FEATURE | CAPTURE
Clients will mostly use ‘drone’ as the starting point in the discussion for any aerial shot. It’s become the default position
and have two-way radio coms with us. The time and money it saved themmade the very reasonable rental cost from us worthwhile.” The only change Wyer has noticed in the past year or so is that clients will mostly use ‘drone’ as the starting point in the discussion for any aerial shot. It’s become the default position. “Once you have the full brief of what is required and it’s evident that it’s a helicopter shot (usually due to location), then it becomes ‘how can we make this look like a drone shot’. “We also occasionally get calls for array work, but it’s not something we offer – it doesn’t fit our raison d’être. Since day one, we have based our business around the R44 single-engine helicopter. It’s what sets us apart from everyone else and, in conjunction with the incredible GSS gimbal, enables us to offer the rates we do. Array work generally requires a K1 and Twin Squirrel to fly it – the UK market is already oversaturated with other operators competing for that work.” A specialist at array shooting is GB Helicopters and one of its latest systems is the Shotover K1 with Hammerhead array. This Hammerhead configuration hosts three DSMC2 Monstro 8K VV sensors, although it is an open platform and, therefore, can be rigged with latest-generation payloads, depending on the client’s preference. This Shotover K1 adaptation is also currently one of two available worldwide. The Hammerhead/Monstro configuration allows production companies to capture nearly full IMAX resolution, wide panoramic field and improve VFX by synchronising the three sensors in one flight. Previously done by multiple flyovers and a vast amount of time-consuming post- production to try to create the same angle, lighting and other variables.” Capturing for any and all kinds of production is now a complex undertaking; we’ve reached for the skies with aerial capture and gone to ground with tracking shots, while VFX has opened up a world of possibilities. But while traditional camera capture has evolved, it doesn’t hurt sometimes to go back to basics and remember that without the right camera, the rest isn’t possible.
Flying TV is also heavily investing in cameras. Wyer lists the new gear: “We’ve recently purchased the HD and 4K Sony HDC-P50 camera and Canon CJ45EX9.7B lens for our GSS gimbal. You get wonderful picture quality with rock-solid images at up to a 90x zoom. “With a fair percentage of our work being in live sport, this combo really makes a difference in terms of achievable shots, while also future-proofing us with the P50’s stunning 4K capability. For drama work, we’re also now flying the Sony Venice. “We’ve also just purchased a 4K COFDM transmission system for our helicopters. The ability to transmit 4K pictures over long distance to a ground receive site is very useful,” Wyer says. But aerial capture needn’t be exclusive to live work. “We’ve had several drama clients request the facility in the past year, for monitoring use only. On one recent task where the director and DOP needed to be on the Thames shooting main unit, we delivered the receive site kit to the dock and set it up on their boat. We turned up overhead to do our bit and they were able to see our pictures
“We’ve launched our high-speed tracking platform. It’s based around the Diamond DA42 MPP twin-engine aircraft, which will quite happily cruise along at 150 knots (170mph) with our GSS Cinema Pro gimbal on the nose. “What’s unique is that it’s more than 50% faster than any aerial filming helicopter. We’ve done air-to-air filming with various flying machines over the years – vintage Tiger Moths to Spitfires, enormous military drones to biz jets, even Jetman Yves Rossy and the Eurofighter Typhoon for Top Gear . “While some fly within the speed range of a helicopter, many are much faster. Which is where the aeroplane comes in. The DA42 opens up opportunities to work with larger, faster aircraft. So much so that we’ve already been engaged to shoot aerials in Switzerland with a new corporate jet this year.” Flying TV is the only UK aerial filming company with a UK-based solution – the aircraft lives in the south of England. “Other UK operators offering such a solution rely on the client paying to position their aircraft from across the Atlantic. Very expensive. Our rates are comparable to helicopter rates,” says Wyer.
LEFT Flying TV’s new twin- engined high-speed tracking platform
50 DEF I N I T ION | FEBRUARY 2020
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