AERIAL FILMWORKS: Cineflex V14 Gyro-Stabilized Aerial HD

Costa Rica: Aerial Filming of Volcanoes, Waterfalls, and Tropical Rainforest

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:37:44 +0000

Aerial Filmworks just wrapped 3 projects in Costa Rica including a documentary on Carolina Marin, a world class kickboxer, and a new film by Hernán Jimenez, the director of El Regresso. Dramatic nature footage of the Costa Rica landscape will be used as establishing shots for the film on Marin, and late afternoon and night scenes of San Jose for the Jimenez documentary.

Volar Helicopters provided the Bell 206B3 Jet Ranger for all of the filming. Christian Cerdas of Volar Helicopters coordinated the helicopter schedules for the Film Pilot Pedro Vega and crew. Fuel trucks needed to be arranged as only the major airports have Jet A helicopter fuel available.

Nico Ghersinich provided excellent local production expertise, arranged for customs, transportation, and the multitude of logistics for many locations.

“The footage is simply breathtaking. I am absolutely thrilled by it. You’ve made me see my own city
in whole new way. Thank you for your work. ”

~Hernán Jimenez, Director, El Regresso

Volar Helicopters provided the Bell 206B3 Jet Ranger for aerial filming.

Looking into the Poas Volcano.

Arenal Volcano. The top of the volcano is usually obscured by clouds.

Looking through the skids of the Volar Helicopter Bell 206B3 Jet Ranger towards Arenal Volcano.

San Jose, Costa Rica in late afternoon light.

One of the many waterfalls accessible only by helicopter.

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 V14HD provides the highest level of image gyro-stabilization. Our dedicated, experienced camera operators have thousands of hours using the Cineflex for clients including Disney, Discovery Channel, BBC, CBC, PBS/Nature, National Geographic, History Channel, Planet Green, Freeride World Tour, Red Bull, Burton Snowboards, Amazing Race and CBS/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 delivers 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 robust 12-core MacPros, over 120 Terabytes of online RAID, Snell ArchAngel restoration, AJA Kona3, HDCAM/HDCAM SR Decks, and fast h.264 encoding.

“Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap” Premieres to Rave Reviews at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival

admin — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:23:47 +0000

Rolling Stone magazine has named “Art of Rap” as one of the ten best music films at the Sundance 2012 Film Festival. Ice-T’s new documentary on the “Art of Rap” premiered at Sundance on January 21. Ron Chapple, Aerial Director of Photography, filmed the New York City and Los Angeles scenes while Gray Mitchell of Aerial Filmworks was the camera operator for the Detroit sequence. Aerial Filmworks provided the complete Cineflex V14HD camera system and Sony SRW1 HDCAM SR record deck.

Directed by Ice-T and produced by Paul Toogood, the aerial crew worked with Director of Photography Andy Baybutt to create the unique aerial look.

“I am overjoyed with the results of our filming days. The contrast of street shots and helicopter are working tremendously, establishing our artists very well. Thank you again for your outstanding work!”

~Andy Baybutt, Director of Photography, Art of Rap

Director of Photography Andy Baybutt during aerial filming.

“Neon-colored aerial shots of New York and LA, scenes of graffiti art
and bustling inner-city streets provide dynamic B-roll footage.”

~The Hollywood Reporter

“This is one of the most visually sumptuous docs… those shots
from the sky of New York and Los Angeles are some of the best I’ve seen in any movie.”

~Sebastian Gutierrez, Film Critic

Intertwined are loving aerial shots… New York, Los Angeles, and Detroit, beautifully captured skylines
energized by the loops of hip hop classics…

~John Wellington Ennis, Huff Post Entertainment

New York City aerial from Bell 206-L3 Long Ranger helicopter provided by Mercury Aviation and flown by Film Pilot Coyt Bailey.

Los Angeles aerial from Bell 206-B3 Jet Ranger helicopter provided by Corporate Helicopters and flown by Film Pilot Garner Shepherd.

Sunset scene from “Art of Rap” Documentary by Ice-T. Filmed with Cineflex V14HD.

More Articles and Reviews

Rolling Stone Magazine: The Ten Best Music Films at Sundance 2012

Movie Line: Ice-T, Director, Talks Sundance Hip-Hop Doc

Sundance 2012 Film Guide

This Beat Goes: Ice-T Talks About “The Art of Rap”

The Salt Lake Tribune: Lifestyle

Rap Radar: Ice-T Speaks On Art of Rap Documentary

Billboard Exclusive: Watch Ice-T Discuss His ‘Art of Rap’ Documentary

Hip Hop DX

The Hollywood Reporter: Sundance 2012: Ice-T Talks Filmmaking and His Festival Debut (Q&A)

Film Threat: Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap

About Aerial Filmworks

21,500 Foot View of Mt. Everest and the Himalayas. Amazing Kathmandu and Nepal Adventure

admin — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:22:38 +0000

A new documentary project took Aerial Filmworks to Nepal for aerial filming of the Himalayas, Mt. Everest, and Kathmandu. Cineflex operator Mark Gerasimenko rigged the camera system to an Astar AS350-B3 for the Kathmandu and Mt. Everest aerials. Ram Krishna Pokharel of Icefall Productions was the excellent local coordinator who arranged the helicopter, filming permits, and ground transportation.

