Free Consultation

Dream Job: Chief Drone Pilot on IMAX film.

Blog

My Dream Job: Chief Drone Pilot for Great Bear Rainforest IMAX film

I was hired by the world renown wildlife photographer Ian McAllister, director of Pacific Wild to act as their Chief Drone Pilot for their IMAX documentary on the Great Bear Rainforest. Pacific Wild is a non-profit located in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest on Denny Island. They are committed to defending wildlife and their habitat on Canada’s Pacific coast by developing and implementing conservation solutions in collaboration with First Nations communities, scientists, other organizations and individuals.

Andy Maser working on balancing the camera

I was brought in on this project to be the Chief Done Pilot; to assemble, pilot and maintain the Freefly Alta 8 heavy lift drone with MoVi M15 gimbal. We would be flying and filming with the RED Epic Dragon 6K camera and the RED Helium 8K camera as we were luck enough to get our hands on a pre-release in July. Nothing like contemplating flying a $150 000 UAV drone system on the wild west coast of BC. Near the end of July I flew up to Bella Bella to setup and get acquainted with our new home; a 46 foot catamaran called “Habitat”. I was joined by Andy Maser, a National Geographic filmmaker who would be our RED technician and my camera operator for the drone system.

Although Freefly tries to sell the Alta 8 as a plug and play system there are actually a ton of things to do and set up. These are the steps we did to get the Alta 8 up and running with a RED WEAPON Helium 8K:

Day 1 of Freefly Alta 8 UAV setup:

1) Unpacked and inspected all drone components and back up parts.

2) Charged and inspected all UAV Lipo batteries.

2) Partitioned components into main UAV use and drone backup, labelled and packaged in respective groups.

3) Assembled Alta drone with correct vibration isolators to make it suitable for heavy weight lift. 

4) Installed receivers on Alta and bound them.

4b) Checked prop bolt tightness on Alta 8.

5) Mapped transmitter radio.

6) Configured app and osd preferences.

7) Installed FPV for pilot.

8) Set up monitors on tx’s.

9) Installed landing gear.

10) Compass calibrated.

11) Set low voltage warnings and RTH parameters.

12) Set up RED EPIC Dragon for video output and minimal weight

Day 2:

1) Test flew without MoVi for 2 hours.  Measured motor temps of the octocopter UAV on all landings. Recharged all lipos and check cell health. Downloaded and checked all flight data. Tuned Alta 8 flight parameters.

2) Balanced Red Epic Dragon and video downlink on MovI M15.

3) Linked MoVi controller to MoVi.

4) Set up CONNEX video downlink and verify video out and MoVi.control. Changed MoVi parameters for smoother operator control. Added RT Motion Latitude for camera control while in the air. Added Fool Control App. These 2 lovely add ons made filming with the RED Dragon and the RED Helium easier and much more enjoyable. 

5) Tested movements and responsiveness on the ground, modified MoVi controller for cam ops preferences.

6) Experimented with longer lens stability…50-90mm.

Day 3:

1) Mounted MoVi, weigh it and recalibrate Alta flight parameters for weight of 38 lbs.

2) Tested shots with this camera. Evaluated and fine tuned. Used various lenses.

3) Flew different movements/speeds to refine precision.

4) Measured engine temps on all landings.

5) Recharged all lipos.

6) Downloaded and check all flight data.

Day 4:

1) Worked with camera op and spotter to establish consistent standard protocol, communications and movements for drone and drone/camera combos.

2) Looked at options of different launch and landing platforms. Built landing platform on Boat.

3) Practiced hand catching Alta for emergencies.

Day 5-7:

1) Tested in the field over land and along beaches: jibs, dollies, 45’s, pans, locked, pushes, pulls etc.

2) Refined combo patterns with camera op.

3) Experimented with longer lens stability…50-80mm for active and static locked shots at altitude.

Thoughts on the Freefly Alta 8:

We were lucky to be one of the first to receive our Alta 8’s directly from Freefly at the beginning of July. First impressions were very positive. I really fell in love with the new design and portability of the Alta 8. The engineering appeared to be superb with many weaknesses addressed from the previous model; the Cinestar 8. This machine is a beast, even fully loaded I felt that it had plenty of power in reserve. It really felt like a high end machine which gave me comfort and confidence while flying this $100000 camera system. It flies like no other, with serious control, power and stability combined in a beautiful design to to give the ability to create some unique and exciting shots. The toad in the hole, and the top mounting system were also some great new features to the Alta 8 platform.

