Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/663382
www.postmagazine.com 38 POST APRIL 2016 Drones According to Domecq, also one of the "better brands known in the industry is Freefly — they make phenomenal stuff." Domecq says the Freefly aircraft has what it calls a Mōvi, the company's camera gim- bal system, which can be under or on top of the drone, "so a user can choose two different, distinct viewpoints if they want." Freefly's systems have been used on a range of projects, from feature films and documentaries to sports and live broad- cast, including Mad Max: Fury Road and The Wolf of Wall Street. According to Tabb Firchau, president and co-founder of Freefly, "Drones allow filmmakers to put cameras in very interesting positions and create shots the world has never seen before. One can combine elements of a handheld shot, with a jib shot, with elements of a full-size aerial shot. This is what excites me most about flying/film- ing, being able to say 'yes' and create the director's vision." Currently, Freefly offers its Alta cinema drone, which carries such cameras as the Alexa Mini or Red Dragon (Weapon), and boasts a series of features. For instance, it folds down into a custom Pelican case in under five minutes, it mounts Mōvi gim- bals on the top or bottom of the aircraft, and offers a Synapse flight controller, giving pilots "precise" control. DJI, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, offers a range of makes and models at varying price points, though most in the industry are familiar with the company's Phantom and Inspire lines. "I think if you ask most people to draw what a drone looks like, they'll most likely draw one of the Phantoms because that copter format is what people are thinking about," says Adam Najberg, global director of commu- nications for DJI. There are four models in the Phantom line, including the Phantom 3 Professional camera at the top end. "Here, you have to bear in mind that this drone is 1.2 kilograms in weight, so it's not particularly heavy and it's got a 4K camera on it," Najberg says. "You can fly this thing out five or six kilometers, and you're still able to receive a 720p video signal while it's recording it, so it's pretty astounding what a $1,259 drone can do. If you move up from the Phantom, you're now talking about somewhere in the $3K to $6K range, depending on what kind of camera you have on the drone. I'm talking about the Inspire 1 line of drones. So there's the Inspire 1, and the Inspire 1 Pro. It's incredible. It's definitely not a toy — it's a professional tool." Intuitive Aerial, a Swedish-based manu- facturer of the pro cinema drone Aerigon, opened a new Los Angeles office in 2015 that is headed up by its VP Eric Bergez. "When we opened our LA office, we thought everyone was going to love the Aerigon," Bergez says. "Helicopter Film Services in the UK had just finished Avengers: Age of Ultron. Around 80 percent of the aerials were shot with the Aerigon. We have Dubai Film flying our aircraft. We feel like Hollywood is ready, and broadcasters are ready, for the Aerigon. It has this beautiful construction — a carbon-fiber exoskeleton, and all the components are inside. You can fly it in extreme cold and in extreme heat, and we feel our gimbal technology is as good as anything else." The company, just like DJI, also has several makes and models, but, according to Bergez, "the Aerigon is the Ferrari of unmanned aerial systems." The Aerigon is a six-armed profes- sional cinema drone built for use with Hollywood-standard cameras and lenses. With a manufacturer-approved payload capacity of 35 pounds, the Aerigon is able to carry more than 20 pounds of camera equipment, along with the gimbal, even in hot climates and at high altitudes. The Aerigon Gimbal, which Bergez re- ferred to earlier, is a proprietary advanced stabilization system that works with heavy cameras, including professional zoom lens- es and full FIZ (Focus, Iris, Zoom) controls. "Professional cinema drones are a pow- erful new tool for modern cinematogra- phy," adds Bergez. "Hollywood is already embracing the new technology." As for where the industry is heading, Firchau adds, "I think it's still early days for drones adding value to the media/en- tertainment market. As their intelligence and autonomy improve, they will be able to empower filmmakers to put cameras almost anywhere and do complex moves repeatedly and precisely. Many filmmak- ers dream up shots in a very similar style to what drones can create — floating through a space with complete point- ing and positioning freedom. Increased autonomy, intelligence and situational awareness will drive incredible value and expand shot capabilities tremendously in the next three to five years." For more on Drones, follow our continuing coverage in Post and CGW magazines. Drones, such as the Freefly Alta (above), capture footage from challenging areas. The Canon 5D MK III (top right) and GoPro Hero (bottom right) are pop- ular choices for drones.