Commercial Filming
 

First off I am sorry if this is in the wrong section of the forum and mods feel free to move it.

Ok - Can anyone in the know tell me what the issues are surrounding commercial filming of GA flights from inside the aircraft, ie not aerial filming?

What certificates etc etc would one need to film GA flights in this way in the UK?

Thanks for any help.

If I get that correctly, do you mean filming a commercial scene in the cabin of a jet?

You'd need (obviously) a property release of the aircraft owner and / or operator. If you have people that you want to film and use the material commercially, you will need everyone visible to sign a model release too.

As long as everyone complies with the general safety rules, I can't see what else would be needed.

I mean filming a commercial scene in the cabin of a GA plane. Flying lessons etc that type of thing.

So there are no issues with regard to the CAA? Do I need their permission?

easy peasy
 

You need permission of the people involved, and a model release from them.

You need permission from the owner of the aircraft.

You need to be aware of the EMI problems that might effect the radio and navigational equipment, this is not a major factor.

If mounting cameras externally, there are some problems to be considered.

Small cameras are common now so no great problems there, wide angle lens essential, as is an "audio feed".

This is what we do, in UK.

glf

Thank glf, good info there.

How do you get the audio feed so that you can sink ATC and pilot voices with the video track?

PS - Out of interest can I ask what it is you do when you say "This is what we do, in UK."

For audio it works very well to put a small mike inside the headset earpiece. This pickes up everything from ATC as well as the aircraft's intercom.

answers
 

We have a small production company that specialises in aviation projects, such as in cockpit video, air shows, etc.

A small mic in the ear peice is a good option, however for a direct feed, there are adaptors that plug in line with the headset.
I actually recomend the ear piece mic option.

As to sync; there is very little need for frame accurate sync, but if you want to synce professionally, you need to make a visible sound.!!!!!!! Thtas what a clapper board does, you can bang any two items together, provided in shot, and mic close. The start of the noise on the audio track, and the frame when this happens are synced, in the edit.
To edit you can either use Microsoft Movie Maker, or Premiere Pro, or Final Cut. Depends on equipment and budget.

If you want an intro to our people PM please.

glf

If you want non intercom sounding sound tape a small mike to the headset boom.
There are also acessory boxes that can be used.

You should consider which flight rules to fly under if you are subsidising the flight.

Important to check avionics don't interfer with cameras and cameras dont interfer with avionics. Check for vibrations lighting ect before your A list star boards the craft.

Best to run cameras on batteries, take some chokes to reduce RF being picked up by audio or monitor cables.
Be very carefull to secure anything that could fall and jam rudder pedals.
Give plenty of time and information for the pilot to get his head around the job. If you are a director and find yourself unhappy or frustrated with what the pilot is doing sort it out on the ground.

If you are considering doing it regularly employ a professional TV bod who will set it up right from the get go.

Mickjoebill

Depending on the aircraft, there will sometimes be a spare ACP in which you could connect a quarter inch jack plug and have a direct feed of the audio. The ACP would allow you to adjust the levels of the Comm and I/C independently to the crew ACPs and so you could achieve a better balance of the sources and also keep the connecting cable out of shot. It would also avoid connecting into the crew system and having a cable running from the front end to the recording equipment.