New Zealand leads charge to develop film-camera drones
Companies foresee a drone boom in Hollywood now US has begun to relax curbs on unmanned aerial vehicles, with drones replacing cranes, jibs and other expensive equipment used for aerial filming
Deep in New Zealand's dairy heartland, drone maker Aeronavics tests aircraft designed to corner the fast-growing market for unmanned aerial vehicles in the film and television business.
The developer of drones used in the production of Dr Who and the Twilight films, Aeronavics is one of a stable of New Zealand firms using the country's reputation for innovation in the film industry to stake out claims in what is expected to be a drone boom in Hollywood.
The relaxation of US rules for commercial drones late last year has sparked a race to develop flying camera platforms that - although priced upwards of US$100,000 each - will still cost significantly less to hire than the jibs, cranes and helicopters studios currently use to capture swooping aerial shots.
Until now, cinematographers have bolted specialised add-ons such as cinema-quality cameras to off-the-shelf drones that cost a few thousand dollars each. New Zealand's drone makers want to change all that, with sophisticated, purpose-built aircraft.
"A lot of drone technology companies got their start in the custom-build film and photography sector, and the New Zealand film industry has a global reputation as leading technology advances in film," says Chris Thomson, aviation manager at NZ government technology incubator Callaghan Innovation.
New Zealand's drone makers are building on home-grown innovation including animation software used in The Lord of the Rings and real-time motion capture technology that brought facial expressions to life in Avatar.
Backed by Avatar director James Cameron, the New Zealand government is holding a competition for developers of drones for the film industry, focusing on criteria such as flight stability, noise reduction and weather-proofing. First prize is NZ$50,000 (HK$255,880) and an expenses-paid trip to next year's National Association of Broadcasters trade show in Las Vegas.