Hi guys in a few days i'll go in a small helicopter to shoot with my Z1.Maybe this time i won't have the door opened so my worries are the reflection of the camcorder on the windows.I was thinking to bring with me a black towel to avoid this issue.What do you guys think and what are your suggestions?
thx

i won't have the door opened so my worries are the reflection of the camcorder on the windows.I was thinking to bring with me a black towel to avoid this issue.
Good idea. Putting a polarizing filter on the lens would also be a good idea. Best of luck with the shoot!

What's up Mike, the polarizer won't be useful cause the windows are in plastic material and the won't prevent the reflections!Tried by my colleagues.
I wanted to know about the black towel(unfortunately i won't have the chanche to get in an helicopter before a few days), do you think is a good idea?

thx a lot buddy

Any time I've filmed from a helicopter the door has always been removed, it's an automatic thing with the helicopter pilots. The only reason why they wouldn't is if it's normal passenger flight that you're piggy backing rather than a photographic flight.

I doubt black towels would be practical, you'd need to rig these and there mightn't be suitable attachments. Although you might just get away with it in the back of a Jet Ranger, but if it's a R22 I can't see you being allowed by the pilot because you'd be obscuring his vision in the direction you're filming.

I'd check this stuff out in advance with the helicopter operator so there aren't any surprises.

I agree with Brian about the R22, but can't speak for the Jet Ranger. The R22 has barely enough room for you and your camera. I don't think rigging up a towel will be a good idea because it will obscure your view and the pilot's.

Doors off is much better in the 22. You really have to lean out a bit in that aircraft to get good shots, and with the doors on it'd be really uncomfortable to try to contort your body to get the camera in a shooting position. Unless there's a good reason, I'd go doors off.

Hi Marcus,

I have shot from a chopper with a Z1 before. Like the others said doors off is really a must to get good footage. I also used a shoulder mount attachment for the Z1 which had a gun handle - this was really really helpful and I think would be really difficult without it. The footage I got was fantastic and I could track objects on the ground really well against the centrafugal force of the camera when the chopper was banking. Sometimes you have to use all your strength with both hands and your shoulder if the chopper banks hard so with no support I think the footage would just be really shakey. Best of luck and have fun!

Maybe this time i won't have the door opened so my worries are the reflection of the camcorder on the windows.I was thinking to bring with me a black towel to avoid this issue.What do you guys think and what are your suggestions?
thx

If you're doing aerials you need to shoot with the doors OFF unless you are renting a chopper with windows that are designed for aerial shooting and optically perfect (which I doubt). If you shoot through the chopper windows you'll get reflections, flare, scratches on the window and the edges of the door and it's fittings will continually bounce into view. If you can shoot from a Jet Ranger do it. I hate shooting from the Robinson's because they are not as smooth and not nearly as powerful which translates into more problems with crosswinds. The towel trick will interfere with your camera control and also could be a safety hazard in the cockpit if it gets loose.

What about bringing a MErlin in the chopper?I think it would be useful!Thanks

What about bringing a MErlin in the chopper?I think it would be useful!Thanks

NOT! The inside of a helicopter is a dynamic place and buffeted by wind gusts when the doors are off, g-forces in turns, etc. A Merlin will get blown around by the wind, you'll bump into parts of the aircraft and yourself with the rig and besides you will be shooting down most of the time - a position that doesn't work for Merlin's.

As with most video skills "It's the Indian not the arrow."

Steadicams and helicopters are a very dangerous mix; many operators have lost their lives attempting this. Consider renting an aerial rig or at least hardmounting to the chopper.

Like the others have mentioned, it is without a doubt far better with the door off ( it is sometimes possible to obtain some footage through windows the quality will generally not be very good).

The biggest problem is usually the buffeting winds. If the pilot can bank while you maintain position with the camera just inside the open doorway you should be able to get decent footage.

I like to lean out if I can, so it is a good idea to wear an extra safety harness with longer straps attached to the helicopter so that it offers a bit more movement than the seat harness alone.

If you must lean out for some filming then I've often found it better to point the lens to the rear of the chopper instead of forward because it offers less resistance to the wind; this rule is also holds true when shooting from microlights.

I've worked a lot from bushplanes, and again, it is wise to team up with a good pilot who will remove the door prior to take off. This rule also holds true for shooting stills with SLR or DSLR cameras.

