Getting into Camera.
David Cowman, Cameraman to our sponsored four way team " The Freefall University five " offers advice for those who want to become freefall cameramen. This article was prompted by a request from a former student Raman Sinah who now has 330 jumps and is going to buy his first camera.
Flying camera can be lonely as you become detached in a sense from your friends in the video and are constantly thinking about the light , angles and centring your “ target”. At other times you can be very involved and interact a lot with the the subject such as a tandem passenger or student making a solo. Whichever the rewards are astounding both personally in reviewing your work and in presenting it to your friend or customer. Usually I cant wait untill I get to the camera room to view what I have just filmed and preview the video on the mini screen on my camera in the landing area. I hope in this article to give you some tips on " Getting into Camera " .
Challenge and reward.
As soon as i met the license requirements i started to jump with camera. It was only then that I became aware of the challenges involved. Not only had I to fly better but I could only point my gaze in freefall at the subject I was trying to film, i didnt have the complete freedom of look around me.
At first my challenge was merely to get my subject in the picture, but through the natural process of self critiquing over time this got better and I begun to " think through the lens ". Now I concentrate more now on the technical correctness of what I film and if im making a more artistic type film such as a students solo , the possibilities to both interact and capture their moment are endless. Perpaps you film a barrell roll as close as possible or shake their hand , maybe its making faces at them to have them make the face back. Before you start its a blank canvas, and you as the film maker sometimes have to be the director. As i now prepare to film our formation skydiving team my challenge will be to get it technically correct and ensure the teams work is captured on film suitable for them to use as a training tool and also for judging whilst we are in competition.
License requirements.
In most countries , as in the case in the UK, you must have a C certificate which means you are at about the 200 jump mark. This is so as at this stage you have some chance of being at the point in terms of flying skills to “fly a camera”. There is a more important factor also however , safety. When you have attained your C certificate you will probably have reached a point of maturity in the sport where you will know more of the common pitfalls in skydiving and how to avoid them . If you concentrate to heavily on filming for example you could become tunnel visioned and not keep an eye on altitude. Thinking through the lens means you may not be watching the approaching floor ( In my view an audible altimeter set to high volume is a must ).
Practical requirements.
If you cant fly without a camera , you will not be able to fly with one. An example of a poor decision in this regard is somebody who has spent most of their jumps free flying putting a camera on and trying to film a four way flat . In fact such a decision can be dangerous as you expose you and your co-jumpers to risk of collision, which can be all the more nasty as you have “ metal on your head “. Know your ability and account that it may be diminished slightly as you become committed to concentrating on “ thinking through the lens “. Being " aware " is important and acting appropriately adds considerably to safety on the jump.
Ok, so you can fly pretty well , and have decided your ready.
The first thing to consider is your equipment. There is a wide range of camera on the market with varying “ bells and whistles “ , how many of these extras you want depends on how Japanese you want to be about the affair . The following are worth considering:
Equipment : Camera
Ideally you want to get a Sony Digital camera that takes " Mini DV " tapes. It has been my experience with my own choices and those of friends that Sonys prove the more reliable and can also handle the varying light conditions on a skydive quite well. As you fall through varying light conditions the Sony´s seem to handle the change better and make intelligent decisions on exposure and other technical matters.
With many other brands downloading the film can only be done by dismounting the camera from your helmet and putting it on a “ cradle “ .. a real pain. Ideally in consiedering the precise model think about where you are going to have the camera on your helmet and how accessible the plugs for the power supply and tv cables will be. You may want to thread the cable though a hole in the helmet and leave it permanently plugged in. Wind it up and ´stuff ´it in a corner inside the helmet when you are jumping.
Make sure to get a camera with at least DV out , so you can " export " all your footage to a PC for editing. You will find when you have a good libary of your work that you will want to make a film of it..you will often see the tapes of other camera flyers showing in the bar in the evening. If you can afford one with DV in so much the better. ( in the EU for some silly reason there is a tax on cameras with DV in so they are normally more expensive ).
Consider also the weight of the camera, ligher cameras are less obtrusive and at some point you may decide to combine this weight with a stills camera. The less weight you have on your head at opening the better. All that weight can cause you problems later in life , if you have too much on during a hard opening.
Equipment : Wide Angle Lens
Most cameras unaided have a narrow field of view , so we use a wide angle lens. This changes , or expands the " field of view "of the camera such that when you are close to the subject its edges are not " left out " of the picture.
