Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/680196
www.postmagazine.com 38 POST MAY 2016 Drones to ice, again enlisting the services of DJI to explore an Icelandic glacier sinkhole. Using a pair of Inspire 1 Pro platforms, DJI maneuvered into the depths of the glacier, delivering never-before-seen images to millions of viewers. The onboard camera captured a team as they expertly descend- ed thousands of feet into the icy caverns of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, switching between the two camera angles to show the depth of the crevasse. Stepping up its game, GMA followed up the Icelandic experience with a drone- filmed safari in Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater, enabling viewers to watch the annual Great Migration in that region. Employing a DJI Inspire 1 Pro Raw and Phantom 4, GMA was able to traverse the open savannah to capture the animals in their natural habitat, seemingly unfazed by the slight buzzing overhead. This time, the drone carried IM360's 360-degree virtual camera; as a result, viewers could immerse themselves in the VR experi- ence during the live broadcast by using Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear VR head-mounted displays. MUSIC VIDEOS Director Gil Green first used UAVs, as he prefers to call them, approximately three and a half years ago for an international project. "The local production company bid the job out for shooting aerials of cars driving along a really windy road in Monte Carlo," he says. "Due to the budget and us having to get low shots, using drones as opposed to a helicopter made sense." Since then, Green has used UAVs for a handful of projects in the US — including two music videos for the same artist. "One was a really good experience, and the oth- er involved lots of the obstacles that can occur with UAVs," he notes. For the Pitbull video Fun, Green, along with co-producers 305 Films (Green's Miami company) and Artists and Derelicts (Los Angeles), had to capture the look and feel of 1980s Miami during a one-day shoot. This included footage of Pitbull and his partner-in-crime Chris Brown in a speedboat, a segment that had to be filmed in just an hour. "We were able to pull off some amazing shots with ease," says Green. In this instance, the group used a DJI Inspire with a 4K camera attached. Had they used a helicopter, the price would have been nearly 10 times that of the UAV, contends Green, while the setup time would have been longer and the communi- cation more challenging during the shoot. "From that standpoint, it just made sense to go with the UAV. Plus, I wanted to get some really close shots," he adds. In fact, the UAV worked so well that Green did not have to use the support pro- duction boat (with elevated extensions for the cameraman) he had brought with him that day. "After I saw how close I could get with the drone, I didn't need it to get the other shots I had planned," he says. Also, the UAV offered a more stable platform from which to film than the support boat. "It was an awesome tool, and we didn't have any issues. That day it benefitted the workflow — everything was on schedule, and it gave me better shots than I had anticipated," Green says. In all, approximately 30 seconds of the UAV footage was used in the video. The second Pitbull music video — this one a collaboration with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) — did not go as smoothly. As GMA has been using drones during live broadcasts. Above, they go on safari in Tanzania. Director Gil Green relied on a UAV to capture Aerials for Pitbull's Fun music video (bottom, right).