According to veteran aerial cinematographer and former president of the Society of Camera Operators Stan McClain,  an aerial cinematographer is “one who creates images from an airborne camera platform, whether in a helicopter, high speed jet or hot air balloon.”

“It’s another way of presenting photography,” he said.

McClain got his first taste of aerial filming while working on “Jonathan Livingston Seagull,” in 1972, but it was on the set of “Capricorn One” that he earned his claim to fame. McClain helped build the first outside camera mount in which the cameraman could sit outside the aircraft.

“It’s a very dangerous mount because the camera could literally be ripped right out of your hands, but you learn how to master it,” he said.

Equipment Evolution

Creating an outside mount was only the beginning.

“Equipment varies from handheld cameras to specialized equipment,” said Greg Vernon, co-owner and president of Hangar 1 Project, which has filmed such projects as CBS’s “Survivor” in Guatemala and Panama, as well as NBC’s “ER,” among others. “Each is a proprietary system, so the operator is trained by the manufacturer.”

In addition to filming, McClain also owned Pasadena Camera Rental, the first Wescam agency. While some companies only allowed certain cameramen to use their equipment, McClain invited all aerial cinematographers to learn how to use the Wescam ball mount.

Although he’s retired from filming, McClain now owns Film Tools, an expendable supply store.

Ron Goodman created the Spacecam, which according to its Web site “was the first gyro-stabilized system to offer not only helicopter side mounts, but also tail and nose mounts.”

Tyler Camera Systems Snap Shot

But it was Nelson Tyler’s invention that finally enabled aerial cinematographers to shoot smooth footage by building a contraption that kept the camera steady. He created a platform on springs that the cameraman sits on inside the helicopter. The body mass and camera weight are floating so when the helicopter shakes, it doesn’t affect the shot.

As the mounts became more expensive to ship to the shooting locations, camera rental houses began showing interest. Tyler began making more mounts, and left them at the houses for other cameramen to rent. Tyler received 60 percent of the rental price and the houses put their own cameras and lenses on the mount.  Now there are 38 Tyler Camera Systems locations all over the world including South America, Europe, Japan and Australia, with a total of 150 mounts.

Besides the Middle Mount, Tyler also produces a nose mount that fits under the nose of a helicopter while the operator sits in the aircraft with the controls. This enables the cameraman to shoot forward.

“The camera is down lower, so you can use a wider angle lens,” Tyler said. “People love the look of moving along.”

The company is currently working on a handheld mount for the smaller High Def cameras.

The High Def cameras use videotape, instead of film. According to second generation aerial cinematographer Doug Holgate, this presents an obvious advantage. 

“When shooting with film, you can only shoot for about 10 minutes and then you have to land,” he said. “You don’t have to land and reload when using videotape.”

Living on the Edge

For an aerial cinematographer, facing danger is all in a day’s work.

“It’s intense,” Vernon said. “A lot of time there’s stunts going on, pyrotechnics. There’s never a dull moment.”

  “You’re hovering lower than you should be, chasing cars, flying under wires and through trees,” said veteran aerial cinematographer Nelson Tyler. “The No. 1 cause of accidents is running into wires. They’re almost impossible to see.”

McClain said this can be prevented by scouting the area a few times and laying out the ground work before shooting.            

In addition to taking a risk when flying between objects, air-to-air accidents can also happen.

“When two aircrafts are next to each other, there’s always the possibility they’ll touch each other,” McClain said.

Or the director can opt not to use aerial cinematography at all by using computer-generated imagery instead.

“CGI is taking away from some of the real flying that used to happen,” McClain said. “Because of computer graphics, there are some things that aren’t being done live.”

He sited Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator” as an example of a film that used CGI. However, he also pointed out in an article he wrote while president of SOC and editor of the organization’s magazine, The Camera Operator, that the perspective of an aerial cinematographer can add a realism that would be hard to match with today’s computer generated imaging technology.

Communication & Coordination

While the cameraman may be doing the filming, he must rely on his pilot to get him where he needs to be.

“The pilot and shooter are like two guys in a one piece horse costume walking through an obstacle course,” Vernon said. “They’re attached, but not. They must coordinate their movements.”

Holgate agreed that having experience coordinating with the pilot and knowing what the director wants is important.

“Being in the right spot at those moments is the biggest key,” he said. “You can talk about a shot, but when you get up there, the magic just happens.”

But, he said one of the hardest things to learn is to talk during the shoot.

“You have to go from the creative side of your brain into the other side so you can talk the pilot through the shot,” he said.

Aerial cinematographers must also be able to deal with the noise of a helicopter, as well as the altitude.

“You need an artist to create a good looking picture,” Nelson said.

“You have the biggest canvas there is,” McClain added. “You can capture nature’s beauty in a way that’s hard to do with a static camera on the ground.”

           


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