LA Media has been flying drones for the last seven years. We’ve flown for Netflix shows, like The Crown and The Witcher, feature film productions, high-end commercials and have done lots of work for television broadcasters from all around the world. Check out our drone reels at lamedia.co.uk or visit our YouTube channel to see what we do.
Now we are putting together a new drone set-up for 2021. It's a great and exciting project and our new package is the result of our extensive experience. We believe it will help keep us at the top of the drone tree and that it could also help you to get started.
Details of our new drone setup will appear in the following blog but meanwhile here are some of the things you should consider if you are about to go out on your own.
Buying a drone
Buy the drone you need (not the one you like). Spend a good deal of time considering what you want your drone set-up to do before you spend any money on it.
Creative filming, survey work, health and safety inspections, area mapping, emergency services… it's your decision. Remember - it will be an expensive disappointment if you buy a drone not fit for your purpose.
Tell any retailer what you need it for and they should have the expertise to steer you in the right direction. Spend a lot of time looking at reviews of the drones you are considering and listen to what is being said. It costs you nothing but time and it all helps you make the best decision.
10 Things to consider
1. Camera - what camera does your drone carry? This will determine the quality of the picture you can offer a client and establishes the size and power of the drone you need to be flying.
2. Interchangeable lens system - does your drone camera offer a choice of lenses? This is about being able to give a variety of choices to your client when it comes to shot options.
3. Flight time - how long can your drone stay in the air? Clients like to fly all the time so you must give consideration to flight durations and establish how many batteries you will need to buy should you want to fly a typical eight-hour day and include them in your drone set-up accordingly.
4. Recharge to recycle - will you need to recharge/recycle flight batteries during a shoot day? If the answer is yes, how will you do it? Adding a portable generator to your drone set-up is a great way of doing this but often requires a second person to monitor and operate it and can also be expensive.
5. Viewing the shot - how will your client view the shots you are flying? While it can be a simple as looking over your shoulder at your controller device e.g. your phone, you may want to consider other means such as an HDMI cable feed from your controller (if it has one) to a separate client monitor. More spending for you but makes for happier clients.
6. File types and formats - what file types and formats can your drone camera deliver to the client? Often overlooked as a detail until the end of a day's flying it is an issue that can cause you real problems. The data transfer time of your shots should also be built into your flying schedule. You should know what file type is best suited to the client's post-production workflow and will the client bring you a drive to dump things onto or are they expecting you to supply one? You should ask all these questions before the flight day. The more file types and formats your drone can deliver the better for both you and your client.
7. Data Cards - always have plenty of spares as you may need to change them out if they get filled up. It's also good practice that before you perform any risky flight, such as over water, put a new card in. This makes sure that you do not lose any data in the event of a catastrophic incident occurring.
8. Take-off/landing pad - this is a great part of your health and safety protocol as it is easy to see and therefore those around you can avoid it without difficulty. It also gives you a dust-free platform and a safe flat surface when you are on ground that is uneven or overgrown - a most frequent occurrence on shoot days.
9. A Table - this may sound like a flippant tool but from our experience, it is a vital and practical part of a professional presentation. When it comes to how the client views your overall operation a good table provides you with a safe and clean working surface for your gear and it stops you from getting onto your knees and scrambling about in the mud.
10. Spares and parts - these will save your sanity on any shoot. I can guarantee you that things will break, go wrong, or just get lost when you are out flying. If you can afford it, as part of your drone set-up, you should always have a full set of spares and the tools you need to fit them with. Most pilots are now operating with a second, and even a third, back up drone, just in case.
If you have any questions, or just want to learn more about what we do, e-mail us at [email protected] or check out the rest of our website.
LA Media was thrilled to be asked once again by MTP, one of Scotland's leading commercial production companies, to come out and do some exciting drone filming. We were asked to film the aerials for a new action-adventure promotion for bottled water brand Highland Spring.
This involved us flying two drones simultaneously in the air. One drone was to be chasing a fearless stuntman over lumpy and treacherous terrain while the other drone was busy catching the train in motion as it crossed the famous and historical Glenfinnan viaduct at the same time. No small feat!
