F3 Helicopter Shoot

[Mwjace]

so why was the footage almost completely unusable? I'm planning a helicopter shoot for a few weeks away. Suggestions for camera stabilizer mounts? I looked at the Tyler.... what problems did you have?

I believe most of the problems lied with operator error. and duration of trip. the producer was trying to pack too much into the flight time, which left only a couple of passes for each location not really ideal for trying to get the shots. as i didn't operate the tyler mount i can't say if it was working in prime condition or not. we did let the gyros spin up for twenty mintutes as we flue to the first location, but not haven't much exericen with it im not sure.

 

[Mwjace]

I agree with Klaas...I shot some aerials here which were shoulder mounted in a small, 4 seater Cessna & they turned out great with the filter: http://vimeo.com/16009219

I recently shot a real estate video with an FS-100, hanging out of a helicopter with a 14mm lens (handheld) & the client was ecstatic with the results...all thanks to smoothcam.

did you shoot progressive or Interlaced. everything we shot was interlaced, when smooth cam was applied there was to much artifacting and quality loss that it was deemed unuseable. i think for this next one i will definitly shot either 720p 60 or 1080p 24 not sure though will have to do some tests on that.

 

[WestView Digital]

did you shoot progressive or Interlaced. everything we shot was interlaced, when smooth cam was applied there was to much artifacting and quality loss that it was deemed unuseable. i think for this next one i will definitly shot either 720p 60 or 1080p 24 not sure though will have to do some tests on that.

That brings up an interesting point.... I would guess that you're better off shooting Progressive (I never shoot Interlaced but most of my stuff goes directly to web). But would shooting a high frame rate give you better results for doing additional stabilization in post?

 

[Klaas]

Since my first XDCAM HD in 2006 I never considered shooting interlaced. Most of my work is corporate video, broadcast on DVD, mediaplayers, YouTube and alike. The few times my footage was broadcast on tv, there was no problem at all. Progressive gives so many options in post. I shoot only 1080p.

Using a steadicam in a heli is not a smart idea. The steadicam balances well when your body is in a upright position. Try to bend over and the arm swings away from you, pulling you out of balance to the ground. In a heli your body is seldom upright. Add to that the speed and turns. The arm swings out with force and you will be trown overboard. You fly with open door or no door at all.

The cheapest way is using (optical) steadyshot and stabilisation software in post. For that use I like my EX1 more than my F3.
Adding gyros on 2 or 3 axis helps a lot. You wil need a support with rubber bands to take the weight away from the operator. And you need room. Leave everybody that has no task out.

Also consider using a Cessna or alike. They are cheap, faster and they fly more smoothly. On the frontseat you can open the window but the wingsupport gets in the way many times. I had good results on the backseat, with the rubber hood of my EX1 against the plastic window pane. Be aware of reflections. So take a black cloth and some gaffertape with you. I used a monopod as support. Think compact, there's not much room in there. Bring your own cleaning stuff with you, beware, plastic panes! Use a wet dishtowel with a drop washing detergent and a dry dishtowel (tea towel?). No kiddin', clean the back windows before take off.

Good luck!

 

[Ryan Lightbourn]

did you shoot progressive or Interlaced. everything we shot was interlaced, when smooth cam was applied there was to much artifacting and quality loss that it was deemed unuseable. i think for this next one i will definitly shot either 720p 60 or 1080p 24 not sure though will have to do some tests on that.

That was all progressive. You definitely want to go progressive and maybe 1080p @ 30 fps slowed down to 24 in post. I'd avoid 720p because of the potential resolution loss if you need to use a FCP or AE stabilizer.