Perfect Perfect

Back to ground zero on Dead Man’s Cliff. We have reviewed and complied with our 17 step checklist. We have made sure everything is in top flying condition. We have our spotter. We have perfect weather. We have a captivating view. Now we just have to capture that view, that scene out there, and conclude our 11 minute adventure with that mini SD card in hand. (Did I tell you the GoPro records video files onto mini SD cards? Well, it does, and yours does as well.)

WAIT! Before we get into the intriguing topic of ‘capturing compelling video’ let’s take a step back from the cliff and consider how we will fly the routes that capture the scene before us. Now that we have spent the money for equipment and invested considerable time in learning to fly our quad; can you actually maneuver the craft into the exact spot to ‘get the shot’? And, then can we fly around the object of our vision in a manner that yields a spectacular compelling video and not some crazy ‘Drunk Uncle” zig-zag?

If you want to capture that vision, you need to be able to fly. Remember Vince’s mantra, ‘Perfect practice makes perfect.’ For me, it took some basic remote control newbie drills. Flying figure 8s. That’s so basic. Go out to a wide open flat, unpopulated space and fly figure eights. And, fly them precisely as you planned. Got it done? Good.*

Now that we can fly figure eights, we need to fly them all the while video recording a subject. One identified subject. After all, our goal is to capture that magic vision that we see in front of us. Of course, we can fly willy-nilly all over the friggin place, come home, and post some shit on YouTube and do a victory lap for not crashing. But, that takes only partial skill, partial luck.

If you intend to have a point of interest, a specific video subject, you need to be able to fly about that subject. And, with a GoPro, that includes the distance between the subject to the camera as wide angle makes it hard to get close up video on a specific subject. You have to be close and that poses big challenges, especially when the quad is 300 yards out to sea and 70 feet below.

For example, I was FPV out over ocean rocks when I realized that right below me were sea lions on a rock formation. I wanted that shot. I had to have the skill to point the GoPro at the sea lions and flying in a circle (or hover) about them. I did, I had maybe 3 minutes of the group looking at Tommy and then started diving into the ocean, all the while two juveniles would not jump as they were fascinated by Tommy. Finally, Mom kicked their ass off into the water.

The video? Oh, I had forgotten to turn on the record button upon launch and missed everything.

Check List, Check List, Check List, Check List, Check List.

*Note: A final exorcise for quad & video control is to place a chair (a large object) somewhere unobstructed and fly a 360 pattern around the chair, never losing the chair in the center of the recorded video. Good luck Grasshopper. That is one bitch of an exercise. If you can’t do it. You are kidding yourself about being a competent pilot.