A camera-toting miniature helicopter darts out from under a railroad trestle over the Los Angeles River and trains the lens on Beverly Free. The television commercial producer sees a bird's-eye view of herself on a video monitor--and is impressed.
Remote-controlled helicopters can fly where humans wouldn't dare, and that means business for both Coptervision of Van Nuys and Flying-Cam Inc. of Santa Monica. The two companies have cornered a small part of a $100-million-plus industry that supplies aerial footage for film and TV directors who want fresh, edgy shots. That's what Free had in mind when she watched a Coptervision demonstration during pre-production work on national spots for a chain of fitness centers.
Free, in Los Angeles on behalf of Pitlik Studio of Minneapolis, says she wants a shot of a health club that starts out high in the air, then zooms down for a close-up of people splashing in the pool and then pulls back up into the sky.
"We'll have to look at our budget, but this looks like what we need," says Free as she peers into the monitor.
Coptervision and Flying-Cam are occupying booths not far apart in the Los Angeles Convention Center through Sunday at Variety's Showbiz Expo, an entertainment production industry trade show where Hollywood's latest toys are trotted out.
The tiny helicopters are a small niche of an important Hollywood industry, says Peter McKernan Jr., president of Motion Picture Aviation Inc. He estimates that worldwide billings for helicopters for feature film, TV and commercial production exceed $100 million annually, including equipment rentals, crew salaries and insurance. Helicopters are essential for filming many action sequences--think "ConAir"--so big-budget action productions have been paying upward of $3 million apiece for footage shot from choppers, said McKernan, whose father, Peter McKernan Sr., has piloted camera choppers for TV and movies for 20 years.
"And eight out of 10 car commercials use helicopters," adds McKernan Jr.
Much of the business is cornered by a dozen major players, most based in Southern California, which have organized the Motion Picture Pilots Assn., McKernan says. Members of the trade group rely on scores of freelancers and ancillary companies.
