How to train your camera operator

[tahoelight]

So, I have had the joy of bouncing around with a few different camera operators to various jobs and most have little or no RC experience. Even the one I work with most does not use a remote control very often. Coming off our last shoot, he realized he needs to learn to fly a heli, so he can get used to the fine inputs of operating the camera gimbal. He is going out to get a flight simulator because we have a few more video shoots coming up. Has anyone else run into the issue of trying to train their camera operator? We don't actually live in the same town, so flying together for training is very difficult. I just thought I would open a discussion about this. Who wants to design an AP/AV camera operator simulator that we can practice online where I fly and he records various scenes of moving objects. A nitch market sure to make millions!

 

[Macsgrafs]

Practice, pratice & more practice. Good idea for a sim, but I think with phoenix you can select an internal view..try with a coax heli (blade) & just use trimms to turn it, I'm sure that would be very close to what we are after.

Ross

 

[SeanArenas]

Who wants to design an AP/AV camera operator simulator that we can practice online where I fly and he records various scenes of moving objects. A nitch market sure to make millions!

That would be pretty cool! Imagine you flying the RC and someone on the other side of the world controls the gimbal and camera...

 

[Efliernz]

For stills...

My wife is my operator and has put up with my flying for about 6 years now. She handled her tx well - but it was the communications that needed work. I like feedback while I fly - lots of it. Even if it is a "that's perfect - hold it there". She was too quiet too long for me! (no anti-wife talking jokes!)

We started with a gravity gimbal under the Trex-600 and that required some patience and long hovers. Once I changed to multis with a stabilized mount, she has got it easy now. She said after the first multi shoot "that was so damn easy". I asked if my 1000 hours in the shed over the last 2 years was excusable now... and she said "it wasn't that easy"!

Practice practice... I recorded my downlink a few times so we could critique it / our performance afterwards. That was well worth it.

Pete

 

[yeehaanow]

Started my op on the sim, with cockpit view, but now that we have a stabilized mount, we switched the pan to the aileron stick and the roll to the rudder. Now the sim is not that great for training.

Just like piloting, there are really no shortcuts or substitutes to getting out there and doing it. People that play first person shooting video games usually have a leg up. If they are used to the tilt stick reversed I have reversed the controls in the past, but started just forcing them to make the change. As long as they're camera guys they have picked it up quite quick, like half a day.
Framing and composition seem to be the hardest part to teach, and that's the stuff that takes years to master. Some people have a natural eye for it, and others...
Look for the people that can take a good photograph.

At the very least, give the guy your rig for a while. Set it up on a stand in the yard and practice tracking cars, pets, kids, squirrels, bears, and other things that may be running around.

The quick solution to getting smooth moves is to bring the rates down very low and dial in a bunch of expo.

 

[Macsgrafs]

For stills...

My wife is my operator and has put up with my flying for about 6 years now. She handled her tx well - but it was the communications that needed work. I like feedback while I fly - lots of it. Even if it is a "that's perfect - hold it there". She was too quiet too long for me! (no anti-wife talking jokes!)

We started with a gravity gimbal under the Trex-600 and that required some patience and long hovers. Once I changed to multis with a stabilized mount, she has got it easy now. She said after the first multi shoot "that was so damn easy". I asked if my 1000 hours in the shed over the last 2 years was excusable now... and she said "it wasn't that easy"!

Practice practice... I recorded my downlink a few times so we could critique it / our performance afterwards. That was well worth it.

Pete

Exactly how we started Pete, about the same time to! & yes I agree 100%..my fiancee is to quiet for me, I like to know where to go & only she can direct me! We now have 2 way walkie talkies & I use VOX (voice operated transmission), so I can keep both hands on the transmitter.

Ross

 

[Efliernz]

We haven't needed to be separate yet but we have a hands-free cellphones if required.

Training is also required so the camera operator understands to keep a really good outlook for pedestrian/car/aircraft traffic, especially declaring the landing area clear - and they need to know how to wave that bee away from the pilots nose without knocking his sunglasses off his face!

Pete

 

[DucktileMedia]

I am working with a new cam op and he has been a producer, camera operator, post guy for many many years. He tried his hands at controlling the heli and did fine as expected. But when an actually shoot came up he had a panic moment and the shot came out 100x worse than if I just left the camera still. He had the camera pointing up at the motors wagging around ALL over the place. In this case the best training tool is one of these:

View attachment 7840

 

[DennyR]

I set my gimbal up in the same way as a pro. crane/jib etc. is used so that anyone in the industry can use it. (If you want to see left of the screen you give left ail command. If you want to see down then you give backwards elev. command) so the pitch is the opposite to what you do with the model. Very often a director will want to try his hand to get the shot he wants.

Once I set the angle that I want I usually recommend that they keep their hands away from it, but they always want the last say which usually turns out to be NG.

With the Zen locked to the models heading I can do most of the shots alone.

The best advice you can give any new operator is to do everything at half the speed that they think is slow. Allow the subject matter to move into the shot and out again and don't hose pipe anything. Get one sequence right and then do the next one. Always work from a story board. Wandering about in the sky without any pre-planned objective just burns up battery time etc. unless you are shooting FPV just for fun.

 

[Macsgrafs]

Some good points being raised here, well done guys keep it up.

The mobile phone idea is fine Pete until you're in a location with no mobile coverage welcome to parts of the yUK
Irish....thats a bit kinky mate, the paddle I mean...looks leather to me as well
Denny, my cam op also flies an RC heli & has hovered my quad once herself...so if the sticks were reversed for camera operations...she would completly naff it up

Ross

 

[Soaringclauz]

Great thread, if i discover how to subscribe to a thread i'll subscribe. Communication is essential, i have been working with different people and depending on the background each has a different approach...and things to sort out before getting the result.
Right now i am working with a professional photographer and video operator in the sport industry with a past in the rc car competitions and am very happy with the results. Still, we need to work on the fact that he tends to zoom too close to the subject forgetting that he is not using his usual 10 kg tripod but a way less stable 4 kg flying saucer.
edit: i discovered how to subcribe and did it

 

[tahoelight]

Love the various ideas. I agree communication is very important. As a pilot, I need to walk around some times to see obstacles so voice communication can get difficult. We definitely need to find some good radio headsets that are voice activated (or some sort of hands free options.) Anyone have any links to some radio options?

 

[Macsgrafs]

Love the various ideas. I agree communication is very important. As a pilot, I need to walk around some times to see obstacles so voice communication can get difficult. We definitely need to find some good radio headsets that are voice activated (or some sort of hands free options.) Anyone have any links to some radio options?

I use midland GXT550, they are quite small with a really good range, but I think they stopped making the 550's some time ago, but the new models are even better (range wise). I have managed 2 miles in a built up area....not that your camop & yourself will need to be 2 miles apart
You can buy the handsfree headset for a few $'s as well.

Here is the updated model:-
http://www.buytwowayradios.com/products/midland/midland-gxt-1050-vp4.aspx

Ross

 

[tahoelight]

Those look great and they have the eVOX voice activation and headsets. There are black versions for $50 a set. I might have to give them a try. Thanks

 

[Macsgrafs]

Those look great and they have the eVOX voice activation and headsets. There are black versions for $50 a set. I might have to give them a try. Thanks

I know you'll love them, makes life so much easier

Ross

 

[Soaringclauz]

Hello,
i quote that, we have bought a similar setup and are very happy with them, unluckily they do not work in every situation. Sometimes we fly in very noisy car and motor sports events and the vox goes dumb. Looking to hack ours for a true push to talk button fitted to the radio control.