take out the bumps and jitters of movents of only a few G's.
The rigs move fast in the horizontal plane, and can take the vertical moments that a person can throw at them, but a vehicle quickly goes over these limits.

The rule with a body-mounted Steadicam rig (with dual articulated arms) is 2 foot bumps when the rig is soft mounted (with teh vest) and 1 foot bumps if it's hard mounted (no vest, but directly to a mount on the vehical.). Now it's got to be a semi rough road to get to this point in a car or ATV, but for an aircraft 2 feet is nothing.

A helicopter can EASILY lurch 10-20 feet vertically without warning and pull many G's for brief moments. A person can deal with, and often doens't notice these, however the effect on a Steadicam can be disasterous.

Some of the things that can happen to a Steadicam when subjected to too many G's vertically:
The gimble, which is under tremendous stress in the balance between strength and fluidity, can either break or become warped (becoming useless).
Various mounts on the system can exceded thir limits dropping components (like the camera in extreme situations!)
The arm can boom to it's limits and hit the stops with enoguh force to break bones or cause the springs to fail (explode).
The arm mounts, can also fail and break or shatter.

All these events, in adition to the imediate damage can cause chain reactions...

EG:
If a battery or monitor mount gives way, in adition to the battery falling, the sled is lighter and will shoot up hard untill it is either stopped by hitting the stops of the arm (bad: see above) or hitting something else, like the celing or your face, with either the camera or arm.

Or:
If the arm spings exlpode, the arm stops lifting, dropping the weight of the entire system to the ground again untill it hits something. Or worse yet, doesn't, and pulls you over (and maybe out!!) instead.


The arm stuff obviously doesn't relate to handheld rigs like Merlin, but the sled stuff does. For example the Merlin's gimble is rated to 1.5G - a limit that you don't normally reach working with it on foot or in a car. But you can pass very quickly in a helicopter. Resulting in probabaly breaking the gimble and loosing most of the rig & camera, either to the celing or the floor.


In adiation to all these risks to the gear, all these events have an effect on the operator and surrounding vehicle. Stuff hit's other stuff, people move to catch, react, or fall over. Safty systems quickly pass their tested limits. Etc...


So there's a few examples of what can happen and is beeing risked when Steadicams are put into situations past their limits, for example a Helicopter. Things can get out of hand, and dangerous very quickly.
Gyro's, Wescam and Tyler mounts are the correct tools for arial photography, not Steadicam.


- Mikko
 
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That was VERY interesting, thanks Mikko. I can certainly attest to the fact that a helicopter can occasionally lurch 10-20 feet vertically in the air. Not a regular occurrence but can happen at almost any time without warning. I had no idea it could be so detrimental to the gimble itself. Definitely not a good idea to tempt the fates. I've edited the previous post and taken out the suggestion to use anything other than gear that is designed for aerial use.
-Ryan
 
I'm shooting in a chopper soon with my 100A, but i don't have any kind of rig or mount. What can I keep in mind for my shooting? Is the chopper relatviely smooth most of the time, enough to get decent footage?
 
Aerial photography

Aerial photography

I shot from a small experimental airplane called a SkyCam last week. The plane has a COMPLETELY open cockpit, an overhead wing and rear facing engines, so it has LOTS of unobstructed views. It was originally designed for National Geographic photographers chasing elephants in Africa.

Anyway, I left the Merlin at home, since the wind alone would make it completely useless, not to mention the safety factors that Mikko mentioned.

Anyway, don't underestimate the potential of handheld shots. Don't let any part of your body above the waist rest on any part of the aircraft and try to use your upper body as an isolator.
I captured some viewable moments swooping over sailboats and surfers at the Santa Cruz lighthouse. Honestly, though, 80 percent of the footage was junk.

What's the story on those gyro setups?
Are there any affordable ones?

-Michael
 
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