Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “Movers & Makers: Drone Dudes”.
My name is andrew peterson and i’m a drone pilot at drone dudes. We specialize in low-level aerial cinematography, we’re based out of los angeles, california, and i started this project about two years ago. Our system runs as a two-person operation, so i pilot the craft and jeff is controlling the camera. My name is jeff blank and i’m a drone camera operator. I operate the gimbal.
The gimbal is a piece of machinery underneath it actually allows us to control the camera in a really really unique way. It allows to tilt and pan and have roll access. It allows us to get shots that we never really could without it to fly drones to this level. The operators need to be in perfect communication and on the same level, and that’s what me and andrew do we’re constantly communicating to ensure the safety of the crew and make sure we get the exact shot our biggest and baddest drone.
The octocopter allows us to hold weights that we never could with the other drones. We custom built this octocopter from scratch by taking a bunch of different components from different systems and compiling it all into one. It’S been a lot of fun, but it’s also there’s been a lot of hard times. The technology is so new right now that things are changing all the time and it’s been this ever-evolving process, we’re usually out on the open roads, and we found that that’s the best location for us to fly.
Our drones in one of our focuses is action sports in the outdoors and so oftentimes. We need a camp, and this vehicle allows us to do exactly that. So we took what was a normal transit connect and customized. It. We’Ve got a removable bed, a tray that slides out allowing us to work around the drone and an electrical system that supports our entire operation. We go camping in it all the time and without a doubt, there is no way we could be doing what it is that we do without this vehicle. The tray provides us a really unique experience with working on it, normally we’d be on the ground and we’d be in an awkward spot. But having this tray elevate off the ground allows us to really get in there and make sure that we’re flying safely and correctly we’re constantly in new locations, deserts and oceans and beaches.
And so we need a vehicle that supports our lifestyle when we’re in the forest or we’re going by a beach. We can literally pull right up to where we’re going to be shooting and fly right out of the back of the vehicle i like flying, because it’s just so unique and different and there’s always a challenge. Every location is different and it’s to me just the ultimate tool for my cinematography. I always built things ever since i was a kid it always related to the film industry. When i was younger, i used to build rigs with you know: little tiny cars exploding attached to fishing wire and all these things, and so this came naturally to me building and flying drones is exactly what i always wanted to do. So i’m really happy to be doing it. You .