Debate Rages Over Drones in Movie Shoots

from hollywoodreporter.com

Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, lots of gunfire, a speeding train, an approaching helicopter — all caught in a swooping bird’s-eye view. Not that long ago, the only way to capture all that simultaneous action in one aerial shot would have required a second helicopter with its own camera crew. But that isn’t how the opening sequence in The Expendables 3 was shot. Instead, an unmanned drone, operated remotely, hovered above the scene for the film, which Lionsgate is releasing Aug. 15.

“We flew right next to a train and helicopter,” says pilot Ziv Marom, owner of the drone camera-services company ZM Interactive. “We shot everything from chasing tanks to explosions to flying over buildings and motorcycle jumps. We can also do shots that a real helicopter can’t do. We can do lower altitudes.”

As drones — also known as UAVs, unmanned aerial vehicles — are being employed for everything from warfare to Las Vegas bottle service, Hollywood is eager to draft them into filmmaking because they hold the promise of new creative options, real cost savings and possibly even safer sets. Drone-makers, rigging manufacturers and aerial production companies all are joining forces to offer remote-controlled, camera-equipped drones. Another shot in Expendables illustrates a drone’s versatility: A camera-equipped drone flew out of a building’s window for an aerial view, then returned back through the same window — something that could never have been achieved with a helicopter. But Expendables was shot in Bulgaria. In the U.S., before drones can become commonplace, regulatory issues are a major hurdle.

Currently, federal law prohibits the commercial use of unmanned aircraft — in filming or for any other purpose. To conduct an operation like film­making with a UAV in U.S. air­space, users need a certified aircraft, licensed pilot and Federal Aviation Administration approval, according to FAA spokesman Les Dorr. The FAA is considering a request by the MPAA, which filed a petition on behalf of seven aerial production companies — Aerial MOB, Astraeus Aerial, Flying-Cam, HeliVideo Productions, Pictorvision, Vortex Aerial and Snaproll Media — asking for a regulatory exemption to allow for the domestic use of unmanned aircraft systems by the motion picture and television industry.

“All flights will occur over private or controlled-access property with the property owner’s prior consent and knowledge,” Snaproll said in the petition. And addressing privacy concerns, it added, “Filming will be of people who have also consented to being filmed or otherwise have agreed to be in the area where the filming will take place.” In saying it would consider the issue, a process that could take a few months, the FAA cautioned, “All the associated safety issues must be carefully considered to make sure any hazards are appropriately mitigated.”

The FAA already is working on a proposed set of rules specifically developed for users of small — less than 55 pounds — aircraft that it expects to complete later this year. Although the FAA has not yet determined what those regulations might entail, they could be applied to drones used in filming because many digital cameras are getting smaller and lighter as the technology advances.

Making the case for why film and television productions should be allowed to follow suit, Neil Fried, the MPAA’s senior vp government and regulatory affairs, argues: “Unmanned aircraft systems offer the motion picture and television industry an innovative and safer option for filming. This new tool for storytellers will allow for creative and exciting aerial shots.”

Not everyone is convinced, though. “I’m really dubious about the use of drones,” says director of photography Richard Crudo, president of the American Society of Cinematographers and an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences governor. “First of all, people don’t realize that these things are like flying lawn mowers — excessive care must be taken with their use.”

Others argue, though, that unmanned craft could make filming safer by keeping filmmakers on the ground. Says Dan Kanes, a director of photography whose company Paralinx makes a wireless HD video link that enables remote monitoring while filming with a drone: “It’s much safer than flying a full-size copter. Unfortunately, sometimes there are helicopter accidents.” In 1982, on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie, one such accident resulted in the death of actor Vic Morrow and two children. More recently, two filmmakers who were working with James Cameron were killed in February 2012 when their helicopter crashed while location scouting off the south coast of Australia. And in early 2013, three died in a crash while working on a Discovery program in Acton, Calif.

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