Fresh off the back of its role in advising on the use of UAVs on the set of Transformers: The Last Knight, Consortiq will appear at the Interdrone exhibition in Las Vegas from 6-8 September to discuss its wealth of experience in overseeing drone use in cinematography.
UAVs are now commonplace on film sets, collecting shots that other assets previously could not necessarily capture so cost-effectively. However, a shift in the way they are being used has become apparent, and as a result, a need for filmmakers to consider the regulatory and safety criteria required is now evident.
While it was previously the case that drones allowed a quick transition between shots that had not been seen before, it is now not necessarily down to cost or trying to please an audience that drones are being used, but rather whether or not they will make the movie-making process quicker in comparison to using other tools.
“The creative reason for using a drone is still there, but I feel it is now shifting towards production reasons more so,” says Ben Keene, Chief Development Officer at Consortiq.
However, there are production issues generated by their use, so Consortiq wants to eliminate this responsibility on behalf of the filmmakers, taking on the role of dealing with the aviation authorities to ensure that the correct permissions to fly are in place by acting as a middleman.
“Now, everybody is very well versed in using drones on a filmset, and they are aware that they have a responsibility legally,” Keene notes. “They need to know they are protected; it’s not a fad anymore.”
The flights are not carried out by Consortiq itself, but it oversees all flying conducted by the third-party operator. The company is able to use an operator selected by the film company, or it has a trusted number of drone and payload companies that it can source on the production’s behalf.
In addition to the recent Transformers instalment, Consortiq has also advised on the of use drones during the filming of London has Fallen and Criminal. The latter saw a UAV legally operated over the streets of Central London for the first time, and started a precedent in this type of operation to support cinematography.
Keene will be on the panel discussion “Professional Drone Cinematography Best Practices” at 11:15am on 7th September during the Interdrone exhibition being held at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas.
About Consortiq
As cutting-edge innovators in drone and unmanned technology, Consortiq make it easier for organisations to put drones in the sky. Consortiq transforms businesses through unmanned aircraft system (UAS) software, training, consultancy, and hardware.