AP, Whose doing it and How? at DVinfo.net

Chuck Spaulding · April 21st, 2013, 04:05 PM

I think having a "Flying Cameras" category is a great idea. Most AP forums are about the RC helicopter or multirotor and not the photography and tools other than the RC.

It would be great to have threads dedicated to:
Passive and Active stabilization [mounts/gimbals],
Software Stabilization Applications
Which cameras are the best for which AP applications
The Business of AP

Thanks to GoPros and the DJI Phantom AP is certainly something that is being more talked about on RC Hobby forums but it takes a lot more than that to do AP professionally. Hopefully this will be a good forum for sharing AP experiences more from a professional videographers/producer perspective.

Warren Kawamoto · April 21st, 2013, 09:26 PM

If doing it as a business was legal in the U.S, I would have jumped in, in a heartbeat! But it's not, so I can't. ;(

Bill Davis · April 23rd, 2013, 07:17 PM

This was my confusion at NAB this year.

Flying camera platforms everywhere.

But unlless you're using one (literally) under the radar - you're kinda breaking the law every time you fly one.

It's a huge problem that has to be resolved. People really, really want to fly these. But there are significant privacy issues (dammit honey, there's another flying camera over our back yard!) - to way more serious stuff like crashing multi-rotors into a crowd and truly hurting people.

I don't think it's possible to keep the tech down. But there IS going to be a battle centered around where, when and how they can be flown so that both the freedoms of the remote pilots and the privacy and safety rights of the citizenry can be more or less balanced out.

And I'm afraid that this is going to take years to hash out.

Craig Chartier · April 23rd, 2013, 09:25 PM

The rest of the world mostly. The USA is way behind everybody else in getting this type of work "OFF the Ground"

There is a need for proper training, proper insurance, and other issues, however the FAA is just way behind in getting the rotors spinning.

The main thing to do at this point is get a platform and start getting good at doing it. Everyone will buy one, most will crash, and those that buy another one will go on.

Chuck Spaulding · April 25th, 2013, 01:32 AM

Its probably not necessary to debate the policies of the FAA, unfortunately the FAA has become increasingly political. Doing AP from an RC anything is not against the law, its only against the law to charge money for it, so its not a safety issue. People have been doing AP from all sorts of RC aircraft without a great deal of injury, lose of life or damage to other peoples property for decades.

As far as privacy goes, I don't see why they are any more intrusive than a pair of binoculars or a telephoto lens for example. The appeal of AP is not an invasion of privacy, it just provides a bigger, better perspective on our world. Its great for putting that new house in context of the rest of the neighborhood and you can't really see anything more than I am able to by flying over a property at 500 or a thousand feet in my "real" plane which is perfectly legal. There are financial restrictions on shooting commercially from my plane but once again those constraints are more political than because of safety concerns.

So relative to this thread, I agree with part of what Craig said, and that is start flying and practicing now, its much harder to get quality footage from anything that flies, get really good at quickly setting up, no fidgeting, mounting the camera, etc., arrive at your location ready to go, place the RC on the ground in the direction you want to fly, arm, get the shot and get out before anyone has any idea what your doing or has the chance to ask questions. Becoming efficient in this way is a good idea regardless of the FAA...

Craig Chartier · April 28th, 2013, 09:09 PM

People have been flying and shooting for a very long time. I think a lot of the issues started when the term DRONE started being the defacto term for all things that fly without people in them. That military designation has really put the spot light on all of what we want to do with AP.

We need more public awareness of what SAUV's are really limited to. and what good they can provide.

April 21st, 2013, 04:05 PM	#1
Chuck Spaulding Trustee Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Thousand Oaks Posts: 1,104	AP, Whose doing it and How? I think having a "Flying Cameras" category is a great idea. Most AP forums are about the RC helicopter or multirotor and not the photography and tools other than the RC. It would be great to have threads dedicated to: Passive and Active stabilization [mounts/gimbals], Software Stabilization Applications Which cameras are the best for which AP applications The Business of AP Thanks to GoPros and the DJI Phantom AP is certainly something that is being more talked about on RC Hobby forums but it takes a lot more than that to do AP professionally. Hopefully this will be a good forum for sharing AP experiences more from a professional videographers/producer perspective.

April 21st, 2013, 09:26 PM	#2
Warren Kawamoto Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 1,435	Re: AP, Whose doing it and How? If doing it as a business was legal in the U.S, I would have jumped in, in a heartbeat! But it's not, so I can't. ;(

April 23rd, 2013, 07:17 PM	#3
Bill Davis Trustee Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Scottsdale, AZ 85260 Posts: 1,538	Re: AP, Whose doing it and How? This was my confusion at NAB this year. Flying camera platforms everywhere. But unlless you're using one (literally) under the radar - you're kinda breaking the law every time you fly one. It's a huge problem that has to be resolved. People really, really want to fly these. But there are significant privacy issues (dammit honey, there's another flying camera over our back yard!) - to way more serious stuff like crashing multi-rotors into a crowd and truly hurting people. I don't think it's possible to keep the tech down. But there IS going to be a battle centered around where, when and how they can be flown so that both the freedoms of the remote pilots and the privacy and safety rights of the citizenry can be more or less balanced out. And I'm afraid that this is going to take years to hash out. __________________ Classroom editing instructor? Check out www.starteditingnow.com Turnkey editor training content including licensed training footage for classroom use.

April 23rd, 2013, 09:25 PM	#4
Craig Chartier DVi Contributor Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Austin Texas Posts: 374	Re: AP, Whose doing it and How? The rest of the world mostly. The USA is way behind everybody else in getting this type of work "OFF the Ground" There is a need for proper training, proper insurance, and other issues, however the FAA is just way behind in getting the rotors spinning. The main thing to do at this point is get a platform and start getting good at doing it. Everyone will buy one, most will crash, and those that buy another one will go on.

April 25th, 2013, 01:32 AM	#5
Chuck Spaulding Trustee Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Thousand Oaks Posts: 1,104	Re: AP, Whose doing it and How? Its probably not necessary to debate the policies of the FAA, unfortunately the FAA has become increasingly political. Doing AP from an RC anything is not against the law, its only against the law to charge money for it, so its not a safety issue. People have been doing AP from all sorts of RC aircraft without a great deal of injury, lose of life or damage to other peoples property for decades. As far as privacy goes, I don't see why they are any more intrusive than a pair of binoculars or a telephoto lens for example. The appeal of AP is not an invasion of privacy, it just provides a bigger, better perspective on our world. Its great for putting that new house in context of the rest of the neighborhood and you can't really see anything more than I am able to by flying over a property at 500 or a thousand feet in my "real" plane which is perfectly legal. There are financial restrictions on shooting commercially from my plane but once again those constraints are more political than because of safety concerns. So relative to this thread, I agree with part of what Craig said, and that is start flying and practicing now, its much harder to get quality footage from anything that flies, get really good at quickly setting up, no fidgeting, mounting the camera, etc., arrive at your location ready to go, place the RC on the ground in the direction you want to fly, arm, get the shot and get out before anyone has any idea what your doing or has the chance to ask questions. Becoming efficient in this way is a good idea regardless of the FAA...

April 28th, 2013, 09:09 PM	#6
Craig Chartier DVi Contributor Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Austin Texas Posts: 374	Re: AP, Whose doing it and How? People have been flying and shooting for a very long time. I think a lot of the issues started when the term DRONE started being the defacto term for all things that fly without people in them. That military designation has really put the spot light on all of what we want to do with AP. We need more public awareness of what SAUV's are really limited to. and what good they can provide.