AERIAL MOUNTS Special Projects Creative Video of Washington, Inc.

Peter Roof tests the balance of the Aerial Exposures gyro mount.

There are a wide variety of mounting options ranging from shooting hand-held out the side door to a completely gyro-stabilized system that delivers smooth and dreamy pictures. Please contact me so we can determine the best mount for your production.

If your project can use aerial video we can help. We use the latest digital video technology and have mounted them in various ways on an MD-500C helicopter. This aircraft appears small but is a versatile and capable camera ship. It has plenty of power for these payloads and can follow speeding boats, cars, and aircraft. The rotor system generates less vibration and the operating costs are less then the popular counterparts. This translates to a savings for you and the ability to seriously consider aerial video in your next production.

Available in our hangar is the new Aerial Exposures camera mount system. Click here to see a recent review in American Cinematographer.

Mount	Position	Capabilities	Shots	Limitations	Advantages	Disadvantages	View	Cameras	Stability	Budget	Rigging
Handheld	Left or right rear	Orbit static objects or track moving objects. Hover as wind allows.	Static or slow moving. Must be close to subject.	Can not shoot stable closeups of distant objects. Movement of aircraft translated to picture.	Lower cost, quick setup	Instability, field of view		Still S-VHS miniDV DVcam DVCpro BetacamSP D9 HD Film etc.	C	$	1 hour
AE Middle Mount	Left or right rear	Orbit static objects or track moving objects. Hover as wind allows. Some straight approaches possible. SAMPLES	-Moderate speed tracking -Establishing -Orbiting -Static -Elevating -Reveals (right) -Depart (left)	Can not shoot stable closeups of very distant objects. Subject must be viewed from either left of right side (determined before rigging).	Moderate cost, short setup	Some instability, field of view		S-VHS miniDV DVcam DVCpro BetacamSP D9 HD Film etc.	B	$$	2 hours
AE Nose Mount	Front	Approach straight towards object. Photographer can tilt. Good for POV. Operate with doors on.	-Reveals -Point-of-view -Up and over	Horizon somewhat dictated by aircraft attitude. Pan and tilt movement limited. Shots towards sun show bugs and scratches on windshield.	Moderate cost, short setup	Field of view.		S-VHS miniDV DVcam DVCpro BetacamSP D9 HD Film etc.	B	$$	2.5 hours
Camera ball	Front	Completely gyro stabilized on all axes. Long lens can hold stable tight shot. Large forward field of view. Operate with doors on.	-High speed tracking -Reveals -Zoom out/in detail to scene	NTSC 4:3 video only. No wide-angle lens.	Very flexible. Very stable image.	Cost. Long setup time. Weight limitations. Fewer passengers		BetacamSP (NTSC 4:3 video only)	A	$$$$	6 hours
Camera ball	Side	Completely gyro stabilized on all axes. Long lens can hold stable tight shot. Large forward field of view. Operate with doors on.	-High speed side tracking -High speed front tracking -Zoom out/in detail to scene	NTSC 4:3 video only. No wide-angle lens.	Very flexible. Very stable image.	Cost. Long setup time. Weight limitations. Fewer passengers		BetacamSP (NTSC 4:3 video only)	A	$$$$	4 hours

Options:

• Wide-angle lens recommended for most mounts. Not available for FLIR camera ball mount.
• Image stabilization lenses.
• Microwave down-link.

In addition to the installing these mounts on the MD 500C helicopter we can arrange for a video flight on a local news helicopter. The rate is premium but the FLIR system is ready to go. Two hour minimum and flight may be interrupted for breaking news.