Any tips on bare-bones-budget helicopter HDV shoot?

G

gregbrosnan

New member
I'm working on getting a half hour helicopter ride cheap, to take some shots of a mountain village. The idea is to fly through the mountains slowly until we 'reveal' the village. The idea would be to slow the footage down in post. I know I need a special mount, etc, but I have a bare bones budget and no money to rent or buy. All I'll have is my Sony Z1U and I'll have to go handheld. Any suggestions on how to make the best out of a not ideal situation? Keep the camera settings on infinity? Keep image stabilization on/off, which calibration? should I keep at the widest angle possible without capturing blades, parts of helicopter, or opt for a medium length zoom setting? Should I go to auto on the exposure setting? I normally film at 60 frames per second. Would speeding up the frames per second make the footage look better when slowed down?

Thanks a million for any advice.

Greg
 
Get a Glidecam 2000 or 4000 from a friend, this will help immensely. I have done helicopter shoots handheld before on the HVX and with a Glidecam it is so much easier to get usable footage, especially if you need shoot at a longer focal length.
 
Andrew is right, my points below are if you have zero stabilization available.

Gregbrosnan, you're best bet for stability of picture is:

1) Widest possible lens. Longer focal lengths magnify movement or vibration of camera.
2) Definitely shoot slow motion! This will smooth out the camera's movement when played back at 24fps or slightly slower.
3) If you are shooting a great distance, as it appears you are, infinity is the focal distance you need to shoot at.
4) At 60fps I would increase my shutter speed to get a more clean, less motion blurred shot. I wouldn't go too far as it might start looking jittery.
5) Don't shoot the camera with any part of a tripod, monopod or etc touching the helicopter. This will transfer the vibrations straight to the camera. Best bet is to hold it tight to your body for stability and try to absorb the shock with your arms.
6) I am not an expert on EIS (electric image stabilization) but I have seen equal results from post programs. I always shoot with it off. Your call.
7) Talk to the pilot. There are ways he can try and help smooth out your ride. Talk to the pilot.... shooting in slowmotion helps smooth out the motion, but if the heli is going at a speed that works for regular 24fps, you will either end up having a shot much longer then originally wanted, or you will have to speed up the slowmotion negating its smoothing effect. Perhaps have him fly faster? Talk to him and see what he can do.
 
Def. follow Ryans advice.

You sure you cant spring for a gyro stabiliser? Thats going to make a massive difference to your shot - rentals arent that expensive.

And the Helicopter 2 blade or 3? 3 will also make it easier. Im not sure how easy you will find this in your area though.
 
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If the helicopter is turbine pwered like a bell jet ranger or hughes 500 vibrations are a lot less than a piston powered chopper like a robinson.
 
See if you can get a kenlab gyro. They are cheap to rent at $100 for the day. Well worth it.
 
Thanks very much for all your tips - unfortunately buying or borrowing is out of the question, I'm in Mexico City and the shoot is in Guatemala. Ryan, thanks in particular on your tips for going bare-bones handheld. A quick question, when you say, yes, shoot in slow motion - I take it you mean speed up my shutter speed, but as you say, not too much. My whole project is in 60 fps, how much should i increase it to? Or could I just film in 60 fps and then slow it down to 50% or somthing in post? Much obliged everyone, Greg
 
Try to shoot first thing in the morning, just after sunrise. The winds are calmest, and the shadows are long. Long shadows will bring depth to your image. Noon lighting will make everything look flat.

If you can't get a kenlab, you might want to consider a bungee rig. Get as much advice as possible. Here are some links:

http://www.shadowisland.net/day5/pages/Bungee Rig for a heavy camera.htm

http://www.filmtools.com/matthews-red-bungee-mounting-rig-12220.html

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/under-water-over-land/101593-helicopter-scene-stabilization.html

http://www.cinematography.net/edited-pages/[cml-pro] filming in helicopter.htm

http://www.marcohoffman.com/blog/photos

http://www.wrigleyvideo.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=26391&mode=threaded&pid=162860

http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs016/1101810928415/img/62.jpg?a=1102292611766

Some of those articles you might need to read through to find the relevant parts.

Finally, to give yourself a preview of what it will be like, go here and click on the "Enjoy a Huey Ride" button.

http://www.helicopter.org/hueyride.htm

Be very safe, and have fun.
 
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