Because there are few establishing shots that can compete with the one you get above 250 feet, I frequently take my shoots airborne. Whether it’s yanking the doors off a Bell Ranger traditional style or the…ahem…new school way of sending an 8-bladed octo-copter to do the dirty work, if it’s outdoors these days, aerial footage is, well, the new black.
Neither option mentioned above is cheap, however. I’ve been paying thru the mega-schnoz to rent A-Stars ($2000 + per hour) and such for years. And then was superduper excited in 2010 to go remote aerial at about half the cost of a real heli for this project launching the Nikon D7000 (here’s some more BTS with the same flight crew from a commercial i shot in Telluride…). But it’s still pricey. $2k – $5,000 per DAY or more. And although going the R/C route is the lesser of two budget busters, it’s still a rough lump to swallow, particularly if you’re just getting in the game.
ENTER the DJI Phantom, (picked mine up at Dronefly.com) the out-of-the-box R/C quadcopter.
Now before y’all jump into a tizzy that this thing isn’t close to the same quality – doesn’t do X and Y…I know those things. It’s ok that it can’t fly an Arri Alexa or do this or that other thing. BUT damn this is a great entry product that A) allows budget conscious folks the ability to fly a camera; B) makes some pretty solid footy for web videos and such; and C) is a helluva lot of fun to fly. All at fraction of the cost of any previously mentioned option.
Designed to fly the GoPro (you know I love ’em in this video), this little rig comes in at under $700. Nothing to sneeze at, but chump change compared to what was available just 5 years ago. My crew has two of these little buggers now — and within 5 minutes I had achieved a comfort level great enough to try the stunt at 0:45, terrorize the other people at the GasWorks park in Seattle, and even chase a seaplane.
Although it’s not suitable for high end work (yet?), this is a nice budget breakthru. And truth be told it’s a fricking blast — I’ll be doing more soon. Perhaps…ahem… even on my next photo shoot in Iceland…
Neat way to show the river out back, the location of local high school, down town, shopping and then descend for a fly by to show the neat neighborhood a home is located in before the pull them through the property listing. They work so well.
The Phantom is a mixed bag in a sense that it provides the average (and even less than average) consumer with some pretty sophisticated gear that allows them to take aerial footage. Granted, any r/c snob will decry the “China made” parts but at the end of the day, you are flying surveillance equipment. I won’t bother preaching safety because of all the Youtube videos out there of careless Phantom owners flying in crowded urban areas and near bystanders, I’m sure the sting of a broken $500-$700 “toy” is enough. I would however want to draw attention to the care needed for the batteries … yup the batteries. Simply google “lipo fire” and you’ll see what I mean and hopefully that will be enough to get people to take these things more seriously. To be better in the know of all things Phantom, join the community at http://djiphantomforum.net/
Great write up. This is case in point of how accessible the DJI Phantom is to the general consumer population. What I’d warn a new Phantom owner of is the inherent danger in the lipo batteries. These batteries are prone to catch fire during charging if not handled properly which resulted in the loss of property, car, home. A simple Youtube video will blow your mind. http://www.djiphantomforum.net/
Man, that looks like serious fun. I know that’s not the point of it though. However, being honest, I’m not sure I’d trust my abilities as an amateur pilot but really admire those who can fly them.
Hi Chase,
love the video !
I got a phantom too for about 3 months now and it’s really easy to fly.
But, please -before i go nuts – where is the music from, in your video ????
Tried to find it , but no results.
Would be great if you would share this.
Thank you
Oliver