The Cineflex V14HD is the newest generation gyro-stabilized system with the enhanced Sony HDC1500-R camera and Fujinon 42x 9.7mm lens. Aerial Filmworks provided the Sony SRW1 deck for primary 4:4:4 dual-link recording to HDCAM SR tape and back-up 4:2:2 “digital daily” recording to the AJA KiPro with Solid State Drives.

Rebecca Giblin of Aerial Filmworks arranged for the international export of the Cineflex system from LAX through Thailand to Nepal. Special US State Department licenses are required for use outside of the USA.

Mt Everest from 21,500 feet altitude.

Mt Everest view from inside the Eurocopter AS350-B3.

Cineflex V14HD frame grab of the Himalayas.

The Streets of Kathmandu

The Cineflex V14HD was also rigged to a 1978 Toyota Corolla using the Airfilm Shock Mount! The crew drove through the narrow streets and alleyways of Kathmandu to capture a unique view of this fast-paced city. Note the 2K generator in the trunk!

Cineflex V14HD rigged to a 1978 Toyota Corolla on the streets of Kathmandu.

About Aerial Filmworks

Big Bend National Park in West Texas

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:54:41 +0000

Aerial Filmworks just wrapped Big Bend National Park aerials for a new visitor film to be released in 2012. Directed by Chris Wheeler and Sonny Hutchison of Great Divide Pictures, the new aerials will take the visitor on a unique tour of Big Bend’s canyons, mountains and historical features. The project included filming of the key geological and historical features of the Park.

In addition, Holly Johnson of Great Divide Pictures coordinated various visitor activities. The aerial crew filmed canoeing on the Rio Grande in Santa Elena Canyon, Jeep adventures on the Old Maverick Road, and hiking along the South Rim.

A Bell 206-L3 Long Ranger piloted by Coyt Bailey of Mercury Aviation was used as the aerial platform for the Cineflex V14HD.

Due to the remote location of Big Bend, Aerial Filmworks worked with Mercury Aviation to bring in a Bell 206-L3 Long Ranger using our custom helicopter trailer.

Flying through Mariscal Canyon in Big Bend National Park in Texas.

The Rio Grande at Big Bend National Park in Texas.

Unique geological features in the Grapevine Hills area of Big Bend National Park.

About Aerial Filmworks

Great Basin National Park

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:12:00 +0000

North Shore Productions contracted Aerial Filmworks to film aerials of the Great Basin National Park in Nevada on behalf of the National Park Service. Using the Cineflex V14HD and a Bell 206-L4 Long Ranger from Classic Helicopters, the aerial crew filmed the entire park including the southernmost glacier in the United States and ancient snow-covered Bristlecone pines. Director Rory Banyard of North Shore Productions, and Ron Chapple, Aerial Director, worked together with Mario Nickl, Chief Pilot of Classic Helicopters to create stunning landscape footage of the park. The crew lucked into a beautiful clearing winter storm that dropped 6 inches of fresh snow on the mountains.

Wheeler Peak Glacier, one of the southernmost glaciers in the continental USA.

One of the stories for the new Visitor Film is about a rancher who flies a 1941 Piper Cub to check his cattle.

In addition to filming at Great Basin, Aerial Filmworks also captured images of the Great Salt Lake to help tell the geological story of the Great Basin.

The aerial crew based at Border, a unique town on the border of Utah and Nevada that straddles the border. The helicopter landing zone was the hotel parking lot. Classic Helicopters provided a fuel truck as there is no close airport with Jet A fuel. At The Border Inn, the hotel rooms are in Utah, and the restaurant/casino is in Nevada.

Flying over The Border Inn at the base of Great Basin National Park.

About Aerial Filmworks

Air-to-Air Filming of a World War II C-54 Skymaster

admin — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 13:31:20 +0000

Aerial Filmworks had the unique opportunity to film legendary pilot Gail Halvorsen flying a C-54 Skymaster over Kitty Hawk. During the Berlin Airlift, Colonel Halvorsen, became known as the “Candy Bomber” as he would drop candy to the children on parachutes he handmade from handkerchiefs. This humanitarian gesture became a symbol of support for the 2,000,000 people of Berlin that counted on the Airlift for their daily supplies of food, water and heating fuel.

C-54 Skymaster Filmed with the Cineflex V14HD over the coast of North Carolina

The shoot was directed by Blair Treu and produced by Jeffrey Roberts for a new documentary to be presented on the large screen for a new visitor center in Salt Lake City. Camera operator Ron Chapple, worked with the Cineflex V14HD, Sony HDC1500 and Fujinon 42x 9.7mm lens to create a variety of air-to-air scenes.

Film pilot Mike Creasy of HeloAir flew the Bell 407. Filming air-to-air of the C-54 Skymaster required a fast high maneuverable helicopter as the airplane could only slow down to 120 knots.