We also worked with the London agency’s visual effects people to achieve a shot from above where the stuntman leaped from a great height onto a green screen inflatable landing area.
This shot would eventually composite to make it look as if the stuntman had jumped onto the moving train we had filmed earlier. Milk Tray Man eat yer heart out!
This shoot was all about timing. We had a narrow window of weather, train availability, and non-gusting winds in which to achieve a series of complex shots.
Image by LA Media 'Drone Filming at Glenfinnan Via Duct'
The Challenges: Two Drones One Train!
On this shoot, the challenges were that we had to fly two drones in the same airspace at the same time without the pilot having a line of sight to each other. So we could see the drones but the two pilots couldn’t see each other. You see how that was a problem. We just had to be extra careful and put more control measures in place.
Getting to the location where they wanted us to fly from was no picnic either. We started on a road below the viaduct and climbed a meandering rough path (over water at times) to reach a sort of base camp.
From this base camp, we went on further up the hills to various locations traveling over bumpy, muddy, boggy-ridden terrain. It was no fun believe us.
At one point Justin vanished up to his knees in a sinking cold bog and had to be rescued by his fellow team members, no easy task! We could have used a few Sherpas and donkeys.
However, the production company we worked with was truly amazing. They did the bulk of the carrying and were helpful in keeping us going. The rain was persistent, the wind was billowing and the train was on a schedule with narrow windows of one hour time for its availability.
Image by LA Media 'Drone Filming at Glenfinnan'
Get that Drone a Sweater!
You may not know this about drone batteries but they don’t like the cold and it was freezing. This meant shorter flight times and more battery changes, which ultimately meant more stress for everyone! Oh, the glamour of show biz!
Despite the weather, the location, and the batteries having a hissy fit we nailed the shots and the production were delighted with the final product.
Fourth Time's the Charm!
So before we rocked up on location three other drone companies had tried and failed (melted their drones) by attempting to fly through the steam of the train! It was -as they say - Scorchio!
Armed with this knowledge of previous attempts we selected our flight path very carefully through the steam. However, it was still a hair-raising experience but luckily our drone survived.
Image by LA Media 'Drone Filming at Glenfinnan Via Duct'
It's Going to Be a Bumpy Ride...
Owing to the terrain we couldn’t land the Inspire 1 on the ground. The Vulcan Raven was OK because it had its own landing platform wherever it went. But with the Inspire 1, we resorted to hand launch and hand recovery.
Here’s a handy tip, when recovering by hand make sure you don’t cover up the landing sensors which lower the landing gears. If you do happen to do this you run the risk of having your finger crushed by the landing gear winding mechanism.
Justin found this little handy tip out the hard way and nearly lost his thumb in the process.
Credits
Client: Highland Spring
Agency: Whitespace
Production: MTP
Director: James Brown
Creative: Neil Walker
Drone Pilot: Peter Maughan
Gimbal operators: Justin Adams / Iain White
Location: Glenfinnan Viaduct
Big Star: The Steam Train
We hope you enjoyed this blog post! Don’t forget to follow us on: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for your daily dose of media & drone chat!
Visit our website lamedia.co.uk and if you have any questions, e-mail us at [email protected] or give us a call on 0131 622 0220
LA Media has been at the forefront of commercial drone production since drones have been around. Naturally, we were thrilled to be asked by 422.tv, a Glasgow-based production company, to fly drones over Celtic’s iconic football stadium.
This was a historic first in terms of drones, as previously no other drone operation has been allowed to fly over this hallowed football turf!
Making Celtic Drone History
Built-in 1888, Celtic Park is one of the biggest football stadiums in Europe. This was an exciting and challenging project for us. We were tasked with getting a 180 down shot of Celtic Park using our drones.
Our footage would then be used for the end of a video that 422.tv was directing for the marketing team at Celtic Football Club. Brendan Rodgers, former professional football player, and the current Celtic manager was to be featured in the shot too.
Image by LA Media 'Outside Celtic Park'
Too much steel for GSP Goose, I'm switching to Accro
For this shoot, we used our Inspire 1, mounted with our X5R camera. As mentioned earlier this was the first time a drone had been allowed to film inside the Celtic Stadium. Here are some surprises we encountered on location!
