aerial shooting question!

S

stevelyles

Member
Hello all........last year I created a local interest piece for a Lake tahoe casino...showing local beauty spots in house casino promotion graphics etc...they have now approached me to expand the piece by adding aerial footage to the montage.The CEO of the company owns a small open cockpit plane and has offered to take me up to shoot the footage....well how would I go about this type of a shoot? I own a DVX 100B and several DVC30s not sure how it would work to strap the cameras to the plane or handheld could be funky any suggestions anyone?
many thanks
Steve
 
Handheld can be great.

Depending on the type of plane, handheld might be tough, though. Biplanes in particular have a lot of clutter to shot around (still my favorite though).

My Dad and I have shot tons of aerial stuff, both still and 16mm, and most of it was handheld out the open window of a high-wing Cessna. Most piston powered planes vibrate enough that mounting a light weight camera might give soft images.

We always tried to keep the body isolated from the airframe from the waist up - no elbows on the door sill, etc. to remove any vibration. A UV filter helps a lot in aerials as well.

The main thing is to make sure there are no plexiglass windows in the way. Even in a rented Cessna it used to be possible to unscrew the retaining bracket that limits how far the window can open, then carefully lift the window up until it's flush with the underside of the wing. The slipstream will keep it up there out of the way. We've shot lots of commercial jobs that way, from Mexico to Minnesota...

One thing you have to think of is the wind. We replaced the bellows on our 4x5 with a box, as you are always focused on infinity anyway. Anything that will whip around of deform at 100+ mph should be secured in advance. Empty the ashtrays, too...heh heh.

Have fun and don't drop anything.
 
Ken-lab all the way. Seriously.

http://www.aerialimage.com/page5.htm

Aerial image in SF rents these for like $100/day. If you want your shot to look good, it's worth the drive to the bay area.
Don't wing it, this will stabilize out your shot and make you look like a pro.
It's the only way to go.
 
j said:
Ken-lab all the way. Seriously.

http://www.aerialimage.com/page5.htm

Aerial image in SF rents these for like $100/day. If you want your shot to look good, it's worth the drive to the bay area.
Don't wing it, this will stabilize out your shot and make you look like a pro.
It's the only way to go.
Click to expand...

I could not agree more...Without it, there's no point in shooting it. Besides, with gas prices, your CEO could be quite pissed if the footage looks like a high school student shot it. lol
 
gyros

gyros

Gyros work great when they are used to provide feedback to servo motors for true stabilization, like in the Wescam. If you are going to zoom in you need something like that , or a full Tyler mount.

I'm not a fan of gyros physically mounted to the camera body. You feel like you're getting resistance to movement, but what it seems to do is redirect any movement 90 deg. (procession). Having two might help, but I doubt it would be enough to eliminate the wobble a helicopter transmits to the camera.

The main advantage to the helicopter is that you can legally fly lower. Otherwise a fixed wing can give great results if you can get a clear view.

These "new" gyro stabilizers in the little jellybean housings have been around for decades, by the way. I took one up in a Steen Skybolt back in the '70s and shot some aerobatics from the front cocpit. Not a good thing for a gyro, it turns out.

Anyway it's cool to see all the links. Lots of people seem to like the gyro stabilizer so there must be some advantage. The Wescam is the shiznit, tho - This site is a great resource.
 
Iv seen an HVX200 plumit 30000 feet to its death be very very carefull when mounting. You think its tight enough make it twice as tight.
 
Oh - what a cool thread that would be!
Camera Deaths

Could be educational too. I had a friend in the news biz put his new Ikegami in the shade under the back of a hay truck. He figured it was safe because the loading dock prevented the truck from backing up over the camera.

So while he's making a phone call the truck lurches forward and a huge bale of hay flips backwards off the top of the load and makes the first Ikegami serving platter.

There are dozens of tales...
 
I agree with Glen.
Handheld can be great.
It does depend on the day and how stable the air is though. If you plan your shoot for good day, there's really no need for a stabilizer. A plane in smooth air is MUCH more stable than, say a car even on the smoothest highway.
A 'good day' is one with calm winds and no clouds. Oh, and stay away from the windward side of steep mountains, unless you want some REALLY dramatic shots.
 
Guys, guys..Yes, a Tyler mount would be the best, or perhaps Westcam, but this guys got a Dvx and yet a smaller consumer camera. He doesn't have the budget for professionally mounted aerial gear. The Kenlabs gyro is his best bet, but from an eariler post, he suggests that he may just have to hand hold it.
The gyro WILL fight you for "level". But the fight is also productive for a smooth shot.
I suggest you only take what you need on this shoot. Don't take a bag full of loose gear and if you wear glasses, get a head gear to hold them on, or at minimum, a chain to keep them from getting lost. Use zippered pockects for tapes and any extra batteries.
 
By the way, smoothest air is usually in the AM, before the thermals get started.

And turbulence is directly proportional to how much coffee you pour or how important the shot is...
 
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