Camera PV 2007 » 35mm Film » Filming of airliners
Filming of airliners
Question:
> Is there truly just two planes in the world equipped to do this ? Are they > constantly on demand/busy with customers having to book time long in advance > or is that something that is easy to get?
No, but the demand is so limited, the market can only really support two companies. The system can be switched between several planes (Clay Lacy put his in a Pilatus Porter STOL turboprop for doing some filming for The Never Ending Story). Today, there are three systems that I am aware of: Astrovision, with Clay Lacy Aviation, Vectorvision with Wolfe Air (they now do the majority of fixed with air-to-air for the movie industry, in movies like Air Force One, etc.), and a new system developed by the fellow in France who does Airbus’ air-to-air. The new system is an advancement of the Vectorvision system, and in fact the two companies are now forming a partnership together with Wolfe Air. (Wolfe Air also does a huge amout of Hollywood’s helicopter footage with gyro-mounted cameras). > Wouldn’t NASA also have similar equipment around Kennedy Space Center to chase > the shuttle ? Or are those more "crude" cameras through windows ?
I suspect the shuttle photography is taken from the cockpits of the chase planes. To my knowledge, NASA does not have a periscope-type air-to-air system. If they need one, I suspect they would hire one of the aerial photography companies to provide the service, just as the airframe (military and civilian) and airlines do. Astrovision systems (and to my knowledge, there is only the one) are no longer in production. You cannot buy a Vectorvision system, you can only lease one. This is true of a lot of specialized movie industry gear- for example, the largest and best maker of camera cranes is Chapman. You cannot buy a Chapman crane, you can only lease one. Camera equipment rental houses that have Chapman equipment for rent are leasing it long-term from Chapman. > Is the camera separate (provided by customer) or is it part of the periscope > assembly with the lens being the pressure vessel ? Or is the periscope the > pressure vessel with the camera just mounted to have the lens at the right > place ?
The systems are integrated units. You can install 16mm, 35mm, video, or still cameras on all of them (but only one camera at a time), although the switchover process is very involved with the old Astrovision system. The cameras usually belong to the aerial photography company. The periscopes project only a foot or so beyond the skin of the fuselage. The seal(s) and turning bearing assemblies are what maintain the pressure integrity of the fuselage. I don’t know how the seals work in the periscopes themselves to keep pressure from escaping. > Does it shoot only conventional film, or can it be changed to shoot stills or > video ? (or infrared for night filming etc) ?
See above. In the US, for Boeing and the airlines, the medium preferred for motion footage is almost always 35mm film. Airbus, being in Europe and therefore using PAL video as opposed to the US’s God-awful NTSC video, shoots video air-to-air unless a customer specifically asks for film. The still format used on all the systems is 2-1/4 X 2-1/4, usually Hasselblads. C. Marin Faure author, Flying A Floatplane
Response:
> In essence, it is a pair of periscopes, one out the top of the plane and > the other out the bottom. A film, video, or still camera is mounted to > the periscope. The entire rig can revolve 360 degrees, and the periscope > lens can tilt up and down.
Thanks for the very good description of hos it is done. Some of these shots are so well done it makes you want to flap your arms and follow … Is there truly just two planes in the world equipped to do this ? Are they constantly on demand/busy with customers having to book time long in advance or is that something that is easy to get? Wouldn’t NASA also have similar equipment around Kennedy Space Center to chase the shuttle ? Or are those more "crude" cameras through windows ? > The other system, developed by the same person, a Mr. Nettman, is called > Vectorvision, and it is far superior to the earlier Astrovision, although > the principle is the same. But the optics are better, it has automatic > horizon leveling, and Vectorvision has a zoom capability.
Is the camera separate (provided by customer) or is it part of the periscope assembly with the lens being the pressure vessel ? Or is the periscope the pressure vessel with the camera just mounted to have the lens at the right place ? Does it shoot only conventional film, or can it be changed to shoot stills or video ? (or infrared for night filming etc) ?
Response:
> > Is the chase plane pressurised and equipped with a special lens-quality > window, or do they use an unpressurised plane with the crew wearing oxygen > masks, and the camera lens through ahole in the fuselage?
As I described in an earlier post, the camera systems use a periscope through the top and bottom of the fuselage. You cannot obtain the kind of shots you see through a window, no matter how clean it is. The periscope system is sealed to the fuselage, and the system is approved to maintain cabin pressurization. So the Lear is pressurized and heated for the entire shoot. We generally conduct the sessions below 10,000 feet simply to avoid hassles with ATC. However, for special purposes, such as a recent shoot with the BBJ where the director deliberately wanted to shoot the plane leaving contrails, the two planes went way up until the BBJ began leaving good, solid contrails. > I think they just shoot through a normal cabin window that they keep extra > clean. Those scratches you see on commerical jets’ cabin windows are the > result of thousands of hours of dust and cleaning, and there’s no economic > incentive for an airline to replace them when they get all scratched up like > that. However, the windows can be changed, and I’m sure a company > specializing in shooting photos and video in flight would change their > windows when they get less than crystal clear.
As I said, you cannot get much of anything useable in terms of movement and framing through an aircraft window. About all you can get is a side shot, which is pretty worthless for what we use the film form. C. Marin Faure author, Flying A Floatplane
Response:
> I have always wondered what is involved in filming a 747 (or any plane) in the > air.
