Helicopter Aerial Shots

A

Athiril

Member
Hey - I have 30 mins in a helicopter in Sep for shooting a TV pilot for a project at my film school (school owns a helicopter bought specifically for film student use (actually a tax write off for the owner but has to prove its for student use so we do get to use it)), and wanted some tips for anyone with experience in aerial shooting.
 
Some info on the helicopter would be good. Ive done a lot of shoots in diff. types of helicopter incl. Eurocopter, Bell 407's and right down to the dodgy twin blade R44.

Wanted to add that, don't always assume safety with the pilot. Make it your priority as well. If your shooting with doors off and not on a mount, make damn sure everything is secure on you and the camera. Make sure your battery is full because you wont want to change it. Anything thing that goes out that door could go straight into the tail rotor - bye bye. Make sure the pilot stays at a reasonable height and doesnt become a cowboy. The higher up, the better your chances if somethng goes wrong. Make sure you and your camera are harnessed.

Can you access a gyromount such as those shown here> http://www.aerialexposures.com/gyroplatform.htm

If you cant, shoot 1080 for 720 and stabilise in AE.

Huy, I think you would have a tough time getting any steadicam into a usable position in a commercial helicopter.
 
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Funny, I've never heard that expression before. Usually hear that configuration described as 'penny-farthing.'
 
Read a lot of British, French and Russian materials that don't use the term either. Funny that I've managed to avoid it for so long.

Twin rotor (closest term I've seen) usually means a tandem, meshed or stacked rotor configuration, a la a CH-47, Kmax or Ka-27.
 
I got real lucky and got to shoot varicam in a news choper. It has a gyro mounted to the bottom with the varicam inside and the controls are via joystick and monitor up in the cabin. It was pretty amazing.
 
The most important gear to bring is a iPod loaded with "Ride of the Valkyries" and a really honking boom-blaster.

Jokes aside, meet the pilot beforehand and have a talk-through of what you want to shoot and how to achieve that safely. Choppers are incredibly cool but can also be seriously dangerous objects.

Steadicams on a operator on a heli should be left to pros with lots of experience - a man with heavy kit strapped to him with a vest is a danger to both himself and everybody else inside the craft. Do not underestimate the newtonian forces that can happen in a maneuvering helicopter. If you can't get a gyro stabilizer you could try to think up some light bungie cord rig to isolate the camera from onboard vibrations. And as mentioned already, everything inside and I do mean everything and everybody must be secured if opening the door up in the air. Rock climbing harnesses are a good option for people. Use boat rigging steel wires for equipment. Duct tape is not an option for heli shoots.
 
Keep OIS off if you're shooting on a mount, the mechanical vibrations of the chopper are too rhythmic and fast to compensate for. Digital stabilization in post is the inexpensive way to go. Lower altitude shots almost always look better. Shoot at 60 frames and make the shift in post if you need it. Give some thought to the time of day... if you can, shoot when the sun is low in the sky. Bring a UV filter to cut down on haze if desired.
 
You strap the operator across the nose of the aircraft like a deer over the hood of your truck.

It's all kinds of safe.
 
Sad Max said:
You strap the operator across the nose of the aircraft like a deer over the hood of your truck.

It's all kinds of safe.
Click to expand...

In my case, it would keep the puke out of the copter.... Never did a copter ride for photos, but there was this project of aiming an antenna to a base station for news gathering applications... the test 'ride' was with a Vietnam vet chopper pilot...
 
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