Hey all Has one used a movi for shooting out of a helicopter? Just wondering what is the best way to do this and if anyone has any pointers? Did you just shoot straight out of the helicopter or did you use a rig of some kind. Suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks
I've done it several times. The basic setup we used was to rig the unit slightly inside the cockpit to a couple of bungees so that the operator didn't have to take the entire weight. We also cranked the smoothing way up to compensate for a lot of the wind gusts/course corrections. Footage looked great. I know that the aerial footage in Vincent Laforet's original Movi demo video was shot out of a heli... not sure what their setup was like though.
Hi Shaun, Im an aerial stills photographer based in the UK, and am really interested in testing the Movi rig. Have you used other rigs before in a helicopter swell, I wondered how they compare, and do you have a link to the footage you shot online anywhere? Thanks Jason
Be conscience of prop wash and sudden shifts in direction the Heli may make. The sudden changes in direction will increase g-force suddenly, which in turn, may cause the gimbal to go of horizon temporarily. Obviously your experience may differ because of speed, position in the Heli, etc..
Just air-to-air shot out of a Bell 407. Doors were removed. I sat in floor with feet on skids, Movi bungeed and safety wired to the passenger handle above the door (300# rated I was told...Movi rig 12# just a little overkill). Slip stream was not an issue...except for my legs on skids. At 70 Knots, better have your shoes double knotted.
Done it a few times with good results. Removed the side door and half of the seats. Sitting inside the heli with the Movi on a Easyrig. Then leaning out as much as needed. As Chris said, when going really fast and turning the heli the horizon will go of, but it recovers pretty fast. Operator sitting in the front seat.
Can the movi be switched on or initialized while in motion/flying? I tried another BG and I had to initialize it in the ground before takeoff.
Yes, Freefly added a 'motion booting' feature very early on. There's also a set-down feature that might be useful in close quarters.