Our first surprise was the interference the metal of the stadium had on our drone’s GPS. This meant that our GPS was unreliable and sporadic. Lucky for us we aren’t dependent on GSP and our drone pilot John Banks is an ace at flying in Accro mode. Therefore, this didn’t present us with a problem but it was something we hadn’t thought of before.
Our second surprise was that the 12mm Olympus prime we had on the camera was not enough to get the full width/length of the stadium - top-down, even from 400ft (our legal height limit). To get the whole picture would have required hiring a helicopter!
We needed to rethink the final shot on our feet!
Image by LA Media 'Drone Filming Inside Celtic Park'
Waste not, want not!
So, while some of the team had a rethink about the final shot, the other half of the team kept working and went to capture GV’s in and around the stadium. These GV’s would be used by the Celtic marketing people in various other marketing projects. However, this threw up another surprise, wind!
We quickly became aware of how the wind would swirl around the seating creating a vortex.
Image by LA Media 'Statue Outside Celtic Park'
Don’t crash into the talent!
The final shot agreed upon was for us to fly towards and then over the head of Brendan Rodgers as he was walking off the park and back towards the player’s tunnel. We were to finish on an end frame showing the Celtic stand. With the untrustworthy GPS and random whirlwinds naturally, all were concerned for Brendan’s safety.
When you add people to the drone mix you need to be on your “A” game as you don’t want anyone getting injured. However, the shot went well, Brendan survived and it was used in the final video to end the film.
We’d like to extend a big thank you to all the staff at Celtic who welcomed us into their sacred ground and to the team at 422.tv for giving us the opportunity to fly for them.
We hope you enjoyed this blog post! Don’t forget to follow us on: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for your daily dose of media & drone chat!
Visit our website lamedia.co.uk and if you have any questions, e-mail us at [email protected] or give us a call on 0131 622 0220
It’s happened, drones have officially gone mainstream. To say that drones have become popular in recent years is an understatement. Drones are considered to be one of the must-have gadgets for Christmas 2016. Because drones are becoming so popular we thought now would be a good time to review the newly updated Drone Safety Code so nobody inadvertently does anything illegal in the new year!
Drones aren’t just a toy for grown men or kids. Not only are drones a sophisticated piece of equipment but earlier this year PriceWaterhouseCooper (PwC) put an estimate on the very near future value of the global commercial application of drones to be $127bn. Not too shabby eh?
The future of drones is exciting with some hailing FPV drone racing as the next Formula One. However, recently the CAA published its Consumer Drone User report, which highlighted a potentially large problem, Drone Safety.
The Drone Safety Code isn't Just for Commercial Pilots
Due to this increase in drone popularity the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) recently launched a revised and improved version of its drone safety code.
Commercial drone flying has always been strictly regulated but for hobbyists, there was little guidance. Obviously, they couldn’t fly over nuclear reactors or such things, but the non-professionals had greater freedom than the pros.
Any form of recompense, no matter how small, even a drink down the pub, and you would be considered a commercial operation. This meant that you'd have to go through the process of becoming CAA certified. However, this revised Drone Safety Code is intended for hobbyists and the parents of hobbyists. Just because you bought your drone in a toy store doesn't make it child's play.
The Revised Drone Safety Code
Recently the House of Lords EU Committee called for the compulsory registration of all commercial and civilian drones, amid growing concern over the use of drones by private individuals with little knowledge of aviation rules.
According to the CCA report, the two most common words associated with drones amongst people 35 – 54 / 55+ are “Unregulated” and “Dangerous.” According to the CCA report, the increased uptake of drone use has led to an increase in the reported instances of irresponsible flying.
Now the general drone using population is being encouraged to know the Drone Code and to practice safe drone flying. Ignorance is not an excuse and like the CAA we'd like to promote responsible drone operation for all!
Let's face it drones come in many shapes and forms, they regularly receive bad press e.g. military drones, personal drones crashing into planes at Heathrow, or maiming pop stars on stage... - poor Enrique Iglesias.
