Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/663385
m a r c h . a p r i l 2 0 1 6 c g w 3 1 Drones Festival panel looks at the state of regulations At the 2016 New York City Drone Film Festival, the first panel of the day looked at "Drone Legality and Policy" for both hobbyists and professionals wanting to incorporate drones into their production workflows. Randy Scott Slavin, founder and director of the festival, moderated the panel, which included four participants, each of whom brought different insight into the growing unmanned aircra system (UAS) market. Gretchen West is a senior advisor at the law firm Hogan Lovells and has been promoting military and commercial technology on Capitol Hill in an effort to open up airspace. She spoke of deciphering drone "fact from fiction," in- cluding understanding the difference between commercial and recreational flying. "There is confusion between the two," she says. "The minute you start to make money, you become a commercial operator." West referred attendees to the Federal Avia- tion Administration's website (www.faa.gov), where they could learn more about the Section 333 grant of exemption, which allows drone operators to use their vehicles for business, whether farming, construction, or filmmaking. Mark Connot is a partner at entertainment law firm Fox Rothchild. He's been in the indus- try for a little over three years and recognizes that a lot of the laws in place for drones are unnecessary, while also pointing to the impor- tance of privacy and trespassing rules. Steve Cohen is a drone enthusiast and leads the New York/New Jersey Chapter of the Drone User Group Network. He says he became an "accidental advocate" around five years ago and has since been known to speak his mind while sharing knowledge with the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) community about legislation and local laws. And Jon Resnick is a policy lead at drone manufacturer DJI, where he works to promote as much availability to the sky as possible, but with the lowest level of burden. The panel agreed that all drones are not the same, and that a "micro UAS," which weighs 4.4 pounds or less and is designed for recre- ational purposes, might be excluded from reg- ulations that restrict larger models used for commercial purposes. They also agreed that regulations would need to be forward-think- ing, as the technology is constantly evolving. "Five years from now, technology will be much different," echoes the group. "The word 'micro' is being thrown around a lot — low-level, low-weight, reduced-altitude, not flying over people," notes DJI's Resnick, who is somewhat critical of current FAA regulation. "A lot of it comes from traditional 'aviation' thinking,' " he says of current policy. "People are not 'on board' and in need of being protected. The 333 process has 31 require- ments. It's setting people up to fail. It's so bur- densome. Let's get to the idea of what is going to make things safe, and not whether people are making money off it." Cohen echoes Resnick's thoughts on over- regulation. "The process takes so long," says Cohen. "They need to get it right, and [we] need to advocate as a community." Cohen cites his own experiences with local politics. When trying to organize a gathering in the New York City area, he found he wasn't able to get a firm confirmation on what the local regulations allowed, and that he was probably more knowledgeable on the subject of drones than those enforcing such policy. Connot agrees with the importance of the public's involvement and encourages drone enthusiasts to email their legislature to oppose local laws they feel are too restrictive. What can't happen, he cautions, is to have a "reckless cowboy" cause an incident that neg- atively shapes public perception and sets back progress for the larger drone community. – MARC LOFTUS 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 professional cinema drone built for use with Hollywood-stan- dard cameras and lenses. With a manufacturer-approved payload capacity of 35 pounds, the Aerigon is able to carry more than 20 pounds of cam- era equipment, along with the gimbal, even in hot climates and at high altitudes. The Aerigon Gimbal, which Bergez referred to earlier, is a proprietary advanced stabili- zation system that works with heavy cameras, including pro- fessional zoom lenses and full FIZ (Focus, Iris, Zoom) controls. "Professional cinema drones are a powerful new tool for modern cinematography," adds Bergez. "Hollywood is already embracing the new technology." As for where the industry is heading with drones, Firchau adds, "I think it's still early days for drones adding value to the media/entertainment market. As their intelligence and au- tonomy improve, they will be able to empower filmmakers to put cameras almost any- where and do complex moves repeatedly and precisely. Many filmmakers dream up shots in a very similar style to what drones can create – floating through a space with com- plete pointing and positioning freedom. Increased autonomy, intelligence, and situational awareness will drive incredible value and expand shot capa- bilities tremendously in the next three to five years." For more on drones, includ- ing cameras, support gear and accessories, customer stories, education, shows, and more, look for our continuing series in Post and CGW magazines. ■