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Shooting aerials for a feature

Marcos Montenegro

Marcos Montenegro

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Location
Baltimore / D.C. / Guatemala / Chile
Website
www.kasunelstudios.com
Hey guys. I've been hired to shoot aerial footage for a few days in February in Guatemala for urban and rural shots; planning on using a Scarlet-X or Epic rig. I've contacted 3 companies that offer helicopter services but none have the equipment that I could rig the RED on the bottom and control it from the inside. They offer a harness and open doors, and I'm guessing that implies handheld operation.

I did that before (handheld aerial shot) with an HDSLR rig 2 years ago and it SUCKED, in part due to the limitations of the camera. Would a handheld aerial shot be doable with an EPIC/SCARLET?

Any advice would really help me out!

Thanks!
Marcos
 
you should be just fine, technically. i would shoot a little higher shutter speeds/frame rates so that you can stabilize easier, and i would at least try to have a shoulder mount. it would be nice if you could use some gyros or a steadicam.
 
Best value Heli Gyro: Bungie hanging from the top of the doorway to top handle of camera
 
Minimum A pair of Kenyon Gyros and proper mount, but more importantly its very dangerous to film this way....

Your life and that of others is worth much more than the film.
 
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ah, everything's dangerous. just be careful, strap yourself and the camera in.

i've used bunjees out the back of a vehicle before, i made an x with the camera suspended in the middle, pretty cool, works well. those gyros are key though.
 
Thanks guys. Q: When you guys refer to "bungee", are you talking about a bungee cord? If so, you would want the camera to hang in the air so you can control it handheld? pics will help!
 
yes we're talking about bungee cords. yeah, you want it fairly tightly suspended with bungees, you're still going to handhold it as smoothly as you can, but let the bungees do some work. if there is a bunch of high frequency noise, which there probably will be, i would try to have something between your hands and the camera to further dampen the motion, like foam or a towel or something. anything that can absorb bumpiness on the camera is helpful. i would still try to get some kensington gyros, or a rig that uses it. at least one substantial gyro on the bottom if at all possible, and preferably a rig of two or 3. using a steadicam out the door is probably more standard. and using the gyros would be my recommended method, it's a lot cleaner than a web of bungees.
 
I've done quite a bit of aerial work at this point. Plain hand-held should be ruled out, unless you're okay with your footage being REALLY handheld looking. At a minimum, if you're working on a budget, see if you can rent a larger Kenyon camera gyro to screw onto the bottom of the camera to help correct for horizon level (remember, you'll need power, so make sure it's available when talking with helicopter companies). Always use an experienced pilot and always safety everything, especially the camera.

Obviously, best case scenario is a full-on approved multi-gyro mount. They can be shipped, but it's pricey.

Here's a compilation of some aerial shots I've done recently - most all shot on RED, some on 35mm - a couple were even done on more budget-friendly helicopter shoots with just one gyro and hand-held.

http://vimeo.com/29361495

Practice definitely helps. If it's a really important shoot, try even finding a helicopter that will fly you for 30 minutes to an hour just to get a feel for your setups before you do the real shoot.

Good luck!
 
I cant find the threat just now but some where on this board there is a good thread on Ariels, what not to do and how to make it safe. I suggest its a must read.....
 
I've done lots of stills work from helicopters and I can give you one good hint - set your ISO to 800 or more and make sure you get exposure times of 1/750 of a second or more. otherwise the shake of the chopper will cause frame blur. Shoot at the highest frame rate you can, or 120fps, and if the door is open keep the camera within the cabin as the airstream right outside will shake it like crazy.

Focus can be set at infinity, and use a wide zoom like a 16-50mm. Long zooms suffer from vibration and are impractical.

Love the bungee/ Kenyon idea though. I will have to try that one.
 
Marcos, it is good to see that you are asking for advice.

The highest incident of cameramen fatalities is shooting from a side door of a helicopter. More than car accidents and this year more than war zones.
Why? Because driven by desire to go flying, everyones an expert:)

Bungies attached to door frames are illegal. As they obstruct the exit and the door frames not designed to have this load.

A home made harness is illegal.

Kenyon attached to a camera is not illegal, it is not a silver bullet ( I own one)

Use of Steadcam in a helicopter is NOT advisable

Your life mortgage insurance will be invalid during the flight even when you are legal.
The $20m insurance from the heli company is legal liability, you'll have to prove in court THEY did something wrong. If it is a pure accident ie bird strike they wont pay. If you have rigged bungies or home made harness then they will be flying illegally and void their insurance.



you should be just fine, technically. i would shoot a little higher shutter speeds/frame rates so that you can stabilize easier, and i would at least try to have a shoulder mount. it would be nice if you could use some gyros or a steadicam
Click to expand...