If the Z1 is your only cam then obviously there will be no lens or camera changes, but if you are using a second camera or XL camcorder then try to take a friend/assistant with you to hold on to any extra bags and equipment, so that it makes it easier to smoothly change lenses during the flight.

What about bringing a MErlin in the chopper?I think it would be useful!Thanks

I wouldn't, there isn't much space inside a helicopter and any wind will jar a Steadicam. Following the other Steadicam comments, the scariest helicopter ride I had was with a Steadicam. Although your rig would a lot smaller than the 35mm job we were using, you'll find using it pretty limiting in the type of shots you can get.

If you're flying doors off, put a single wrap of gaffer tape around the seatbelt release. It'll prevent it from being lifted and disengaged accidentally, but it will yield easily if you need to remove the belt in an emergency.

Another camera stabilization aide is the KenLab gyros.
Kenyon Labs stabilizers (http://www.ken-lab.com/stabilizers.html)
Gyro Stabilized Video Film Camera Mount Platform Stabilized Video Film Camera Mount Gyro Stabilizer Video Film (http://www.aerialexposures.com/gyroplatform.htm)

Personally, I won't fly in R-22s and neither will some other cameramen in Hawaii. The R-22's had an airworthiness directive placed on them by the FAA after a couple of them went down here. Part of the blame was placed on the helicopter's main rotor blade striking the tail boom when operating at higher speed in turbulent air. There's usually a fair amount of turbulence in the mountains, and the speed restriction of 60 knots is too easy to exceed when you're trying to meet a schedule. The AD is rather complex and is tied into surface wind speeds/gusts and pilot's experience.

I'd rather spend the money and be assured of a safe flight than pinch pennies and risk wrecking my camera. Oh yeah, getting killed or crippled would be almost as bad! :-)

Hey Marcus !
I agree with everything that has been posted here. I've used a Z1 from both a Jetranger and R44 and it is important to have the door(s) removed if possible. I prefer to shoot from the back, either behind the pilot or opposite side, depending on which direction I need to shoot from. Sometimes I sit on the floor with legs outside, but you have to use a harness for this. Other times I can sit side ways on the back seat, using just the normal seat belt, but again be carefull of the buckle. Try to keep the camera just inside the cabin to prevent buffeting by the rotor downwash and any forward airflow. Remove any items on the camera thay may be blown off, if using a shotgun mike, I mount that in the opposite direction (facing backward) to minimize wind noise. AND ALWAYS have the camera tethered to either yourself or part of the helicopter (just incase you drop it). Oh.. and keep your shots wide.

That's my 20c worth. Lots of luck and have fun.

For the best mount intergrated into various choppers, google tyler mount. I filmed a lot in the middle east on a three year project with one of these - got stupendous footage in 35mm. Don't forget to bring your checkbook for this bad boy.
I should add that this was at least 15 year ago, but I assume they are still around.

Over the past 30 years I've shot from helos (Jet Ranger, Squirrel) (and microlights - up to 11,000ft on occasion)) in many countries and with proper TV cameras (BVW507) and film cameras (Aaton, Arri). I've shot with and without mounts, but never with Wescam which is no doubt the best if you can afford it.

Best alternative is to mount the camera on the helo and control it remotely but I always preferred to let the pilot do the movement.

Main trick however you're filming is to use the widest possible lens, try to keep the horizon out of shot and watch for flies/oil/water getting on the lens - I always had a colleague watching a 9 inch monitor for such things. Remember that if the camera's mounted outside you have land to wipe the lens.

Hey Phil, what do u mean 4 helo (i guess helicopter right)?So should i bring with me one of that shoulder mount?
so here's my first experience (few weeks ago):
First time i went on the chopper i had anything like that(mounts, or wescam)...just tried to don't diffuse-propoagate the vibrations of the chopper avoiding to lean my arms to the cockpit part.
I've always shot in wide.I had my wide hg0872 on and i was sitting outside with the door open for a few minutes. Awesome experience!There was a photographer with me and the spot was too smal 4 2 persons sitting outside.BTW awesome experience....
Now i wanna ask you: shoulder mount yes or not?
Guys i love this forum cause thanks your knowledge you can learn something day by day

Marcus, sorry yes helo - helicopter.

This is only my 2c so please listen and try other people's advice/experience.

Unless you're recording something that needs the drama of flying, the main objective is to keep the camera on the subject, static and level. I'd never share with a photographer - our needs are entirely different.

Wescam does this best because it's gyro controlled and hanging outside on a pod - and the price of the Wescam helo is phenomenal.