You get the idea, drones need a bit of a PR makeover. The CAA is currently working to reverse this public image via their shiny new Drone Code website. If consumer perception of drones is allowed to remain dictated by coverage of irresponsible use, then the devices will always be seen with negative connotations and as a threat. We thought it might be good to now focus on the key principles of Drone Safety in this blog, for both hobbyists and commercial drone pilots.
Image by LA Media ' LA Media's Drone in Flight'
The CAA’s revised Dronecode has a handy mnemonic, which is a useful tool for any drone lover, whether commercial or hobbyist. Luckily it spells out the object of our affections, DRONE. See below to find out what it stands for and be drone safe.
Don’t fly near airports or airfields
Remember to stay below 400ft (120m)
Observe your drone at all times – stay 150ft (50m) away from people and property
Never fly near aircraft
Enjoy responsibly
See, avoid, reduce conflict
“Legal responsibility lies with you, failure to fly responsibly could result in criminal prosecution” - Drone Safety Code by CAA
Never lose sight of your drone, not even for a few seconds! To be safe you must maintain a constant line of sight with the drone. You need to do this to ensure that the drone doesn’t go crashing into airplanes, power-lines, buildings, or anything else up in the sky. Many new drones have collision avoidance and fail-safes but that isn’t a reliable way to operate a drone.
Technology can and does fail all too frequently. If you are flying alone as a hobbyist, then you must keep your eye on the drone, which means no flying beyond the visual line of sight. “If your drone endangers the safety of an aircraft it is a criminal offense and you could go to prison for five years” - Drone Safety Code by CAA
If you are using a drone for production, then you must have a second person as a spotter. If you are flying trying to capture footage and even possibly looking at a monitor, you cannot keep your focus sufficiently on external dangers. If you, the pilot, are watching the monitor, then you need someone else to spot your drone.
Enjoy responsibly – don’t be that drone operator
Hobbyists and pros alike cannot fly directly over large crowds of people. If you have a CAA licence, the correct permissions, have a safety plan, and full control then goes ahead with caution. The rules state that you cannot: “fly directly overhead (at any height) or within 50 metres of persons, vehicles, vessels, and property, unless those persons are 'under the control of the person in charge of the SUA'.” For example: if filming at a large music festival it would not be sufficient for the audience to be informed of a drone filming via a public address system, or in advance by e-mail or text.
Yes, permission has occasionally been granted for drone flights at public events by special arrangement. However, these permissions have been extremely limited and usually involve a segregated take-off site with the drone operating only vertically within strict lateral limits. There is no allowance for direct over-flight of persons.
Know the ins & outs
The Air Navigation Order defines a congested area as being 'any area of a city, town or settlement which is substantially used for residential, industrial, commercial or recreational purposes. Permission must be obtained from the CAA to land or operate within a congested area, this is a PFCO (Permission for commercial operation). Permissions granted may be valid for one flight or for a period of up to 12 months. If you want to fly a drone in a congested area or near people, then you must first obtain permission from the CAA.
If you are a hobbyist don’t fly over groups of people e.g. at a busy beach. Be a considerate drone operator and remember not everyone wants a drone near them. Try and understand it from the publics' point of view. Never, ever just risk it. If you are in doubt about meeting any of the conditions above, don’t fly. It isn’t worth the hefty fines and possible jail time.
We hope you've found this blog helpful! If you enjoyed this blog don’t forget to follow us on: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for your daily dose of media & drone chat!
Visit our website lamedia.co.uk and if you have any questions, e-mail us at [email protected] or give us a call on 0131 622 0220
The Netflix series, formerly known as Scrotal Recall, now known as Lovesick is a British sitcom created by BAFTA-nominated writer, Tom Edge. Starring Johnny Flynn, Antonia Thomas, and Daniel Ings, the show is a fun romantic comedy that follows the exploits of the main character Dylan.
Image by LA Media 'Drone Filming Over Loch Lomond'
The series, which was set in Glasgow, follows Dylan on his mission to contact his former romantic partners to inform them he has chlamydia. So as you can imagine it has a fantastic amount of hilariously awkward cringe-worthy material. Originally broadcast on Channel 4, Lovesick was quickly picked up by Netflix and made available to US and Canadian audiences.
