Aerial Filmmaking
I mentioned within my final proposal that I am planning to employ a drone within my film as I feel this could be useful to re-create the taxi-ing of an aircraft along the runway. As it's such a wide landscape, as a filmmaker I wanted to give my film a different dimension, a bids eye view looking down on the dispersal pens would really help to show the scale of the pens. This cinematic style would really work well to capture the pundit code, replicating the type of angle that this would be visible from for a pilot who is soaring through the sky. Each station is allocated a unique two letter Pundit Code, the code would be visible from the air, with 10-foot high letters displayed alongside the Signal Squares and Watch Office.
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I worked alongside a drone pilot to capture footage that would be of a satisfactory standard, I created a checklist prior to the shoot so I had a clear idea of the different kinds of areas that I wanted to cover, detailing camera angles and movement within the frame.
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It didn't take us long to work out that it was a great bit of kit to learn how to use. Safety features built on board to tell you when you are flying too far away or too high, this was important for the shoot as the weather on Dartmoor is predominantly windy and foggy but the foggy atmosphere certainly added to the aesthetic of my film.
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Whilst we were flying the drone, I make sure that I had a DSLR camera with myself or I would use my phone to check our location and take behind the scenes footage which I could utilise within my sketchbook and touch upon within my evaluation.
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Here is a rough shot list for the shoot with a few behind the scenes shots as well to show the progression over time.
As well as the proposed drone footage to make up the aerial photography for my film, I planned to devise a way to portray the layout for the airfield. I wanted a way to bring the viewer into the frame, a visual mapping system that guides the viewer from Roborough, then out across the airfield and up to Yelverton. After searching online for a way to make this happen, I came across Google Earth which is built into the mac but is activated using a separate IOS plugin. they have updated their software, users of the interface now have the ability to map and record their journeys using the search bar. I decided to use Google Earth to map a route around the airfield, it was quite a challenging tool, especially when you were trying the make the transitions seem a lot smoother, you would have to map extra points in between locations. I am happy with the outcome and the piece will be brought alive once a voice over has been put in place to describe what's being portrayed on the screen at any given time. I am planning to use titles in premiere pro to overlay the names of areas, buildings, locations i.e. Officers Mess, Yelverton Rock, Dispersal Pens etc. I feel like this decision will look much more professional and make it appropriate for an elderly viewer to read.
Simulator for R.A.F. Harrowbeer - Google Earth Mapping
