Filming from the air - which system suites your requirements?
Commercial Aerial Photography companies and Videographers alike have offered the production of video footage from the air or an elevated position for many years.There are many different platforms from which to elevate the equipment including the following:
Helicopter Remote controlled Helicopters
Tethered Balloons and blimps Fixed wing aircraft
The above platforms all have their advantages and disadvantages but often the platform used will be dictated by the budget and end use of the footage. For example if broadcast quality is required with a gyro-stabilisation system then often a helicopter will be used with externally mounted equipment. This system of Aerial Filming requires a large budget compared to others but the results can be very impressive.
If the end use is corporate promotional DVD’s then often a HDV hand held recorder is sufficient and this can provide the results at a much lower cost. Many Aerial Photography companies in UK offer this service and the use of Pixel locking software will take out any camera shake and vibrations. There is obviously a trade off between quality and stabilisation when using this software but the videographer should understand what is required by the client and work to their specifications.
It must be remembered that the different systems available are not really competing with each other as they all offer vastly different results. Aerial filming is a specialist service and Aerial Photography companies will have much of the knowledge regarding UK airspace regulations and weather to provide a service that is second to none.
Remote controlled helicopters, tethered balloons and blimps offer a much lower perspective and usually at a much lower cost. Remote controlled helicopters can also provide more ground speed and are therefore more suited to tracking fast moving objects on the ground.
Aerial Photography