Second best is a wired pan/tilt fastened on the front of the jet helo. Great stability especially on a Squirrel the three blade rotor of gives less vibration or something similar to the two bladed Jet Ranger - a pilot explained it once and although I have a licence it's only fixed wing so I don't understand these whirlybird things.

I've never worked a piston engined helo but my guess is that the vibration will be awful.

I have used a spring-loaded support arm mounted inside the helo. The camera is over your shoulder and the mount is supposed to smooth the movement but I found it restricting - and not worth the money compared to:

Sitting on the side of the helo, door off, with a climbing body harness so you can actually stand on the skid and brace yourself by pulling against the harness. Separate harness on the camera too - a must.

Regardless of whether you're sitting or standing use your body to provide the stability. Let your pilot make as much of the movement as possible. Ours used to have a 9" monitor beside him so he could see what we were taking.

Talk the whole shoot through in detail on the ground before you take off. Our pilot was formerly an RAF helo aerobatics instructor and it really helps if you have someone like that.

We once had to do a shoot in Turkey with a pilot who spoke little English, didn't know where we were going (Ancient Greek site called Termessos high in the Anatolian mountains) and in Turkey at that time aviation charts were state secrets - he had a BP road map on his knee (I swear). He had to land in an orchard and ask the way, and all he could offer me in way of harness was a seat belt! Beautiful shots though.

All my helo work was with BVW507 or same head but separate recorder unit. We invested in a beautiful superwide short zoom lens (I think it was 5-47mm) and losing that lens was the worst thing about moving to DV/HDV. As I said before, the movement appears to be reduced if you keep the horizon out of the frame.

All my microlight work has been in the French Alps with a young pilot. Until he changed planes he used to let me sit in the front (and control the boost on takeoff and the brakes on landing) but the view was great. Hand held Z1 was no problem but again, fasten everything separately, ie you and the camera. The last thing you want is a lens cap hurtling through the fan at the back.

The main problem with the microlight is cold (incredible) and my weight. Fortunately my pilot was willing to use the thermal updraughts in cloud to get us to our highest working altitude, 11,000ft (500ft above the top of Pic Blanc from which the world's longest and highest mountain bike marathon starts). For clarity, we took off from mountain airport (altiport) at 6000ft.

Manouvreability of microlights mean they can be very effective. Obviously they can't hover but a helo at 11,000 ft might struggle a bit also depending on other factors.

If you have to sit behind the pilot, keeping wires out of the frame is more difficult but again rely on the pilot to create the movement.

In all cases use your body to cushion any movement - and remember that the temperature drops by 3 degrees C every 1000ft of altitude so keep your camera/batteries warm. Mind in all my helo work I never had a camera freeze - which did happen with a film camera I was using on the North Side of Chicago in the winter of 1970-71!

Hope this helps.

My friend let's recapitulate cause next week i gotta go back in "HELO":)
I don't know if i'll use an FX1 or an EX1 (i guess an fx1);i'll use a wideangle converter for sure, i'll sit in the back so....said that ihave to:
A- shoot in the rear direction so i won't get the wind in the front of the camera
B- shoot as wide as possible right?
c- Keep the horizon out of frame (u mean no mountain and sky just the land)?
D- what do u mean when you say keep the wire OUTOFFRAME? u mean electricity cables?
E- do u think a pillow would be useful (against vibrations)?
F- Should i bring this shoulder support i bought on ebay(is a cheap one)?

Mate thank you very much

Marcus, I can't quote you so my letters refer to yours.

a I don't think I mentioned the direction. Unless you have a major problem with insects I wouldn't say there was much difference. Shooting backwards probably makes your eyes water less!
b yes, you'll minimise any movement
c I mean no horizon, whatever that is.
d I was referring there to shooting from a microlight. I'd stay away from electricity cables whatever I was flying in.
e My opinion is no - it would have to be fastened down and would be one more piece to get in the way. Unless you're very bony, your legs and padded trousers (I used to fly in ski pants) will be sufficient.
f only if you're sure you can change it with no risk of dropping it. In UK and I imagine elsewhere it's illegal to drop things from aircraft and that includes by mistake. Again my view is keep it simple. The simpler the flying biut the better you'll be able to concentrate on the pictures - which is why you're there.

Good luck, safe flying.

Hey Phil, thanks a lot, i really appreciate your help!
Hope to show this footage soon