Aerial Filmworks Covers the Velux 5 Oceans Race in Charleston, South Carolina
May 21, 2011
Aerial Filmworks was contracted by NorthOne Productions to film the start of the Velux 5 Oceans Race in Charleston, South Carolina. The race, which covers 35,000 miles around the world, will be the subject of a new television documentary. In addition, the footage was immediately available on the Velux 5 Oceans web site for download by the press.
The Bell 206L3 Long Ranger helicopter was provided by Mercury Aviation and flown by Coyt Bailey. The crew consisted of the Velux Press Officer Sara Hames, race photographer Richard Walch, and Ron Chapple, Aerial Director of Photography. While the race started just offshore of the Charleston Harbor, the aerial team followed the sailboats 35 miles out to sea. With thunderstorms coming up from the south, the pilot used the real-time XM satellite weather on the Garmin 496 GPS to monitor changing conditions.
About Aerial Filmworks
Aerial Filmworks provides high-definition video Cineflex V14HD camera systems and aerial filming services to the international entertainment, documentary and corporate marketplace. Highly regarded by award-winning clients, the Cineflex V14 HD provides the highest level of image gyro-stabilization. Our dedicated, experienced camera operators, Gray Mitchell and Ron Chapple, have thousands of hours using the Cineflex for clients including Disney, Discovery Channel, BBC, CBC, PBS/Nature, National Geographic, History Channel, Planet Green, Red Bull, Burton Snowboards, Amazing Race and Survivor. Aerial Filmworks is a highly responsive company with over 25 years of aerial photography experience. Dedicated to providing Cineflex V14HD systems and services, our experienced aerial filming crews specialize in location work all over the world.
Aerial Filmworks also provides Google Earth pre-flight visualization, GPS preparation and flight logistical planning; Geo-coded HD video and images for land survey or mapping; Google Earth integration of video, stills, 360 interactive panoramas, podcasts, historical imagery, topographic maps and data.
With in-house HD video suite utilizing Apple’s Final Cut Pro, Aerial Filmworks also delivers professional editing and color-grading, and BluRay/DVD output using the robust 12-core MacPro, 32GB RAM, Snell ArchAngel restoration, AJA Kona3, HDCAM/HDCAM SR Decks, and fast h.264 encoding.
“Bears of the Last Frontier” Premieres on PBS/Nature With Aerial Cinematography Provided By Aerial Filmworks
May 11, 2011
Aerial Filmworks based the helicopter and Cineflex crew on a trawler for 3 days off the Katmai coast.
Aerial Filmworks provided the aerial cinematography for the “Bears of the Last Frontier” premiere on PBS/Nature. Ron Chapple worked with Director Joe Pontecorvo and Ecologist Chris Morgan to film brown bears and their habitat in Katmai National Park on the Alaska Peninsula.
Aerial Filmworks used a Fujinon 42x 9.7mm lens to film the bears in their natural habitat from 1,500 feet away.
~Joe Pontecorvo, Director
A Bell 206B3 and Airfilm AFG-1 nosemount was used as the helicopter platform.
The Aerial Filmworks team also coordinated the aerial logistics to arrange the helicopter through Pathfinder Aviation, advance Jet A fuel placement, and film pilot Tom Smith. Fuel needed to be ordered and delivered to the ship 6 weeks ahead of time. The crew based on the trawler for 3 days during the production.
Filming included sweeping landscapes, bears in their natural habitat, and air-to-air sequences of a floatplane flying over the mountains and glaciers. To accomplish a variety of looks, both long 42x 9.7mm and extremely wide 13 x 4.5mm lenses were used. The long lens allowed the aerial crew to stay 1,500 feet away from the bears during the filming.
About Aerial Filmworks
Aerial Filmworks provides high-definition video Cineflex V14HD camera systems and aerial filming services to the international entertainment, documentary and corporate marketplace. Highly regarded by award-winning clients, the Cineflex V14 HD provides the highest level of image gyro-stabilization. Our dedicated, experienced camera operators, Gray Mitchell and Ron Chapple, have thousands of hours using the Cineflex for clients including Disney, Discovery Channel, BBC, CBC, PBS/Nature, National Geographic, History Channel, Planet Green, Red Bull, Burton Snowboards, Amazing Race and Survivor. Aerial Filmworks is a highly responsive company with over 25 years of aerial photography experience. Dedicated to providing Cineflex V14HD systems and services, our experienced aerial filming crews specialize in location work all over the world.
Aerial Filmworks also provides Google Earth pre-flight visualization, GPS preparation and flight logistical planning; Geo-coded HD video and images for land survey or mapping; Google Earth integration of video, stills, 360 interactive panoramas, podcasts, historical imagery, topographic maps and data.
With in-house HD video suite utilizing Apple’s Final Cut Pro, Aerial Filmworks also delivers professional editing and color-grading, and BluRay/DVD output using the robust 12-core MacPro, 32GB RAM, Snell ArchAngel restoration, AJA Kona3, HDCAM/HDCAM SR Decks, and fast h.264 encoding.
