I wanted to give a quick shout out to my friend Tabb Firchau of Freeflycinema.
Tabb has been piloting helicopters (RC and real ones) for close to 2 decades and I’ve know him since my first HDSLR productions including "JOB First Look." We’ve worked on several productions together over the years including most recently "Mobius." You can see his reel below as well as a behind the scenes look at some of the productions he’s done. They will fly your 5D, you Epic, Scarlet, F3, AF100 an anything of that weight category without a problem.
I’m a big fan of RC helicopters (RC stands for Radio Controlled helos) for situations when you can’t get a traditional helicopter close enough to your subject or when you’re in a remote location where getting a traditional helicopter is simply not affordable (the ferry time back and forth to a distant location can be pretty substantial.) I will say that I will only work with extremely experienced pilots for both full-sized and RC helos. These are not toys and can be quite dangerous to both your gear and more importantly other people if operated by an inexperienced pilot. Even though I’ve personally flown a (real) plane and a (real) helicopter myself – I have to admit I’ve crashed a half-dozen RC helicopters within the first 2-3 flights… it’s far from easy to fly those little guys. So at the risk of sounding patronizing – please choose your pilots carefully on your productions. If you want to learn yourself – I definitely recommend you don’t hook the camera up to your RC until you’ve done a few hundred flights…
The best compliment I can pay Tabb is that he and gimble operator Hugh Bell (the gimble is the pan/tilt/roll head at the front of the RC [one person controls the helo and the other the camera for obvious reasons]) are responsible for both the opening and closing shot of "Mobius." We had a very tight schedule and I was pretty slammed during that production. I gave both of them several notes on what shots I was looking for in terms of aerial coverage of the scene and had to run over to work w/ the actors with the main unit. Tabb and Hugh did such a perfect job that they earned BOTH the opening and closing shot of the film.
As we say in French "Chapeau" – or "hats off." Having that happen is a director’s dream – it doesn’t happen unless you work with extremely talented people. Normally I pay very close attention to each shot – but with nearly 60 setups over 3 days and given that the execution scene was the first thing we shot for the film – we were very rushed to get going. I didn’t have the luxury of running the action for more than two extra takes for the aerial unit – and I think they nailed it in those two shots.
You should look to hire RC and traditional pilots not only because they are safe – but also because they understand how to make shots work and how they can be intergrated in films. Tabb and Hugh do just that and more…
You can see two behind the scenes video with the RC helo -one from Tabb first and one from Mobius below the jump.
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I have an upcoming post for the holidays that will involve a few charities as I think that giving back and helping others is one of the best things anyone can do.
Today unfortunately, I’m going to digress into a more materialistic world… on the eve of the day Americans call "Black Friday" where they go to shop ’til they drop … I must (obviously!) admit I do love my gadgets…
If you’re looking for some advice on gear for the holidays – for you or for others – don’t forget to check out the My Gear Page on this blog. I share a ton of information, advice, and examples for almost all of the video / photography / accessories / support / sliders / time lapse / lighting / audio / software and photography gear I use on a regular basis.
By using the coupon codes below and by shopping MY GEAR page mentioned above – you help support us and the time it takes to update the gear section on this blog, and allow us to create more instructional videos to populate the section – and it doesn’t cost you a dime. In some cases (below) you’ll even get a discount.
Given how many videos/graphics there are on the list – please click below to see it. So without further ado:
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I just wanted to make a quick announcement that my book "VISUAL STORIES" is out today. There is 35% off coupon on Peachpit’s site as well for a short time – use the code "PPE2011" when you check out to get the discount.
Here is a link to the hard copy: Visual Stories: Behind the Lens with Vincent Laforet
(HARD COPY)
And a link to the eBook version: Visual Stories: Behind the Lens with Vincent Laforet (eBOOK)
For more information on the book and to see a few excerpts CLICK HERE.
The book has gotten some very nice feedback so far:
"Visual Stories blends art, meaningful technical know-how and thoughtful discussion on the role and power of photography to make an impact on society. It’s one of the best photography books I’ve seen."
-Christopher Robinson, Editor, Digital Photo Pro Magazine
"Once in a while a Creative comes along who’s body of work causes anyone who sees it to stop in their tracks. That’s the gift that Vincent Laforet has given us here. Life Through the Lens with Vincent Laforet is an inspiring gift that demands to be on your bookshelf (virtual or otherwise)."
– Dane Sanders, Photographer & Writer, DaneSanders.com
"99% of the process happens before you even get the opportunity to press the button. As much as anything else, Visual Stories is about that process. It is about previsualizing, planning, cajoling, persevering — and whatever else it takes to transport an image from your mind’s eye into print."
"Visual Stories will be an instant classic. It is well written and is an easy read for photographers of every level. It contains over 100 of the author’s photos with information on the shot as well as the technical camera settings used.
Also included with Visual Stories is a DVD that contains 60 videos that provide a personal view of the author and his work. Here he explains in more detail about his work and how he captured his images. If you want to see into the mind of an award winning photographer and learn from his experiences then I very highly recommend Visual Stories."
T. Michael Testi – via Seattle Post Intelligencer / Blog Critics
Also – here is a book and an app that friends have out: Read the rest of this entry »
