Whats expected from a UAV opperator

Yesterday I did a fantastic, family photoshoot for a BBC TV editor based in London in my studio in Yorkshire. After walking around my studio prior to his shoot, his eyes fell on the big, framed pictures of my UAV in action for various Tv companies on my studio wall. He then saw my Man Cave! The room where I park and service my aerial drones. Firstly he had no idea a studio based in Halifax, West Yorkshire is involved with so many major TV shoots but secondly he went on to express his pleasure in working with unnamed aerial footage taken from professional photographers. Now I always like to educate if I can during these little blogs so here's the point of this little ramble. If your looking to book a drone (uav) for your film/TV project think about what you want to achieve from your flying. A professional photographer or film maker who has a commercial Uav pilots licence, is going to give you something special. Photographers are trained to give you perfectly exposed images, they understand everything about their camera. The P setting is not for professional, its for doing a job when you don't understand your kit. A professional photographer knows how to frame a shoot perfectly, they know the production crews terminology they know what format they need the stills or footage handing over in. They understand photography. My conversation with the editor went rambling on and here's advice for fellow Uav pilots who are new to the industry. Producers want, Footage in focus, Exposed correctly, Correct white balance. Shutter fixed to the correct speed Aperture set and fixed. Smooth pan and tilts. Creative and dynamic shots un-achievable from a jib. Shots held for about 5 seconds at the start and end of your clip to give the editor a chance of cutting the film better. Just a few of the things you must understand. And that's before we go into flying your aircraft. If you have a project where a Uav might be needed and would like some free advice or quote please get in touch via linked in or email, Pilot@halovue.co.uk Always happy to help Phil www.halovue.co.uk

The Best UAV (Drone) setup

As a professional photographer and commercial UAV pilot I often get asked by fellow photographers, what type pf aircraft should I buy to do house photos, film for TV or movies etc....The answer is simple. To get the very best images from your drone filming I recommend you use the most stable flying platform you can afford. This could be a mini quad copter like a DJI phantom with a built in camera, a mid range UAV such as the DJI S900 carrying the Panasonic GH4 or heavy lift Octocopter like the Sky Jib, built to carry anything up to a Red Epic. As important as the aircraft are the two other elements, your camera which needs to give outstanding results and your gimbal which holds the camera in place. I use the aeronavics Xm8 multicopter for reliability, its a medium lift UAV capable of carrying most DSLR cameras even with a zoom lens. I use the Canon 5D for fantastic 21meg still images and a Panasonic GH4 mirror-less camera for lightweight 4k filming. To keep all the action super stable as I fly, I use the FreeFly Movi M5 gimbal which in my opinion is the most stable gimbal in the world when using our flying set up. It can also be taken off the aircraft and used as a hand held camera stabilizer for ground based shots which give me even filming opportunities. This combination of reliability, quality and stability will give your production, the value needed to create the perfect flyovers and stunning still images. Happy Flying Phil Pilot and photographer with www.halovue.co.uk If you need any help and advice on all things UAV please feel free to get in touch.