Broadcast
If all the buzz that attended drones last year seems to have shifted onto VR, that’s symptomatic of how quickly unmanned aerial filming has become commonplace. It’s also significant that innovation in the sector is incremental rather than dramatic.
For most film, TV and commercials filming requiring high quality but heavier camera/lens packages like Red Dragon, Sony F55, Canon C300 MKII, Phantom Flex4K or Alexa Mini, basic drone tech remains a trade-off between weight, power and flexibility.
The Aerigon rig from Sweden’s Intuitive Aerial remains one of the most popular with updates to the Mark II model including new image stabilisation technology for full size pro cinema cameras with lightweight zoom lenses such as the Angenieux Optimo 15-40 and Canon 15.5-47.
Competitors include the Shotover Camera Systems’ U1, launched in April, and Freefly Systems’ Alta 8. The former features a gimbal which can be detached from the rig and used as a standalone gyro-stabilised platform for mounting on cranes and almost anything that moves.
Freefly’s octocopter, released in May, has upped the payload over the Alta 6 from 13kg to 18kg (6.2kg of which is taken up by the weight of the craft, giving a 11.9 working payload). A camera can be switched between a conventional underslung configuration to a mount where the camera sits above the rotors for up tilted shots.
U.S. start-up xFold’s Cinema rig can be configured with 8 or 12 motors and propellers and has a payload capacity of 20kg. What’s unique about this rig, at the heavy payload end of the market, is a design that can fold down to a third of its full size for ease of transport.
All these models include redundant flight control and battery systems which are important safety features.
Despite this, some aerial filming companies prefer to build their own UAVs in order to fulfil client demands to fly over congested areas with more complex flight patterns while earning a Operating Safety Case from the CAA.
Flying Pictures says its bespoke 12 motors and 12 propeller UAV with dual (master and reserve) controllers is unique in the redundancy it offers (it has an OSC for just 10m separation in congested areas).
Camera manufacturers are answering the call to reduce the size and weight of their cameras - Red’s Weapon is built from carbon fibre, for example - but the glass used in lenses remains the heaviest onboard item.
The more that the power to weight ratio can be reduced (while retaining redundancy), the greater the range of lenses from anamorphic to short zooms can be offered. Battery technology is one factor holding this back. Flight batteries can be 2kg each and cinema-ready craft need to operate with a minimum of two. Even then, 8 minutes remains a typical flight time (20-30 minutes is common on sub 7kg craft carrying a GoPro).
The standard Lithium Polymer batteries could give way to Lithium-ion batteries designed by Tesla which would offer more energy for longer flight duration but these are currently unproven and expensive.
There’s no point carrying high quality optics if the footage is shaky. When a craft with a heavy payload flies at full tilt, buffering by wind is a major issue. UAV filming outfits tend to prefer image stabilisers made by Shotover (the K1 is 6-axis gyro-stabilized gimbal); Freefly (its Movi brand includes the 3-axis M10) or work with the Aerigon’s integrated gimbal.
An alternative is the Ecofly version of the H-7 from Gremsey which features a 32 bit ARM microprocessor for super fast response and accurate calibration.
Operators want more powerful image stabilisation platforms that enable them to fly heavier packages, reliably and a gimbal that can copy with the shift in payload balance when longer zooms are used mid-air. There are rumours of new technology due next year which could shake-up this field.
Downlink options include the Teredek Bolt Pro 2000, the Cobham Solo7 Nano which weighs just 51 grams, and the 60 gram Connex Mini made by Amimon. The latter is claimed by its manufacturer to provide deliver zero latency HD wireless links and it comes with all antennas, cables and connectors required for air and ground unit setup.
Based on this tech, Amimon has also addressed the rising interest in broadcasting drone races. Currently, these events are post produced since the first person view feeds from drone-mounted cameras need to be realtime for the pilots to fly them, and are therefore analogue and SD and not broadcast quality.
ProSight, launched in the summer by Amimon, is described as the “first digital HD vision solution specifically designed for first-person view drones” and is being tested with U.S drone racing producer FPV Live.
While heavier payload rigs can cost upwards of £15,000 there are less expensive UAVs designed for lighter weight payloads and usually less demanding broadcast applications.
These include models made by market leader DJI. Its flagship, Phantom 4, includes an obstacle avoidance system and a 4K camera which can shoot 120fps slo-motion video. The Chinese vendor’s Inspire1 also comes with its own 4K camera and the Matrice M600 hexacopter claims a 6 kg payload capacity and a 36-minute flight time. The company has incorporated its own HD live streaming system called Lightbridge into many of its models.
In the last few weeks it has debuted the Mavic Pro a consumer drone that can be collapsed to roughly the size of a water bottle for transportation and sports the same sensor as the Phantom 4, shooting 4K video at 30 fps and 1080p HD at 96 fps. It comes with optional goggles designed to offer up first-person views shot from the quadcopter - something that could contravene CAA rules which state that drones must be controlled in line of sight. It costs £800 and is in direct competition with GoPro’s new Karma.
GoPro Heros have been the camera of choice for many drone users at the budget end and Karma (costing £1000 including Hero5 Black camera) also comes with GoPro Plus cloud storage service and Quik editing app, which is an attempt to simplify drone video production.
Reports suggest a rising demand in flying these type of drones as props within film and TV storylines.
Aside from technology advances perhaps the biggest shift in UAV useage may come from tightened regulations. While basic national safety rules apply (the CAA permits drones weighing 20kg to be operated with a licence within 150m of a congested area), rules differ across the EU and the European Aviation Safety Agency believes a number of key safeguards are not being addressed coherently. It proposes to standardise rules across the EU, though whether the UK will find itself exempt post-Brexit remains to be seen.
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