Aerial Film Australia DOP, Peter Beeh, with the ultra-high resolution Shotover Hydra multi camera array.
Aerial Film Australia is about to unleash one of the most sophisticated aerial camera systems in the world on local shores.
The company, started by DOP Peter Beeh and producer/director, Gregory Read, has recently returned from Los Angeles where it has been preparing the ultra high resolution Shotover Hydra.
“The system consists of an array of six Epic Dragon cameras, which, when combined creates super high resolution frames,” Beeh tells IF
The Hydra was developed by Shotover and the Los Angeles-based aerial specialist Team 5.
"These guys are industry leaders when it comes to shooting aerials for Hollywood productions and the Hydra represents the pinnacle of aerial camera systems for film work. It is the best of the best, so it's great to be working with Team 5 to get the unit into our region."
“It represents the pinnacle of aerial camera systems for film work. It is, the best of the best,”
“It’s most commonly used for visual effects work by combining 36K of image data per frame to create really wide angle panoramic shots. There’s only one of these systems in the world so we have to ship it all over the place which is why we’ve been in LA.”
“It’s a pretty crazy looking thing that produces a huge amount of image data. While that might sound like a scary proposition, the amazingly detailed panoramic images it delivers allows visual effects supervisors to work their digital magic with an unprecedented degree of control and flexibility. We’re really looking forward to the prospect of bringing the Hydra to this part of the world.”
In recent years Aerial Film Australia has worked on major films including Strangerland, Unbroken, San Andreas and Pirates of the Caribbean. Beeh says one of the more interesting jobs of late was Unbroken.
The Shotover K1.
During the shoot he worked very closely with leading VFX supervisors from Industrial Light and Magic, the company originally set up by George Lucas.
“It’s kind of cool working with Academy Award winning VFX people”, says Beeh.
“We spent many days filming the fairly standard plate shots, typically landscape views from a multitude of different angles which then get comped into the backgrounds of all the sequences shot in studio against green screen.
“But even more exciting was the wide range of point of view shots we were asked to film. I had to take on the role of what it would look like when operating the bombay doors, seeing the doors opening up, looking down, scanning for targets, dropping bombs and the like. We even had to film an entire aircraft crash landing from the pilot’s point of view. That really was a memorable three hours of flying.”
“In complete contrast, for the Nicole Kidman film Strangerland we spent a lot of time setting up some very large search sequences. Part of the story involved the search for a missing child in the Outback, so I found myself having to help set up hundreds of SES-looking search people spread across vast open landscapes. Because it was impossible to tell how a scene would really look from ground level, we had to co-ordinate and refine all the shot sequences from the air.”
But their arsenal is not limited to helicopters.
“We have been flying the Shotover K1 and F1 helicopter camera systems for many years. However, more recently we have also been running mid-lift and heavy-lift UAVs. In this area we continue to work closely with the people at Shotover who have recently developed one of the most advanced heavy lift UAVs in the world.
They call it the U1, and in the world of heavy-lift drone work this thing has the potential to really change the the way we do things. Most exciting is the fact that the new U1 is so sophisticated and stable it can carry lenses with focal lengths up to 300mm. The drone lifts around 30 kilograms all up.
“Shotover has taken all their experience in creating the world’s best helicopter stabilized camera system and they have turned it into a gimbal that is much smaller. The result is the most advanced and compact stabilized gimbal that can be slung beneath a UAV.”
Aerial Film Australia’s main strength is that it’s the only outfit in the region that can offer solutions across the entire aerial gamut, from helicopter through to UAV, combined with a one of the most highly credited production teams in the region, Beeh says.
The Shotover U1.
Despite all of the exciting developments in the world of UAVs – or perhaps because of them – Beeh says he has been noticing a dramatic overemphasis on the technical in recent years. He feels there has been lesser emphasis by aerial operators on maintaining a true understanding the language of film and, in particular, how UAVs as an aerial tool can best support story telling.
“Helping our clients select the most appropriate tool for the job is what we really focus on. All of the people that work with us, on both helicopter and drone shoots, have a long background as a directors of photography. I personally started to specialize in aerials after something like 20 years of working in the camera department and as a DP on the ground.
“We’re about providing the right tools for the job. There are plenty of situations where a UAV is a great option. But, equally, there are plenty of situations where they are not.
“There is a mindset at present where people just assume a helicopter could never be an option due to cost, or UAVs are somehow the be-all and end-all. Drones are definitely not that, and, it might surprise some to learn that they are not necessarily cheaper either. It really depends on each individual circumstance and that’s where we look to draw on our experience to help producers make the most appropriate decision.
“It might be a drone, it might be a heli, or it might even be best to go with a combination of heli and drone.
“There is no one size fits all solution and that’s why we offer all the toys.”