A brief clip from our RC Helicam today at Solitude Ski Resort.
http://www.pitonproductions.com/Aerial/solidemo.mov.MOV

That's great, Derek. What camera/RC setup do you use?

That's great, Derek. What camera/RC setup do you use?

Sony HC5 and a electric heli with 600mm blades.

Really cool shots. Awesome work...

Can't see it.

Got a PC and all it does is crash the Quicktime and take DVinfo with it.

Geez I wish "someone" would sort this stupid situation out.


CS

Derek (aka Trackhead?),

great stuff. You are doing shots on the (relatively) cheap that would have cost a fortune several years ago, and they are stunning.

Several questions, how planned out are these shots? That is, do you have a very specific flight path in mind with planned camera movements, or do you just "wing" it so to speak, and edit something usable together? Is the camera movement controllable separately from the flight of the RC helicopter, or is the motion of the RC helicopter totally controlling the camera? And when are you going to put something together and enter it in to the Banff Film competition?

David,

The flight path is discussed prior. I fly the heli in that path, the camera operator views a live image and has 360 degree pan and 180 tilt on the camera gimbal to assist in framing.

Sony HC5 and a electric heli with 600mm blades.

Derek,

I had no idea that an electric helicopter with 600 mm blades could lift a 1.3 lb camcorder plus the additional weight of the pan and tilt head. Just absolutely amazing.

Great shots! I like the way the mini-helicopter can fly much lower/nearer to buildings than a conventional one could/should. The (small) shadow of it on the building 2/3 way through is quite neat as it gives the impression of the size of this thing. Very stable - looked a bit close to the tree at the end as you faded out (or was that just before impact!)