UK Open event

Luff84 · May 15, 2017

We have been asked to film at a local racing event but I have issues with the distance I can fly away from the crowds (under 1000 people). Take off and landing fine however to get the shots I want I'll end up at about 20m.

It's a demolition derby so the crowds are well protected from the cars and behind fences but as I have learnt, fences aren't considered to improve the safety from a drone although in this particular case I won't be flying much higher than the fence itself.

Any suggestions or is it a no go?

Cyclops · May 15, 2017

Presumably there is a central area to the track which will allow you closer access to the race and by letting the drivers know what you are up to you should be able to get pretty close. A drone would be the least of their worries I'd imagine. You could all use a higher magnification lens such as the Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm. Not tried it myself as I think it could be a bit disorientating not having a wide view in a busy situation.

Also as I normally deliver in 1080p and film in 4k I am able to crop the image which brings you in a lot closer to the action.

Luff84 · May 15, 2017

Cyclops said:
Presumably there is a central area to the track which will allow you closer access to the race and by letting the drivers know what you are up to you should be able to get pretty close. A drone would be the least of their worries I'd imagine. You could all use a higher magnification lens such as the Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm. Not tried it myself as I think it could be a bit disorientating not having a wide view in a busy situation.

Also as I normally deliver in 1080p and film in 4k I am able to crop the image which brings you in a lot closer to the action.

Yes there is a central area where we would be stationed but i want to be able to get in the middle of the actual track (where the white lines would be if it were a road), i think if i stay at about 20m up at that point i should effectively be 50m from the nearest person not under my control and the further back i get from them the lower i can go.

I'm using the X4S therefore no lens changes, good point about the crop, it's one i had overlooked!

Eyeup Aerial Solutions · May 17, 2017

Luff, I think the rule is simple enough. Organised assembly of over 1000 (which this would be) equals 150m clearance. The only possible argument would be if the fencing completely covered the heads of the crowd too. If you are certified, what's your reasoning for doing something different other than a high fence. Not the answer you want but I would be looking for overview shots with 150m standoff and either 45mm or modified to carry 35-100mm.

Luff84 · May 17, 2017

Eyeup Arial Solutions said:
Luff, I think the rule is simple enough. Organised assembly of over 1000 (which this would be) equals 150m clearance. The only possible argument would be if the fencing completely covered the heads of the crowd too. If you are certified, what's your reasoning for doing something different other than a high fence. Not the answer you want but I would be looking for overview shots with 150m standoff and either 45mm or modified to carry 35-100mm.

No its going to be less than 1000 people so standoff is 50/30. I've calculated that if I were to hover in the middle of the track at 30m then I'll be within 50m then the further I get towards the center where we are stationed the lower I'll be able to go as all the people in the center of the ring will be under our control

Eyeup Aerial Solutions · May 17, 2017

My apologies. It's been a long day and I read under 1000 as over 1000. I really must have a word with my wife about some tuition...she's a primary teacher!

Do a bit of of geometry and it sounds like you should be able to get some good shots. Enjoy!

Dave Smith · May 17, 2017

50m horizontally and 20m vertically will give you a slant range of 54m. So you're fine with the spectator side of things, but what about the drivers? Will you need individual permissions from them?

Any environmental issues which may need risk assessing? Metal fencing, radio interference, updraft from vehicles. Any amendment to your immediate actions in case of flyaway or engine failure? Probably worth double checking with your insurance that you have suitable coverage for what you have planned.

jborden · May 18, 2017

We have been covering autograss racing (less than 1000 people) , but with a nice wide oval track and then safety barriers keeping the spectators back we have been able to maintain 50m separation by staying inside or over the nearside of the track.

We have used an Inspire 1 with X3 camera (similar focal length to X4S) and I2 with X5S and 17mm lens. I have to say the shots with the 17mm (equivalent 34mm focal length, but then extra crop factor as filming at 4K 60FPS) mean those action shots are MUCH closer, getting some real close ups of the frantic steering wheel action. Don't know if the extra crop applies to the X4S in 4K 60FPS?

Luff84 · May 19, 2017

Dave Smith said:
50m horizontally and 20m vertically will give you a slant range of 54m. So you're fine with the spectator side of things, but what about the drivers? Will you need individual permissions from them?

Any environmental issues which may need risk assessing? Metal fencing, radio interference, updraft from vehicles. Any amendment to your immediate actions in case of flyaway or engine failure? Probably worth double checking with your insurance that you have suitable coverage for what you have planned.

Yes I'll certainly check the insurance but it should be fine. Environmental issues? Not really as it's just a field but our site assssment will pick anything up on the day. The drivers are looking forward to being on film!

Dave Smith · May 19, 2017

Love to see the finished film. Sounds like one of those really fun 'can't believe I get paid to do this' kind of jobs

jborden · May 19, 2017

Dave Smith said:
Love to see the finished film. Sounds like one of those really fun 'can't believe I get paid to do this' kind of jobs

If it's anything like the autograss racing i've covered it can be quite stressful (with some fun). Races last roughly four minutes with a very short break before the next race (30 seconds to a minute is normal unless there was an incident). This means keeping the bird in the air ready and leaving enough battery for the next race (plus reserve) or bringing it down for a battery change. With two drones and ten sets of batteries and a gennie to keep things charged we still managed to miss one or two races. The batteries can take quite a while to cool before charging, especially when you are watching eagerly

Luff84 · May 24, 2017

For anyone interested, here is the video!

Luff84 · May 24, 2017

jborden said:
If it's anything like the autograss racing i've covered it can be quite stressful (with some fun). Races last roughly four minutes with a very short break before the next race (30 seconds to a minute is normal unless there was an incident). This means keeping the bird in the air ready and leaving enough battery for the next race (plus reserve) or bringing it down for a battery change. With two drones and ten sets of batteries and a gennie to keep things charged we still managed to miss one or two races. The batteries can take quite a while to cool before charging, especially when you are watching eagerly

The points you make are valid however we did the whole day with only 2 sets of I2 batteries and 3 Mavic batteries. The key was speak with the staff and get an idea which would be the good races and also the points where the action would be. We only had to deliver a 4 minute video and we had over 1.5hrs in the sky

jborden · May 24, 2017

Luff84 said:
The points you make are valid however we did the whole day with only 2 sets of I2 batteries and 3 Mavic batteries. The key was speak with the staff and get an idea which would be the good races and also the points where the action would be. We only had to deliver a 4 minute video and we had over 1.5hrs in the sky

Great job, well done. Love the overview shot of the whole circuit with cars going round near the start (looks like a top down of a scalextric track

Was the engine noise from the day (recorded separately) or stock sounds?

Luff84 · May 24, 2017

jborden said:
Great job, well done. Love the overview shot of the whole circuit with cars going round near the start (looks like a top down of a scalextric track Was the engine noise from the day (recorded separately) or stock sounds?

Thanks!

I've had lots of comments about the view overhead! I recorded the sounds on the day with my a6000 and just added them in edit, they are not the actual cars you see on the screen but i figured that they were all SO loud and raspy the only people that could actually tell were the drivers! We have been asked to film the remaining 5 events and were adding some ground filming too!