Best value Heli Gyro: Bungie hanging from the top of the doorway to top handle of camera Minimum A pair of Kenyon Gyros and bungee, but more importantly its very dangerous to film this way
Click to expand...


yes we're talking about bungee cords. yeah, you want it fairly tightly suspended with bungees, you're still going to handhold it as smoothly as you can, but let the bungees do some work. if there is a bunch of high frequency noise, which there probably will be, i would try to have something between your hands and the camera to further dampen the motion, like foam or a towel or something. anything that can absorb bumpiness on the camera is helpful. i would still try to get some kensington gyros, or a rig that uses it. at least one substantial gyro on the bottom if at all possible, and preferably a rig of two or 3. using a steadicam out the door is probably more standard. and using the gyros would be my recommended method, it's a lot cleaner than a web of bungees.
Click to expand...

Above advice is very dangerous! That towel could flyout and foul the tail rotor, aside from the fact that it wont work as you body will absorb the high frequency.
Since you can't use anything but a short zoom the director will complain you are not tight enough so pilot will be under pressure to fly low and slow.

As you are a novice dont sit on the floor with legs dangling sit on the seat. You are safer in a prang with the door closed and less wind on the mic when you are inside.

Put a piece of electricians tape over the seat buckle.
Dont strap the camera to yourself.
Dont use a homemade harness, two cameramen have died unable to free themselves from home made harness and bungies (whilst rest of crew escaped) If the helicompay is providing a harness it is probably legal, but there are rules regarding safe egress that are often ignored.

Shoot 50% wider as it will help stabilise in post.
Dont use a R22 or R44, if you do demand you fly without any other passengers, if director has to be onboard then you will be at the limit of aircraft performance. 4 people plus camera kit on a r44 is irresponsible. (one cameraman killed in May shooting hand held from R44 with 4 people onboard and another crash this year with 4 on board filming- a very lucky escape)
Dont sit in front seat (numerous accidents where camera equipment fouls controls)
Choose side of aircraft you shoot from wisely as it will dictate direction of orbits.
Choice of pilot is key, +2000 hour min if you are flying below 500ft.
If you have an emergency put the camera down (don't film it as another reduser did!) have a method of securing it to the floor. If you roll over or thrash around any cables could strangle you or the camera can hit you.
Have a divers knife to hand.
Ask for a flight helmet.
Wear long sleeves and long trousers.
Suggest to production that you go for a test flight land and review footage on the ground, let them decide if your techique is good enough. Dont rely on a director during the flight to say the shots are too wobbly.
Manage expectations of production at the earliest stage.
If you have to fly low then you'll get better shots with a AS350 than a Jetranger or R44.
Low flying, low power, helicopters need to increase speed to maintain lift, so using higher frame rates can help, explain this to the pilot.

On the risk matrix you are in the high risk, high probability box in my opinion if you are in a R44 or R22 below 500ft.
Don't be mistaken, it is ultimately the pressure you put the pilot under to fly downwind or fly low and slow (beyond which where the power of the aircraft can recover from a cockup) that will kill or injure you.



Message to redusers, Come on guys don't talk beyond your experience when it comes to shooting aerials because statistically shooting hand held from a door, as Dave Blackham mentions, it is dangerous, in fact the most dangerous filming activity outside of war zones and the vast majority of accidents and fatalities involve missions shooting from the side door, primarily due to pilot being asked to do dangerous maneuvers. Often the passengers are totally unaware of the risk to which they are being subjected, hence this post.
More info here http://www.hd24.com/page44/page46/page46.html


Mike Brennan
 
I would also add that whenever I've been shooting stills it's always with a full monkey harness on (like a parachute harness), and although the door is normally open on the pilot's side, I've always stayed within the cabin out of the wind. The camera is attached around my neck, has a Kenyon stabiliser on the base and also has a Canon hand strap to keep it attached to my right hand. The last thing you want is your camera dropping 1,000 feet into the Gulf of Thailand. For that reason, a shoulder rig is not a good idea unless you find a way of strapping it to you too, but turbulent air can easily make bumpy footage unusable.

