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Doing a Sky Diving Shoot and Need Help with Helmet Rig

Neil Dearman

Neil Dearman

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We are using a Cookie flat top helmet, plan on screwing on Dove Tail and using Bridge plate, Only worry is that enough to hold the camera steady? The Skydiver is a pro and we are planning a tandem jump, any advice rigging the helmet/camera tomorrow and the shoot is friday night. We are planning on 2-3 jumps if we get the first take on point then just do one more for safety. Help me out folks thanks!!!
 
or should i just screw it from the bottom of the plate to the base of the camera? Need advice gang thanks!!!! Last resort for safety will use my GH4 but I really want to shoot the whole commercial on Dragon.
 
anyone, help a brother out thanks :)
 
This is what we used for Skydive Dubai 2012... New versions I am designing for Weapon for an upcoming project is truly very bad ass!!

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Check with your skydiver camera operator that the base of the camera/helmet junction will not entrap his canopy lines. You might need to put hard filler in between the base and the helmet to fair that trap out into a soft curve.

Your skydiver will be the best adviser but check to see if he is aware of the risks. Make sure also he is not under pressure to be too anxious to please in face of the risks. People have been flying GoPros for some time so the awareness relating to larger heavier cams may now be waning.

In older times, some flew helmet-mounted Bolex H16 16mm film cams and used a primitive framing guide but there was apparently a risk of getting one's neck broken when the canopy opened, more so if there was a cutaway and the emergency chute was deployed.

Please disregard my comments if better more qualified people than I post their comments.
 
We did hundreds of wingsuit flights with the Epic. But if you have base jump chutes the forces on the neck are higher than regular suits so keep that in mind. We had a simple angle plate on the flat topped helmets and put two bolts into the base of the camera. No issues (except sore necks)
 
Use an experienced Epic camera flyer.

Use an experienced Epic camera flyer.

I jump my Epic all the time with Tandems and wingsuit. Mount it direct to the helmet . Do not add any extra weight or parachute snag hazards with mounts. Just screw straight through the helmet. Use a solid helmet which has not had to many holes drilled in it. I favour the Bone head Flat top Narrow. http://www.boneheadcomposites.com/m8/411--the-flat-top-narrow-camera-helmet.html ( I have a brand new one available for sale ) If you have any questions please ask. However it slightly worries me that your camera man is having to ask these questions it suggests he's not jumped a camera of this weight before which could be a bit of a surprise for him. He needs to do plenty of test jumps and work on his deployment sequence with a heavy camera. The Epic can be a neck breaker. There are a hand full of very experienced Epic Camera skydivers out there don't chance it using a camera man who's used to jumping go pro's and DSLR's.
edit : Didn't want to sound condesending there sorry. But wanted check you have the right man for the job :-)
 

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I was the Aerial DP / Shotover Operator on this piece:
https://vimeo.com/107212211

Shane Sparkes was the Sky Diving Cameraman and he had one of my Red's on his helmet.
Weight was the main concern, and he had a customised helmet, with a mounting plate that just went into the base of the camera.
There is a BTS video here with a shot of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JIkGIjSAE0

It might give you some ideas, but I would pretty much just mount it how the cameraman wants it. (You want to be using someone how has done it before...)
 
Just want to give a heads up the shoot went great and wally is safe and sound (only got to do one take the wind was really bad today) but very happy plus shot it 6K too!!!
 
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