November 2010
It's been a busy year of aerial filming work - feet have barely touched the ground. Time on terra firma has been taken up with the latest software upgrades and testing several new innovations that keep our equipment on the leading edge.
Frame grab of sunset at Neuschwanstein Castle,
Germany. On the last day of 18 weeks (4 trips) flying
around Germany over the 4 seasons of 09/10.
Deutchsland von oben - 3 x 45 minute for
ZDF TERRA-X
Deutschland von oben
We've recently started work on a second series of Deutschland von oben (Germany from Above) for ZDF-1 / Colourfield Productions.
The first three episodes can be viewed on line at www.zdf.de
Check out the amazing time-lapse sequences by Goggi Strauss and the interesting image manipulation effects of some of the aerial sequences.
Producers Petra Höfer and Freddie Röckenhaus have just completed a five-episode version of the original three episode series for ZDF Neo.
Frame grab from the first BNZ Whale Watch TVC.
The BNZ / Kaikoura / Whalewatch series of TVC's.
This series of three TVC's features HDTV aerial filming and only one continuous shot for each commercial. Great to be working with Exile Films' Ian Gibbons who managed to choreograph all the on-ground movements perfectly to make such a stunning sequence. Helicopter crew was Alfie Speight, Peter Thompson, Christine Jeffs, and John Toon.
Watch the series
Another hard day at the office for Director Tony Barnes
and filming pilot Alfie Speight. Photo – Peter Thompson.
Rivers with Craig Potton – South Pacific Pictures
We recently had a number of epic days flying around the South Island filming aerials of South Island rivers featured in Craig Potton's 5 x 1 hour documentary series. With a minimum crew on board, Alfie Speight (pilot), Peter Thompson (aerial DoP) and Susi Thompson (shot list wrangler), the emphasis was on ticking off the list of shots within the client's rigid flying time budget.
Additional Rivers footage was shot on a combined expedition with South Pacific Pictures High Country Rescue series.
Hi Susi and Pete
Many thanks for all your help – both on the Rivers series and High Country Rescue. The aerial shots have been just glorious and certainly added a huge amount of value to the look of both shows.
Sam Blackley Producer
South Pacific Pictures
Frame grab of the bridge at Clyde as
featured in the Chorus – Humming Along TVC's
Chorus - Humming Along TVC
The aerials for the Chorus - Humming Along TVC (Chameleon TV/Nic Craig) were shot just up the road from Aeroptics' Queenstown base at Clyde / Alexandra.
Chameleon TV also produced the Telecom XT Stern Stuff Paul Reynolds (fishing) TVC on the Greenstone River.
This TVC was a mixture of HDTV aerials and 35mm film
For the technically minded - Sony in the air with S-LOG gamma and an Arri 535 on the ground were the cameras used.
Tourism New Zealand Shoot - Peter Young directing.
Shooting the huge passenger liners in Fiordland for Tourism New Zealand was a challenge. Their tight cruising schedules do not make allowances for filmng in ideal weather conditions.
Footage was also shot for series "Coasters" - Fisheye Films
Top: Prismatic Pool Yellowstone National
Park Montana - HD Frame grab for HOME
Middle: Home was simultaneously launched
in 181 countries, including Paris
on a huge outdoor screen.
Bottom: Peter Thompson accepts the
Award for Excellence for
cinematography for Yann Arthus-Bertrands 'Home'
from Dick Hibberd, Honorary President of
The Guild of Television Cameramen UK.
Home
www.home-2009.com
French environmentalist and stills photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand spent two years travelling the globe filming the environmental impact caused by human activity that he has observed from an aerial perspective. Aeroptics camera operator, Peter Thompson was a foundation contributor of the aerial cinematography capturing images and visiting eighteen countries throughout the shoot.
In June 2009 we travelled to Paris to attend the launch of Home at an outdoor-screening beside the Eiffel tower. Home was simultaneously released in cinemas across the globe, on DVD, on Blu-Ray, television and on YouTube, breaking the world record for the largest film release in History. One year later there were over 14 million viewings of the film on YouTube.
Below the radar in the half Pipe – that's
Travis Rice ABOVE the helicopter
For That's It That's All - Brain Farm Cinema
July 2008
Pilot Alfie Speight
Photo Scott Sullivan
That's It – That's All (It's...... All Over the Place!)
This is a great example of getting value for your aerial filming budget!
Aerial footage of New Zealand, shot by Peter Thompson in 2006/2007 with the Aeroptics Cineflex for the snowboarding movie That's It – That's All keeps popping up all over the place.
Director/Producer Curt Morgan describes the moment he saw the dailies from the first day of aerial shooting as 'lifechanging'. We shot a lot of snowboarding, but we also shot a lot of scenics.
Check out Director/Producer Curt Morgan's interesting interpretation of the South Island aerial scenics using special effects in the 'Extras' menu on the That's It – That's All DVD.
There's a different cut (all New Zealand aerial scenics) on Curt's website.
Travis Rice talks about his next movie Flight on the Red Bull Chronicles. Check out the New Zealand aerials.....
And for something completely different ..have a look at…. MrJohnnyNK's “Wonderful Chill Out Music – New Zealand” clip on youtube....
www.thatsit-thatsall.com
The Cineflex was also mounted on a boat
for some slow motion sequences in Tahiti.
BBC South Pacific (also featuring on the Chill Out scene)
South Pacific is a six part natural history documentary series about the South Pacific region featuring ground-breaking slow motion footage and stunning underwater cinematography.
Aeroptics shot aerials in Fiordland, New Zealand for the series and later shot aerials in French Polynesia along with some boat-mounted footage of the lagoons. The television series has been well received globally, but now the internet is seeing a second life for the footage on MrJohnnyNK's Wonderful Chill Out Music – South Pacific clip on YouTube.
Bizarrely ..the background music for the New Zealand content of the clip is from another production we shot aerials for – Ata Whenua