Drones are providing film and TV viewers a new perspective on the action

Richard Verrier

A dazed and bloodied student who had just been mugged stumbled down a darkened alleyway in a slum. He lifted his shirt, revealing a gaping wound, before collapsing on the ground as curious onlookers gathered around.

Buzzing some 20 feet above the crowd of extras was a drone, its whirling blades humming like a swarm of bees. The aircraft carried a digital camera that captured the action for an upcoming episode of “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.”

The action is supposed to be occurring in Mumbai, India, but it’s being filmed at the Blue Cloud Ranch in Santa Clarita, a 95-acre facility with a variety of sets, scenery and equipment to make realistic-looking films and TV shows.

Increasingly, a new piece of gear is showing up on set: drones.

“We’re getting shots you wouldn’t get any other way,” said Tony Carmean, a co-founder of Aerial MOB, the San Diego company that supplied the drone for the “Criminal Minds” shoot.

A year after the Federal Aviation Administration cleared the way for their use by the film and television industry, unmanned aircraft systems are becoming popular tools for directors and cinematographers.

Drones aren’t yet ubiquitous — less than 10% of all productions use them. But demand is growing rapidly on film sets because they allow for more nimble filmmaking — and save money. A camera drone and crew costs as little as $5,000 a day, compared with at least $25,000 a day for a helicopter shoot.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-drones-hollywood-20151008-story.html