It is mandatory to have the Latitude and Fool Control app for proper exposure with the RED on the Movi M15 (Although on the MoVi Pro it sounds like they have created a direct link with RED so this may no longer be needed).

Equipment:

    1. Alta 8
    1. MoVI M15
    1. RED Helium 8K
    1. RED EPIC Dragon 6K
    1. Latitude,
    1. Fool Control App
    1. MoVI Controller
  1. Amimon CONNEX Video downlink.      

As a wrap up, I should mention that we had the pleasure of renting out an IMAX theatre in Victoria, BC to view our edited footage and actually see the differences between the video that we got from the DJI Inspire, RED EPIC Dragon, RED Helium 8K camera, and the Arri Alexa. Watching the footage on a giant screen with edited sequences and sound design was surreal to say the least. Most satisfying part was knowing that we could use the RED Helium to match footage with the Alexa as we moved into the next season of filming.

Share Post :

IMAX Production: Chief Drone Pilot for Pacific Wild IMAX film.

Drone Consulting in Victoria BC
Tourism promo video; using Drones to showcase Victoria, BC
Greater Victoria Tourism with a Drone
Investors ready to build $300 million film studio on Malahat Nation land, says film company!

56 Responses

  15. Roulette’s allure is fascinating – the probabilities are deceptively simple! Seeing platforms like phlwinner login offer stats does change the game, though. It’s cool to see data-driven approaches – responsible gaming is key, of course! 🤔

  16. Shbet16 is aight. Pretty straightforward betting platform. Nothing particularly special, but haven’t had any issues. A solid option if you’re looking for something simple. shbet16

  20. Interesting points about responsible gaming! It’s great to see platforms like happy bunny login prioritizing user security & a smooth registration process – essential for a good experience. Definitely a key factor for any online casino!

  23. Alright, who’s chasing the big one? Jackpot777br seems promising enough. The name alone gets you pumped, doesn’t it? I’ve put a few quid in, haven’t hit the jackpot YET, but there’s always tomorrow! See if you have better luck at jackpot777br.

  24. That’s a solid point about value betting – really key for long-term success. Seeing platforms like ph laro slot download cater to local payment options like GCash is smart too, makes access so much easier for Filipino players! 👍

  30. Spintime Casino Philippines: Top Online Slots, Easy Login, Register & Official App Download. Join Spintime Casino Philippines for the best online slots! Experience easy Spintime login and register options. Get the official Spintime app download to win big today! visit: spintime

  32. I will immediately clutch your rss feed as I can not in finding your email subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Please permit me understand in order that I could subscribe. Thanks.

  37. Bay888login, eh? Man, signing up was a breeze and I jumped right into the action. The games are decent, and I managed to score a little win last night. Could be my new lucky site! Give it a shot at bay888login see what you think.

  42. I will right away take hold of your rss feed as I can’t find your email subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Kindly let me understand in order that I may subscribe. Thanks.

  43. Solid article! Thinking about bankroll management & quick deposits is key in tournaments. Seeing platforms like 365bet app com offer instant funding via GCash is a game changer for Philippine players. Smart move focusing on accessibility!

  52. Okay, so I stumbled upon mexok the other day and honestly, it’s pretty decent! The interface is clean and easy to navigate. Definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for something new! Check it out yourself mexok.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Craigda-Castle
geographic
Imax
Mike
Net-geo
Pacific
riptide
Sherpas
Tigercat
Univercity
Home 4
Home 6
Home 8
0
+

Our Happy Clients

Aerial Vista Productions

  • Victoria, BC, Canada, British Columbia
  • +250-419-1506
  • info@devincard.com
Facebook-f Vimeo Linkedin-in Youtube Rss
Services
Resources
Get free tips and resources right in your inbox, along with 10,000+ others.
Copyright © 2024 Aerial Vista Productions All rights reserved.
Design and developed by Sand It Solution