One thing I'm meaning to try the next time I'm shooting video would be the DV Tech shoulder rig, which has a spring rod that attaches to a belt clip, and can cushion some of the bumps. But it'sa bit bulky and hard to manouevre in the back seat of a 4-seat chopper. I guess that's the same reason that nobody recommends a steadicam.


Also, you need to speak to the pilot to direct him, so you need phones and a mic. Every pilot I've ever worked with has either worked for the airline itself, or been ex military and they're absolutely safety first zero risk kind of guys. That's the kind of man you want to be flying, not some cowboy crop duster.
 
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned already, but alot of the vibration can also come from the aircraft. An R22 is not as smooth as an R44, and an R44 is not as smooth as an A-star. If the aircraft in Guatamala are unknown to you, ask any helicopter pilot and they will often be able to provide alot of information regarding the characteristics of any other helicopter. I've gotten some smooth footage out of an R44, granted most of the "movement" came from me. you're hands and body will get tired with a Red One... of course it sounds like you are shooting with an Epic so operator fatigue may not be as much of an issue. if you need an owner/operator for an Epic, please let me know. I'm here and I speak Spanish fluently
 
Paul Russell said:
One thing I'm meaning to try the next time I'm shooting video would be the DV Tech shoulder rig, which has a spring rod that attaches to a belt clip, and can cushion some of the bumps. But it'sa bit bulky and hard to maneuver in the back seat of a 4-seat chopper. I guess that's the same reason that nobody recommends a steadicam.


Also, you need to speak to the pilot to direct him, so you need phones and a mic. Every pilot I've ever worked with has either worked for the airline itself, or been ex military and they're absolutely safety first zero risk kind of guys. That's the kind of man you want to be flying, not some cowboy crop duster.
Click to expand...

Steer clear of anything that will make it difficult to maneuver in the cockpit or escape. The rod between the camera and your belt clip will go right through you in a prang and probably break your pelvis in just a heavy landing.
Sadly, experienced pilots cockup too although you have more chance they will handle the emergency with aplomb.
A few months back a jetranger equipped with a nose mounted stabilised camera crashed into a narrow street in Spain. All the crew survived, but in similar circumstances cameramen hanging out the door with their head next to a camera (tyler or hand held) would have been seriously injured. Apart from midair collisions of news choppers I've yet to note a cameraman being killed using a stabilised nosemount.
Try and avoid the holes in the swiss cheese lining up.. flight helmet, comfortable altitude, cameraman tucked away inside, dont overload aircraft, experienced pilot for the task, sensible expectations from production, heli company with more than one pilot, good weather, adequate time to brief before flight, adequate flight time budget available to get the shots.

Generally most TV and film shoots make compromises. I'd say that production have already made the big compromise by not using a stabilised nose mounted camera. So stand your ground and insist on at least a decent heli, ie jetranger with 2 or 3 max (including pilot) or AS350BA or AS350 B2.
If you must go in a R44 you have lost one safety factor (performance) if the director is also onboard.
Please everyone just forget about a R22 altogether! A prang this year with an experienced aerial camera women doing stills and video in a R22 came to grief, not ideal aircraft for stills and even less so for video. Forget any aircraft where you sit in the front seat as if the pilot cocks up it could be claimed in court that you interfered with the flight controls, if the pilot is dead it WILL be claimed in court by the insurers that you could have interfered with the flight controls.


Dont forget to ask production for a hard copy of their accident insurance that includes equipment and crew insurance whilst flying in a non-scheduled aircraft. They will probably say they dont need it as the heli company has $20m insurance, but as I've said, heli insurance is legal liability insurance and will take years to fight for in court and will only payout if negligence is proven.

With good planing and you'll have a safe and enjoyable flight!

Mike Brennan
 
I'll be Bungies are legal in Guatemala (wink wink). Be safe but get the shot. I drive in SoCali on the 405 so I put the dangers of flying in perspective. Bring a OSHA rigging harness and one for the camera as well. You'll be fine
 
Hey guys! WOW, thanks for giving it to me straight, especially you Mike. I truly appreciate the warnings and wise advise. Here's the company I'll be using:

Helicopteros de Guatemala (http://www.helicopterosdeguatemala.com/main.asp)
Their fleet is composed of 5 Bell Jet Ranger 206 B3 Helicopters, 4 Bell Long Ranger LIII / LIV Helicopters and one Ecureuil AS350 B3. Which one of these models would you guys recommend for an aerial shot?
 
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