There are two systems used, the older Astrovision system, which is mounted in a Learjet and operated by Clay Lacey Aviation in Van Nuys, California. In essence, it is a pair of periscopes, one out the top of the plane and the other out the bottom. A film, video, or still camera is mounted to the periscope. The entire rig can revolve 360 degrees, and the periscope lens can tilt up and down. The subject plane is generally flown straight and level, while the Lear maneuvers around it. With the exception of peel-aways where the subject airplane actually does peel off toward the horizon, all the moves you see are actually the Learjet moving around the subject plane. As to how close, it depends on what you’re trying to do. With Astrovision, which has no zoom capability, Lacy has often tucked the Lear inside between the main wing and the horizontal stabilizer for a close shot. But usually the closest one gets is wingtip to wingtip with perhaps ten or twenty feet separating the planes. The cameraman sits in the rear of the plane with the director beside him. There is a video pickoff so you can see what the film camera is seeing in a small video monitor. A non-moving joystick (it responds to fingertip pressure) rotates the perisope while another similar control tilts the periscope lens. The moves around the subject plane are planned out in a pre-flight meeting, and you simply go through all the moves once you’re in the air. I generally storyboard the moves I want with rough sketches which I give to the cameraman, the Lear pilot, ad the subject plane pilot in the preflight meeting. That way, everyone knows what I (the director) expect from each move, and the session can go fairly quickly. It’s not cheap- the average cost for an air-to-air session is about US$30,000, which includes the cost of ferrying the Lear from California to Seattle and back. The other system, developed by the same person, a Mr. Nettman, is called Vectorvision, and it is far superior to the earlier Astrovision, although the principle is the same. But the optics are better, it has automatic horizon leveling, and Vectorvision has a zoom capability. The primary operator of Vectorvision is Wolfe Air, also based in Van Nuys. I used Wolfe Air last year for an air-to-air session with an USAF AWACS plane along the Washington Coast and up the Columbia River. At times, were were perhaps 50 feet off the wing of the AWACS. You dont’ have to get quite as close as with Astrovision because of Vectorvision’s zoom capability. C. Marin Faure author, Flying A Floatplane
Response:
i remember an aerial picture of all star alliance members in a V formation. interesting pic!
Response:
> I have always wondered what is involved in filming a 747 (or any plane) in the > air. How close does the camera-equipped plane get to the real airplane ? Is it > shot during a regular commercial flight, or must such shooting be done when > the 747 is being test flown, or flown empty to a maintenance facility etc ? > (Or woudl they actually get a 747 to take-off just for the purpose of shooting > it on film ?)
There are a couple of companies that specialize in in-flight pictures and video shoots. I can’t remember the name of them offhand. The video and pictures are shot exactly the way they look: from a formation flight between a non-revenue flight of the pictured airplane and a chase plane that is carrying the photographers. Most of the Boeing shots you see in footage are taken during test flights, since those are non-revenue and there are no restrictions on formation flying. You can’t formation-fly a commercial flight. > What sort of plane is used to shoot the other plane ? Would the 747 be > travelling at normal cruise speed or at a much slower pace to allow the chase > plane to keep up with the 747 ?
I remember reading an article on one of these photo companies in an aviation magazine a few years back, and as I recall they were using a Learjet. Usually the airplanes aren’t going very fast, but they are flying fast enough to keep the flaps up, so that would be at least ~230 knots or more. Since both airplanes are jets, there wouldn’t be much concern about the pictured airplane outrunning the chase plane. The chosen speed would simply be a function of fuel savings versus how much the photographer cared about the pitch of the airplane. As airplanes slow down, the pitch increases, and if a photographer were being real picky about wanting the in flight picture to represent the airplane in level flight, he might get them to fly a little faster to get the nose down. > Is the chase plane pressurised and equipped with a special lens-quality > window, or do they use an unpressurised plane with the crew wearing oxygen > masks, and the camera lens through ahole in the fuselage?
I think they just shoot through a normal cabin window that they keep extra clean. Those scratches you see on commerical jets’ cabin windows are the result of thousands of hours of dust and cleaning, and there’s no economic incentive for an airline to replace them when they get all scratched up like that. However, the windows can be changed, and I’m sure a company specializing in shooting photos and video in flight would change their windows when they get less than crystal clear. Chris — email address: dahler at bigfoot dot com
Response:
Just watched a video on Boeing’s web site about the history of the 747 and it featured nothing but interesting footage of 747s on the ground and in the air. I have always wondered what is involved in filming a 747 (or any plane) in the air. How close does the camera-equipped plane get to the real airplane ? Is it shot during a regular commercial flight, or must such shooting be done when the 747 is being test flown, or flown empty to a maintenance facility etc ? (Or woudl they actually get a 747 to take-off just for the purpose of shooting it on film ?) What sort of plane is used to shoot the other plane ? Would the 747 be travelling at normal cruise speed or at a much slower pace to allow the chase plane to keep up with the 747 ? Is the chase plane pressurised and equipped with a special lens-quality window, or do they use an unpressurised plane with the crew wearing oxygen masks, and the camera lens through ahole in the fuselage ?