All wide angle lenses have a thread that screws onto the front of your standard DV camera. Make sure the thread size on the wide angle lens is the same as your camera or if this is not possible you can get many lens´s that have a converter.
Filming a solo is possible without this lens, but your margin for error in terms of where you point the camera is also diminished and any movement in your head ( and hence your camera ) appears to shake the camera. Not using a wide angle is not reccomended. So naturally the question really is .. what wide angle lens , what " size " ?. The three pictures below demonstrate how the view is widened ( fitting more into the picture ) but note that everything gets smaller as it now occupies less space on the screen. The first is a taken with a standard camera and no lens, the second with a ".5" and the third with a ".38 ".
What will you film most ?
This will really determine what you are going to use. Freeflyers move around a lot , so to give you the most chance of keeping them in the picture, a very wide lens like a .38 is advisable. This lens is also used by four way cameraman who are confident they will be close to the team they are filming.
Most popular is the .5 lens , it proves a good all rounder and is best choice for a beginner as it provides a decent blend of forgiveness if your a bit far away ( remember the smaller the number the smaller the subject ) and can be used with good results in most things you will film as a beginner. I recommened the Diamond Stealh Range as some of the best lenses in terms of cost and performance. They are a little expensive , but they are made with good glass and have low loss of quality associated with them . Unofortunaltey it took me a few different brands to find this one was the best for me.
Equipent :Choice of helmet:
A well fitting camera that keeps everything tucked away is a valuable tool. Choosing the correct one is a personal decision. More than anything it depends on whether you are going to be " taking a camera along for the ride " or are serious about pursuing camera more professionally. People who go onto work as camera men should be thinking about the ability of the helmet to take a stills camera as their experience grows.
Is everything tucked away ?
It is best to make sure that there are no sharp edges on your camera mount, as these could prove a snag point for deploying lines even if you deploy perfectly stable. The ideal soloution is to have a helmet that completley encloses your camera if you are going to side mount it. The helmet pictured on the right is the FF2 from 2k Composites . This manufacturer is quite good as you can have the helment can be made to order for your model camera. 2K´s customer care is good also, when i lost piece for my helmets closing mechanism they popped me another one in the post free of charge and i had it within 24 hours. I am not connected with this company, but was just impressed with their kit and workmanship so am reccomending them.
Remember we talked about cables for the TV ? There is a little hole in the side of the helmet on the far side of the camera ( as seen in the pic ) where the outputs from the camera are. FFU instructors use this model and leave their cables inside the helmet coiled up in the corner.
Reccomended extra´s
Cleaning Tape:
As the camera pass through varying temperatures and cloud etc. as you fall our cameras need cleaning frequently. Make sure you have a cleaning tape on hand and run if for a few seconds after every fifty jumps or so.
Cameye 2
Its happened everybody, but the risk is greatly diminished with one of these gadgets. Avoid forgetting to turn the camera on..
The Cameye 2 is a remote control for your camera and has an LED that changes in colour depending on whether the camera is on or off, or in standbye. If youve got one it becomes part of your routine just before you exit the door to check its colour. If you discover its off you can use the little switch ( you choose where you wan to mount it on the outside of your helmet ) to turn it on and avoid having to fiddle with buttons you cant see...which is difficult when your partners in crime are piling into the door asking are you ready to go...
Audible Altimetre.
Get one ! It is easy to become engrossed in what you are doing and forget about the planet rushing towards you. Cameramen have been killed , or if there bucket of luck wasnt empty had their AAD´s fire . With this little gadget you can programme it to go make a beeping noise at a certain altitude. If your still in freefall at pull altitude, it will make a veritable racket in your ear reminding you to save your bacon. Some models such as the Pro Track ( pictured right ) from Larsen and Brusgaard record all manner of information about the jump such as how fast you fell and what height you exited and opened etc.
What to film at first ?
Start jumping with solo skydivers, or small groups. The less your subject moves around and the less variables you have to consider ( such as where is everybody in a large group ) the better. At first you should concdentrate on keeping your head in the one spot and flying your body to achieve this aim. Sometimes its up to you to " animate " your subject, a good idea is to plan the jump with them. This way in freefall you know whats coming next and can anticipate changes in fall rate better. You will be responsible for capturing that jumpers moment, you will create something that they will probably bore their friends silly with and admire a million times midweek.. make the most of your oppportunity as an artist and have fun.
Stay Safe.
David
skydiving camera