AERIAL GEAR.
Helicopter Girls, says ‘absolutely the type of drone does matter’ – not all drones can do the same job. For example, her company operates three different types: heavy-lift drones, which can carry anything up to an Arriflex 235 with 400ft mag or a three-camera Komodo array; the DJI Inspire 2 with DJI Zenmuse X7 camera and lenses; and FPV drones, which can either fly with a fixed box camera like a Red Komodo or with a gimbal like a Freefly Movi Pro or DJI RS 3. “The first question we will always ask is: ‘What camera and lens package would you like to carry?’ Not every drone can carry the same camera payload,” Nelhams-Wright says. “Then we consider the creative brief and type of flying required. If it’s fast and dynamic then the FPV rigs would be the best drones to use. The final consideration is then the budget; this is where the DJI Inspire 2 might be a good alternative. I would say that you need all three types of drones to be able to do everything you might be asked to do as an aerial unit.” DRONING ON The biggest difference between the more expensive drones and the entry-level ones, according to Nelhams-Wright, is the camera and lenses that they can carry. In other words, the cheaper the drone, the lower the picture quality is likely to be. “The larger drones tend not to be so automated, so they require a much greater level of skill from the pilot,” she adds. “They also don’t have any geofencing on them. Meaning you don’t have to unlock them to be able to fly in restricted airspace, which is the case with all of the DJI drones.”
ROBOTS COMING HERE, TAKING OUR JOBS Nelhams-Wright believes there will always be room for both helicopters and drones, because they offer a completely different energy and type of shot. “There are of course areas of crossover for both, and for sure the FPV drones we now fly are getting closer to offering the type of shot you might previously only achieve with a helicopter, but ultimately it’s important to use the right tool for the job,” she insists. Marar adds that helicopters have a larger range, longer flying times and are better at withstanding weather conditions. “While drones fly at lower altitudes and can be cheaper, it depends on what you are trying to achieve.” COLD WAR Brodie Hood, high-altitude camera operator, worked on the big Disney production Finding Michael , which
is about the search for the late mountaineer Michael Matthews, brother of reality TV star Spencer Matthews. The latter retraces his sibling’s last steps to recover his body from Mount Everest. Hood explains how the weight of the drone plays a key role when it comes to filming up a mountain or at high altitude. “We chose the DJI Mavic 3, a new product from a tried and tested brand,” he explains. “The legs pull out and you can put it in your rucksack. It only weights 1kg or 1.5kg, making it very useful for mountain drone filming.” Even if the weight of the drone is manageable, the batteries need to be kept warm for it to function properly. “If they aren’t warm when they go into the drone, it will take off, but then fall out of the sky,” Hood says. “So you have to keep it in your pocket, in your sleeping bag – most importantly, warm at all times.”
MAJOR AIR Gimbal-mounted FPV drones, like these used by The Helicopter Girls, allow for even more aerial control
63. APRIL 2023
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