http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...djiphantom_phantom_quadcopter_with_gopro.html Is this this the beginning, or just the beginning of the end?
Was on a shoot over the weekend and one of the ADs mentioned he recently bought a quad for learning purposes, ultimately he plans to invest in a larger octo for flying the Scarlet. I could have easily gave him some great tips and advice on where to buy his equipment and the best equipment to use...but I did not...let him learn like I did. This is probably the 3rd or 4th time I've heard similar while on set. I think over the years less and less production companies will need to hire individual contractors, they'll have that one guy on their production team that says 'hey I bet I can do that'
So true Howard... although the flying part is the easiest and the part that someone could pick up quickly. The rest of the package is the part that separates the cows and chickens. Cameras are getting smaller and smaller and soon this is going to be flown by someone on set. Not a human though, too unreliable.
This is not good. These items are advertised as "very stable" and "trouble free" which are not true. Everyone who is not experienced in flying RC stuff can buy this stuff without thinking twice; which may cause a disaster while fliying and we will get a total BAN from the governments. We knew this was coming, right?
Yeah -- it closely parallels both the development of aviation and personal computing. As far as the latter is concerned (which I was around to witness, up close and personal) we're back at the stage just before a Charlie Chaplin look-a-alike was being used to advertise the first PC, implying it was simple and friendly to use. That was PC-DOS (which was also suspected of being the first known PC virus! ). But anyway, we're awaiting the arrival of the Suits. So which major aviation company will produce a personal "drone" first? Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin....? They will be the IBM of the PC business, act as a seed crystal, define standards, and out-lobby all of the present copter vendors put together. It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better, IMHO. Andy
I was one of the pioneers in providing photorealistic architectural visualization using 3D software in the mid-90s. Within a few years we were losing work because someone in the client's sphere of influence had a son or nephew that could do "the same thing". Fortunately we were able to recover some of those customers when they found out there was quite a bit of difference in quality and accuracy. Ultimately every viable architect had someone on staff that could produce reasonable quality and, except for sophisticated animations with compositing and lots of post. the market has dried up. I am hoping history does not repeat itself this time.
Joe, unfortunately history will most certainly repeat itself. We'll all soon have access to precision direct drive gimbals. Even the most novice pilots will be able to produce great visuals with DSLRs and ultra HD/4K video cams. This will happen within 1 year.
I agree with you on the "access" part Howard, although I do still have to wonder whether having a word processor makes you an author, or a camera a videographer? I'm still rather hoping that talent will have its place! Otherwise I really will have to fall back on age and cunning beating youth and skill (as I posted recently). Andy.
Just my 2 cents but I see the whole thing from a different point of view, let me explain... It's quite obvious that the more the technology progresses the more the people will be able to afford and use it: this is true for all the fields in which micro-chips are at the core of a product. My core-business is IT and my love is photo/videography: even smartphones (DJI Phantom) are able to shoot good photos/videos but there still exist top end mirrorless, videoreflex and medium format camera bodies (Cinestar and other professional multirotors). And this for a reason. Moreover, even if millions are able to access technology, only few are capable to squeeze the most out of it. Last but not least, the more multirotors will be popular the more the people will be sensible about our work: customers will understand that ours aren't toys and they'll appreciate our efforts in building and flying monsters like the ones we currently use. It will be easier for us to explain the difficulties we successfully overcome on a daily basis. In the cinema industry, the "look" is also important: try to compare a RED and a GoPro side by side... Again, my 2 cents...
On set, a DP or director will guide the shots...the pilot & cam op will just follow. Eventually they'll get it. It's not very difficult to realize how to pull a unique shot. True, but then the flip side of this are the guys 'dumbing' down the market, the new jacks throwing 4K cams on their rigs and charging ridiculously low rates...it has already started and is growing, all they need is a semi-decent reel and they're in business. The rate of growth and capability for HD multirotors has grown at an astronomical rate in just 2 years and the rate hasn't slowed..it has rocketed! It's actually incredible that a pilot, totally new to RC, can throw a hi-end 4K video camera on his rig and fly within just a few months of learning. Not complaining, this is all expected.
Jackals always existed, Howard. There's a similar situation regarding wedding photogs that are battling against newcomers because they're working almost for free to get into business and gain new customers. It's a faulty strategy in perspective: if you invest great amounts of time and dollars in research, training and gear and you're talented, you'll be at the top, end of discussion. Even a bottle of water has its cost: working for free doesn't pay for it.
of course talent SHOULD prevail but the reality of it is the average production companies are looking to get the best possible rate. If an aerial company has a great reel on his site and charges 3K per day compared to an aerial company that has a semi decent reel on his site and uses the SAME exact equipment as the 1st guy BUT charges half the rate...who do you think they will hire 8 times out of 10? Enough said. We're not talking about the rare Lucas Films type of gig where the budget is unlimited, we're talking reality, the day to day small production companies that are looking to produce a video for a commercial product...we all know these guys are not working with an unlimited budget.
I understand and appreciate your considerations, Howard. So, lets talk about rates and so on. Actually, Italy, we charge about 1.100Euros (excl. 21% VAT, insurance, travel expenses etc...) a day (you can see the official price list HERE) for a dual-operated copter configured as follows: custom-built Cinestar 8**/360 with a full Radian stabilization system and Panasonic GH3 as standard camera. We think it's a competitive, fair pricing but some customers say it's too much: we gently invite them to ask to others for their services. It's a price we came after carefully analizing our domestic market and actual (very difficult) economic situation. In the US our prices could be considered differently. I'm trying to give my positive, humble contribution here. Moreover I think this discussion could be useful for others too (pros and customers alike). ** - Cinestar frame with 550mm booms / Herkules III / DJI WKM / KW10 / 16" Xoar / Double 6s 10.000mAh
I,ve been in production and film/photography for quite some time so aware how production budget cuts have a terrible ripple effect but there has to be some cut off point in terms of rates when the rate you receive for your work won,t justify you putting your gear in the sky. I,m of the opinion that you get what you pay for and hopefully there will still be a few willing to pay ? At the beginning it,s hard not to feel a bit like Oliver Twist though, lets hope we're not on the streets to soon !