Drone video production just came to eImage. Our partner Daniel Gamburg in LA’s Enlightened Pictures, Inc. got a new 4k camera drone. Yesterday he shot the first demo:

Highland Park BBQ

Because we work so closely with Daniel we now have a 4k camera drone in our list of in-house video production capabilities. It’s not something we’ll need every day, but drone video production sure spices up a corporate video, or any kind of promotional, advertising, or documentary production.

Until recently drone video production was practically impossible. Cameras were too big and heavy, batteries were not powerful enough to carry themselves aloft, let alone a camera and the drone itself, and without GPS and all kinds of fancy electronic stabilization, flying a drone was not something an ordinary mortal could do. The go-to solution for all aerial videography was to hire a helicopter and either hang out the window with a camera on your shoulder, or get the entire Tyler Mount (http://www.tylermount.com/) helicopter setup. It all got to be VERY expensive.

It also had its limitations. Helicopters are huge and loud. You can’t fly one under a tree or into a back yard. Even if you could, the helicopter rotor downwash is an incredible force; it would tear a typical backyard to shreds. We know, we’ve shot from helicopters before. (A dirigible offers a much smoother ride, it’s a much more comfortable, albeit much slower, camera platform. Yes, Andy has experience shooting from a blimp as well.)

Electric drones and small cameras changed the equation and since the footage is so compelling, we are now starting to see drone video production everywhere.

Daniel’s drone is a DJI Mavic Pro. It is small enough to go through doorways, so we can show off your building and then fly right in. We can use it indoors to show your manufacturing facility, office or lobby; the maneuverability is amazing and its 4k image quality is astounding.

Daniel and I were at the NAB convention in April and saw an interesting accessory which is not yet available: a virtual reality headset for the drone. This will allow two people to operate: a pilot to take care of maneuvering and a camera operator to get the shot. Daniel and I can’t wait to get it because at that point, we’ll have everything we ever wanted for drone video production.