The Sky Is Not The Limit

Insider to the filming industry know the challenges faced when requiring aerial imagery for your productions.

It exponentially increases your budget requirements, and difficult decisions and prioritisations need to take place to make the buck stretch that extra mile. But now the good news: A new product has appeared on the scene that helps to bridge that gap between the DoP's desires for dynamic aerials and his available budget. The Austrian company Dynamic Perspective has invested several years of research and development to create an ultra-light version of a 5-axis gyro stabilised gimbal. The outcome is set to revolutionise the filming industry. Being capable to take a wide variety of film and broadcast cameras and lenses, the DynaX5 has two significant advantages over the established competition: At around 20kg and significantly more affordable, complete with control panel (excluding camera), the DynaX5 changes both the price point and types of equipment that high-end stabilisation systems can be used on.

One of the most exciting new platforms to emerge is the gyrocopter. Significantly, the gyrocopter was the first other aircraft the DynaX5 was tested on and optimised for. This fantastically stable and safe aircraft has a lot of potential to be used commercially for filming as it's designed to function well at low speeds and altitudes, while its limited equipment payload has previously rendered it not fit for filming. Previously there was no option to use a 5-axis gimbal with cameras such as ARRI, RED or Sony on gyrocopters. The combination of the DynaX5 with a gyrocopter proves that there is a space between drones and helicopters for cinematographers and broadcasters.

From customer to advocate
That is exactly what has attracted Keith Harding from BeyondHD to the DynaX5 gimbal.

BeyondHD, who are already well known as a high end UAV operator for film and TV in the UK, will operate the world's first commercially certified gyrocopter specifically for aerial filming. This is the outcome from over two years of a truly European collaboration between BeyondHD, Dynamic Perspective, Autogyro and the UK's Civil Aviation Authority.

"Whilst the aircraft is very exciting," comments Keith Harding, the Managing Director and 25 year cameraman, "It was the collaboration with Dynamic Perspective and their next generation 5-axis Gimbal, that made this project possible. Crucial for us, the DynaX5 weighs less than the allowable payload but still provides what we tested to be absolutely first class stabilisation and amazing flexibility to accommodate a wide range of film and broadcast cameras/lenses. This is critical to us as we service, film, TV and live broadcast."

"Combining the DynaX5 and our Cavalon Pro commercial gyrocopter heralds a new era and entry point of manned aerial filming," Keith enthuses. The aircraft has a range of more than 3 hours and a practical filming ceiling of around 6000 feet. Flying at speeds between 25 and 100Kts, it's equally suited to live broadcast or film/drama/commercials type aerials.

BeyondHD are well known for innovative equipment and stunning aerials for both film and TV. The coming together of the gyrocopter and the fantastic DynaX5 gimbal, not only provides aerial filming at a totally new entry level, but also provides unprecedented opportunities for flexibility. "The ability to move not just between the camera/lens selections used in the gimbal, but to literally move the complete gimbal/camera from, say, our gyrocopter, straight on to our Porsche Cayenne tracking vehicle or even the electric quad or wirecam in just a few minutes."

Dynamic Perspective – Innovation Made in Austria
Peter and Stefan Morawitz, the founders of Dynamic Perspective, have put their entire professional background and passion into the development of the DynaX5 gimbal pushing the technology into the next dimension. They understood the limitations of existing stabilisation systems and set out to create a product ready to open up the skies for new methods of professional filming.

From the start of the company, the focus was on creating an outstanding camera stabilisation system that was light enough to use with large drones, conventional helicopters as well as the lighter, newer breed of aircrafts that up to now were unconsidered due to payload restrictions. To that end, they have even developed and built their own UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) that is the first certified commercial unmanned aircraft in their home country Austria. It acted as the perfect early testing device for the DynaX5 system prior to graduating to the next devices – including the gyrocopter, helicopter, car and cable cam.

"The process of developing such high-tech equipment has been long and onerous, and at times frustrating, but the result speaks for itself," remembers Peter Morawitz. The stabilisation has been brought to the highest levels of precision. The outstanding auto-horizon function is able to create sequences of jaw-dropping effects. Here is a stabilisation system ready for take-off.

Innovation meets customer experience
The setting up process of the system has also been optimised to be a plug-and-play system. Requiring only one power box for inflight filming, two cables are all that is required to connect the gimbal and the control panel. The hassle of needing to feed multiple cables through tight channels of the aircraft is gone.

"We are delighted with the good resonance we are getting from the market. The outlook is so positive that we have decided to place ourselves closer to our customers and have established representations in the UK and the USA," says Peter Morawitz, CEO.

Keith Harding concludes: "In over 25 years working in film and television, I can't recall being involved with such a game changing filming platform that will truly open up the skies to any production wishing to achieve more aerial filming but without any sacrifice to quality or camera/lens flexibility."

There are almost no limits to shooting professional pictures with the DynaX5.

For more information and stunning showreels visit www.dynamicperspective.com.

Image: Cavalon DynaX5 as exhibited at the IBC 2015.

This article is also available to read at BFV online here.
(JP)