Image by LA Media 'Drone Filming Over Loch Lomond'
Due to its success across the pond, the show was commissioned by Netflix for another cracking season comprised of eight episodes. This is where we step in, LA Media was asked to film the drone footage for season 2! We filmed a lot of scenes at Loch Lomond in the summer of 2016 using our DJI Inspire with the Zenmuse X5R. Filming near Loch Lomond was a real pleasure as it is one of the most beautiful woodland areas in Scotland.
Image by LA Media 'Drone Filming Over Loch Lomond'
With majestic lochs, epic lowland landscapes, and plenty of mountains there was no shortage of stunning backgrounds. We got lots of vibrant shots, which you can now view on Netflix or you can see on our Facebook and Instagram. The images on this blog show you just how beautiful a location it was and amazingly, for Scotland, how good the weather was. We enjoyed plenty of bright sunshine and clear skies! Perfect conditions for our drone team to work their magic.
If you enjoyed this blog don’t forget to follow us on: Twitter, for your daily dose of media & drone chat!
Visit our website lamedia.co.uk and if you have any questions, e-mail us at [email protected] or give us a call on 0131 622 0220
Why use drones? Don't worry here at LA Media we have a million reasons why using drones is a good thing. In this blog, we share with you our top five reasons to use drones in media. Well to put it simply they allow you to get a whole new perspective. Not to be too Aladdin here but it's a whole new world in terms of media thanks to drones. Drones really are everywhere - in almost all high-quality commercials, films, and videos you see there will be some element of aerial cinematography involved.
As technology advances and drones get smaller and more powerful, media production is no longer reliant on helicopters to get that unique bird’s eye view. Even if you don't think you need a drone for your next production we have five compelling reasons why you might want to reconsider your position and use drones. There are so many reasons to use drones, keep reading and discover how adding a drone to your next production will help you to improve your visual assets.
1. Sky's the 'Creative' Limit
The first - most obvious reason - you should use a drone is to add a unique perspective to your production. With orbital views and a limitless reach, a drone can do what no land-based camera can. No need for a crane or spiderman-like camera operator. Technology has made such leaps that now drones can safely lift most high-end production cameras with ease. Which for you, means more breath-taking shots and majestic panoramic sweeping views. By using drones your audience/ target customers will be treated to some spectacular-looking footage.
2. Stay in Budget
Drone hire won't break the production budget! Using drones is much more cost-effective than hiring a helicopter for a shoot. Not only is it much cheaper but you can also fly a drone all day with fewer restrictions. With a helicopter, there will be a limited window to get your ideal shot but with a drone, it is all much simpler. If you have a good drone operator they will be able to switch batteries in and out easily, ensuring that your drone stays in the air and you get the most out of your investment.
3. Greater Mobility!
Hands-down, drones are more mobile than helicopters and mounted cameras. Over cliff-tops, houses, through arches, over water, and down where the action is happening: drones are highly versatile equipment. The only limit is the skill of the drone and camera operator you employ. You can take awesome moving shots without having to lay down tracks to achieve outstanding footage. The possible perspectives are limited only by your imagination (and the skills of your drone crew).
Image by LA Media ‘Gaining a New Perspective, Drone Filming on Orkney ’
4. Did we mention they are versatile?
Not only can they swoop and soar more ably than most birds do, but you also have the freedom to change which camera and what lens you are using with ease. With a mounted camera – such as the ones used in helicopter flight - you need a special mounting for each one. The time to land the helicopter and make the changes is considerable when compared to changing the equipment on the drone.
5. Keep up with the kids...
Don't get left behind! Drones are high-tech and innovative in terms of media production. Drones are no longer the exclusive toys of big-budget movie directors like Lucas and Speilberg. Getting high-quality drone footage is now obtainable for most productions. A good drone operating company will be able to help you pick which drone and camera are best to meet your needs. So to keep your footage looking fresh and cutting edge you need to embrace this new shift towards using drone footage.
Hopefully, we have now answered the question of 'why use drones,' basically they an awesome new tool that people are rapidly embracing. So unless you want to get left in the dust you may want to consider adding a drone to your next shoot!
Visit our website lamedia.co.uk and if you have any questions, e-mail us at [email protected] or give us a call on 0131 622 0220