Interior view of the cockpit of the C-54 Skymaster

About Aerial Filmworks

Fall Color for New National Geographic Project

admin — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:45:54 +0000

National Geographic Television partnered Aerial Filmworks to produce HD video of fall color in the North Carolina and Georgia mountains. Gray Mitchell and crew rigged the Cineflex V14HD and Fujinon 13x 4.5mm wide lens kit to the Cinetruck and crane. With a reach of 22 feet and a height of 25 feet, the Cineflex could reach deep into the forest and sweep over mountain streams.

National Geographic uses the Cineflex V14HD for New “Untamed Americas” Landmark Series. Photo by Sara Woodmansee.

Frame grab from the Sony HDC1500 and Fujinon 13x 4.5mm wide lens.

The Cineflex Creates the “The Endless Dolly” Move From Vehicles

The Cineflex V14HD is a gyro-stabilized remote head. While used mostly for aerials, the Aerial Filmwork’s crew has built specialty mounts for trucks and four-wheel drive vehicles. Clients are increasing taking advantage of the unique look created by the smooth motion of the Cineflex gyro-stabilization. Aerial Filmworks provides all the equipment, drivers and crane operators for the Cinetruck.

Aerial Filmworks developed a proprietary lens baffle system to eliminate the “bouncing flare” caused by the external protective glass. The beautiful flare in this image is rock-solid natural lens flare.

About Aerial Filmworks

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.

Alaska Nature Documentary for Korea New Network

admin — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 14:41:59 +0000

The edge of the Bering Sea is the summer home for the Godwit, a migratory bird that flies from the Southern Hemisphere to Alaska. A new nature documentary, produced by the Korea New Network, selected Aerial Filmworks to produce aerials of Alaska, including tundra, wildlife, estuaries, and beautiful scenics to help build the story.

Director Jay Chin and Ron Chapple, Aerial Director of Photography for Aerial Filmworks, flew 20 hours in total, from Homer to Iliamna, and then out to Bethel, Alaska as a base of operations. Several barrels of Jet A fuel were then transported out to Chefornak, a small native village at the edge of the Bering Sea. The helicopter, provided by Pathfinder Aviation and flown by Mike Fell, had just enough fuel to get to the location, but not enough for extensive filming and a return trip.

Chefornak, Alaska at the edge of the Bering Sea.

“The open wilderness of Alaska is absolutely amazing,” states Chapple, “we flew 250 miles straight line from Iliamna to Bethel and never once saw a road, a house or a human… just caribou, bears and birds.” The Cineflex V14HD and the Fujinon 42x 9.7mm lens is the perfect combination to film wildlife from safe distances.

Lake Iliamna, Alaska’s largest freshwater lake, home to freshwater seals.

About Aerial Filmworks

Colombia Adventures- Aerial Filming of the Chingaza National Park for Conservation International

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:43:05 +0000

Aerial Filmworks just completed an amazing project for Conservation International in Colombia, South America. The Chingaza National Park is a unique “paramo” ecosystem only 30 miles from Bogota.

“We very much appreciate your hard work, dedication, incredible talent, perfection and always a shining smile! It has been an absolute privilege knowing, working with and learning from you.”

~John Martin, Senior Producer, Conservation International

The ecosystem, at an altitude of 11,000 feet provides water for the 8,000,000 people of Bogota. The aerial footage will be used in Conservation International’s effort to continue protecting the paramo.

About Aerial Filmworks

Cineflex V14HD in South America for the Swatch Skiers Cup Competition

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:02:59 +0000

UPDATE: View the entire TV show online.

Aerial Filmworks just completed the filming for the Swatch Skiers Cup Competition with the Cineflex V14HD gyro-stabilized camera system. The competition is one of the Freeride World Tour events featuring the best extreme skiers in the world. Teams from Europe and the Americas competed in 2 events over the week.

Photo courtesy of Freeride World Tour.

Cineflex V14HD on Eurocopter AS350-B3 provided by Ecocopters in the Andes Mountains outside Santiago, Chile filming the Swatch Skiers Cup in Chile. Photo courtesy of Guillaume Lahure from SkiPass.

Andes Heliboarding and Ecocopters are providing the Eurocopter AS350-B3 helicopter for the filming platform, as well as the heli-lift for competitors and crew. The first event involved 3 helicopters, and moving over 50 people, including competitors, journalists, gear and crew, from the Valle Nevado Ski Resort into position in the Andes Mountains. Photographers were dropped at strategic locations, and Dino Raffault, the Aerial Coordinator, called the start of every run.

Amazing 270 degree panorama of the Andes Mountains from 11,000 feet.

Competitor jumps a cliff during the Swatch Skiers Cup in Chile.

Dino Raffault, Aerial Coordinator for the Freeride World Tour, on location during the Swatch Skiers Cup.

About Aerial Filmworks

Ron Chapple of Aerial Filmworks operating the Cineflex V14HD during the Swatch Skiers Cup Competition.