In this case study by XM2 PURSUIT, a dedicated apparatus was built to lift an ARRI 535B armed with a 1000-foot magazine for beautiful celluloid aerial shots. Read on how they did it.
Drones that lift film cameras
XM2 PURSUIT first heavily utilized film cameras for Westworld in 2017 by integrating an ARRI 235 and a 400-foot magazine with a drone-mounted remote head. The drone used was the XM2 Sierra which was designed to carry an ALEXA 65. For sequences requiring a larger camera package, the company integrated the ARRI 535B with the helicopter-mounted Shotover K1. This system, which included a 1000-foot magazine, 1000 mm zoom lens, and a full HD video feed, involved a complete re-engineering of the XM2 6-axis gimbal to accommodate a camera package that can run for over 10 minutes. Read more about the making: Westworld was Shot on 20 Years-Old Film Cameras: A Reference for the Supremacy of Celluloid.
More recently, XM2 PURSUIT utilized the ARRI 235 on No Time To Die (Director – Cary Fukunaga, DP – Linus Sandgren). This movie was also a film- unadulterated with no use of any digital cameras (Read: ARRIFLEX 765: The Camera Behind “No Time To Die” ). The team traveled across Europe with the Tango aircraft and worked with main and second units to shoot high-action stunt sequences, chasing vehicles and working in coordination with the aerial teams.
Lifting an ARRI 535B with a 1000-foot magazine
XM2 PURSUIT has built an apparatus mounted on an A-Star helicopter, with the ARRI 535 that is integrated into a Shotover k1 with a 1000-foot magazine and 1000 mm zoom lens, so filmmakers, for the first time have the opportunity to shoot 11 minutes of film from the sky with full 6 – axis capabilities. On the demonstration below, the ARRI 535B was paired with the Angenieux Optimo Anamorphic 44-440mm. Check out the video below which shows the beauty of the celluloid:
Summary
A few days ago we wrote an in-depth article about the making of the Black Widow, which demonstrates the art of aerial filming, by utilizing only digital cinema cameras, paired with heavy lenses (Read: The Aerial Cinematography of Black Widow: Orchestra of VENICE + Premista, RED + Zeiss, on Drones and Helicopters) Nevertheless, film has its own magic, no doubt about that. Thus, an alternative of continuous shooting must be established, like the solution described above, to allow the utilization of a 1000-foot magazine.
What’re your thoughts about using heavy drones and helicopters to lift film cameras?
