The following are some common questions clients have asked regarding Red Epic and Red Scarlet Helicam flight operations:
Q "Do you supply the camera kit or do we?"
A "Whichever you prefer. We have our own with a wide array of glass and required accessories."
Q "Will our cost be reduced if we supply the camera?"
A "Yes. We will deduct the cost of the camera rental from the quoted day rate."
Q "What are our options for glass? Can we use cine primes?"
A "Absolutely! We designed our systems specifically to meet the needs and wants of the filmmaker. We have flown a wide assortment of cine glass from 18mm up to 100mm including Leica, Zeiss, Cooke and Red Pro primes."
Q "How long can you remain airborne while filming?"
A "We carry enough fuel on our gas powered rigs to fly for 50 minutes non-stop but always land with a half tank for safety reasons. Our electric rigs can fly for 12 minutes on one set of batteries."
Q "Can we direct in real time during flight?"
A "Actually we prefer that you do. It is not possible to fully visualize the perfect shot until you see the aerial perspective. Real time direction provides the best result, both creatively and for maximum efficiency."
Q "What equipment is provided for direction?"
A "We provide a ground viewing station with either wireless uncompressed HD or SD transmission."
Q "What is the maximum windspeed you can fly under?"
A "We have flown successfully in winds up to 25 mph using our amazing Freefly Movi MR."
Q "What do you use to power the camera?"
A "We use either Red bricks, Redvolts or Li-Po batteries."
Q "How many flights have you made with Red cameras? Have you ever crashed while filming?"
A "At the time of this writing we have logged over 150 successful flights with the Epic or Scarlet cameras. We have never had an incident during the last year and a half flying Red cameras or the previous six years prior flying other cameras."
Q "What are the specs on your camera gimbals?"
A "We have two different camera mount designs, both with 3 axis brushless gimbal stabilization. The first type mounts to the nose of the aircraft and has travel ranges of 70 degrees roll, 110 degrees tilt and 180 degrees pan. The second type mounts under the aircraft and has 70 degrees roll, 110 degrees tilt and 360 degrees pan"
Q "How did you get involved in this line of work?"
A "For 22 years I was a factory sponsored professional RC helicopter pilot flying at the highest international level (FAI-F3C). In 1993 I was a member of the World Championship winning U.S. Team. I retired from competition in 2002 to consult for General Dynamics and later, Northrop Grumman. In 2005, I formed Perfect Perspectives Aerial Imaging, LLC to support the film industry."
Q "What was the first feature film you flew an RC helicopter in?"
A "The Mighty in 1998 starring Sharon Stone, James Gandolfini and Jillian Anderson."
Q "Do you have an hourly rate?"
A "No, due to the amount of prep involved to mobilize our systems, we only offer a full day rate."
Q "Do you offer a discount for multiple days of shooting?"
A "Yes, depending on the number of additional days, the multi day rate can be as much as 50% less than the single day rate"
Q "Can you provide references for film and television work?"
A "Certainly"
Q "Can you fly at night?"
A "Yes, we have lighting systems that allow operations similar to those in daylight. The site must be thoroughly scouted for obstructions beforehand however."
Q "How long is your location set up time?"
A "The first pre-flight/safety check usually takes 15-20 minutes. With subsequent location changes, we can typically be in the air in less than 10 minutes."
Q "Do you have IMDB credits?"
A "Yes, search under Wendell Adkins - Aerial Photography."
Q "How many remotely piloted cinema aircraft do you have?"
A "Currently we have six. There are three different configurations, each optimized for a specific type of shooting and we have a back up for each of these."
Q "I see multicopters rigs cropping up everywhere. Why do you prefer gas/electric powered single rotor helicopters?"
A "Flying very expensive cinema cameras and glass is very difficult, even for someone highly skilled. One small mistake can spell disaster. The beauty of our rigs lies in their simple reliability. Everything about them is time and battle tested. We have logged thousands of flights over the last 10 years flying heavy payloads with these aircraft. Multicopters are new and unproven technology at this point in time. Even experts are crashing them when their complex flight control systems decide to freeze, lock up or malfunction. Most are operating within an inch of their lives carrying heavy cameras like the Epic and Scarlet for more than just a few minutes. We have no problem flying an Epic with a Cine prime lens for 15 minutes, all with 200% reserve payload capacity. Use of the Movi allows the use of longer lenses. This means we can still get tight shots while remaining a safe distance from talent and crew."
For more info, please visit http://www.perfectperspectivesaerial.com
