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Chapter 11: The Future of Drone Aerial Photography
🕑 Added 2024-09-03 10:27:04 +0000 UTCThe famous Hawaiian Islands consist of 132 islands and are the only island state in the United States, with its capital located in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. However, the filming location for the "The Shallows" crew was not on Oahu, but on Kauai Island, which is also the chosen location for the upcoming "Jurassic Park."
"Jurassic Park" was still in the planning stages, but "The Shallows" had already begun filming.
The entire story of "The Shallows" seems quite simple: a girl goes to a remote beach to surf, encounters a shark, and then escapes.
For Gilbert, the key to the film's success is how to effectively portray the escape from the shark.
Fortunately, with the original "The Shallows" as a reference, Gilbert had a clear idea of how to achieve the desired effect.
"Gilbert, come on and join us! It's so much fun here!" shouted Gwyneth Paltrow, who was playing in the water, wearing a sexy bikini.
In July, the waters of Hawaii's beaches are a deep blue, with seagulls wandering in the distance, their cries echoing in the air.
Gentle waves caress the rocky outcrops on both sides of the beach, creating small bursts of foam.
Sunshine, the beach, coconut trees, beauties, bikinis—all the elements are present.
But Gilbert wasn't there to enjoy himself. He waved his hand and said, "Take a break. Aren't you tired after shooting so many scenes?"
"Not at all, I want to surf some more." With that, Gwyneth Paltrow paddled her surfboard and headed back into the water.
"Hey, be careful, there are sharks in there!" Gilbert called out.
"I'm playing the role of someone escaping from a shark, woohoo..." Gwyneth Paltrow was fully immersed in the fun.
For others, "The Shallows" was work, but for Gwyneth Paltrow, it was more like a vacation.
Although Gilbert had experience directing online movies in his previous life, it was uncertain how much of that experience would be applicable in a 1990s Hollywood production.
Because of this, Gilbert adopted a gradual approach, starting with simpler scenes and then progressively increasing the difficulty.
Due to the small budget for the film, the scale of the production was not much larger than the online movie crews Gilbert had led in the past, which gave him some comfort.
During the first shot, Gilbert was a bit nervous, and there was a small mishap.
But soon enough, he adjusted and quickly got into the groove.
No one in the crew made fun of him; after all, becoming a director and leading a crew at the age of 21 is no small feat, and a bit of clumsiness was understandable.
On the contrary, Gilbert's quick recovery and display of professionalism surprised many.
The director of photography, Duell Randolph, casually remarked to Gilbert during a break, "I didn't expect you to be ten years younger than me, yet get into the swing of things so quickly. That's really impressive."
Gilbert humbly replied, "It's all thanks to everyone's cooperation and support that I was able to find my footing so quickly."
Duell Randolph looked at Gilbert seriously and said, "For us, this is just a job, Gilbert. But for you, it means much more."
Gilbert nodded, indicating that he understood.
After a week of adjustments, the crew found their rhythm, and the filming process became much smoother.
"Are we ready?"
"Director, everything's ready."
"Okay, launch the drone and let's see how it turns out. I want a full shot of the beach," Gilbert instructed.
"Got it," the drone operator gave an OK gesture and quickly maneuvered the drone into the air.
The drone was equipped with a camera capable of 360-degree rotation. The camera, produced by Sony, transmitted the footage to the monitor in real-time.
Seeing the footage on the monitor, the group gathered around it gasped in amazement.
This was the first time they had seen a drone being used for film shooting.
Gwyneth Paltrow excitedly patted Gilbert on the back, saying, "Gilbert, I want to play with that!"
"This expensive equipment is not for playing with. Let's finish the shoot first; we need to return it afterward," Gilbert firmly declined.
Duell Randolph, who had been working in film photography for seven or eight years, was also seeing this filming technique for the first time.
Curious, he asked Gilbert, "Director, how did you come up with the idea of using a drone for this shot?"
"This wasn't my original idea," Gilbert explained. "Two years ago, a Belgian named Privina used drones for film shooting. The company he founded has advanced drone photography technology and practical experience. However, since his company hasn't expanded to the U.S., we had to modify the drone ourselves."
Duell Randolph was impressed. "Director, even so, you're a genius. Who else would think to use a method like this to shoot a film?"
"Exactly," Gwyneth Paltrow agreed. "I thought you went to Honolulu to get the drone to kill sharks, not for aerial shots."
This one drone shoot was enough to make many in the crew take Gilbert more seriously. They realized that this young man had some real talent.
Actually, drone technology was initially used in the military and developed rapidly.
With the spread of civilian markets, consumer drones became increasingly powerful, but drones specifically designed for aerial photography were still rare.
Gilbert had found this drone in Honolulu, had the Sony camera airlifted from Los Angeles, and then made modifications to it.
Of course, since buying a drone was expensive, this one was only modified with the model store owner's permission.
The model store owner had also come to the set to witness the whole process of the crew using the drone for filming and was left stunned.
He had never thought that a drone could be used in this way.
In the 21st century, drone photography became quite commonplace, but in the early 1990s, it was a novelty.
Although drone and aerial photography technologies had significant gaps compared to two or three decades later, they were advanced enough to astonish people at that time.
When the drone safely returned to the ground, Gilbert smiled and said to the model store owner, "See? I wasn't lying. Drone aerial photography has a bright future. You should consider getting into it."
The model store owner, still in a daze, took back his drone. After seeing the crew remove the Sony camera, he asked, "How much does this camera cost?"
"It shouldn't be too expensive, right?" Gilbert looked to Duell Randolph.
Randolph replied, "Not too expensive, but you can't get it in Hawaii; you'll need to go to Los Angeles."
The model store owner, now excited, retrieved his drone and began thinking about how to make money using drone aerial photography.
What Gilbert did today might very well lay the foundation for future drone companies.
After wrapping up the day's shoot, Gilbert and Duell Randolph rode back to the hotel together, continuing to exchange thoughts.
"Technically speaking, drone aerial photography fills a gap in low-altitude shooting. Helicopters are most effective at altitudes above 500 meters, while ground-based equipment like cranes, tracks, and Steadicams are limited to 20 meters. But drones can effectively cover the space from 20 to 500 meters. And as camera technology continues to advance, drone photography will likely replace helicopter filming and become the new standard for aerial photography."
Gilbert painted a bright future for drone photography.
Duell Randolph agreed, "I feel like, Director, you've started a revolution in filming techniques. You're going to be remembered in film history."
But Gilbert waved it off, saying, "This isn't my original idea. Instead of thinking about leaving a legacy, I'm more concerned with making sure this movie turns out well."
"After today, for some reason, I believe you'll succeed," Duell Randolph expressed his newfound confidence in Gilbert.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Duell. I'm going to need your help."
"Of course! I'm a professional cinematographer..." Duell Randolph responded confidently.
