Production : Sony Pictures
Country : USA
One of Hancock's main action sequences takes place in downtown Los Angeles, where Will Smith alias John Hancock flies erratically around, sweeping in-between buildings and close to the ground. The Flying-Cam UAV only has the agility to give to the audience the flying super hero point of view. It is the only safest vehicle allowed to fly though the buildings. A full-sized helicopter would not be allowed to do so without emptying each building of its people.
Working closely with special effects supervisor John Dykstra, the Flying-Cam crew constructs a shot that flies from Pershing square to Wells Fargo Plaza and then skims the front of the Bank of America building before soaring over the Bonaventure Hotel. The team breaks the shot into three sections and choreographies each shot so they can seam them together by using the edges of the buildings as wipes.
Only by using the two pilots in relay, working as a team, can this type of shot be achieved. One Flying-Cam camera operator works with two pilots who are positioned along the path and switch the control of the helicopter in turns along the way. While Flying-Cam pilot Emmanuel Previnaire passes the helicopter off to the second pilot Bruno Ziegler, he flies it in his head, because he is going to take it back. Second pilot imagines where the helicopter is and is ready to take the helicopter back when he sees it. During two days, both pilots have performed together more than 100 switches to complete Hancock POV. Perfect team work and repetitive rehearsals are required to prepare such sequences. The camera operator Michael Kirsch manages the technical aspects of the pilots relays while maintaining creative oversight of the shots.
Impressed by the performance, director Peter Berg requires the Flying-Cam participation to create some dynamic shots of the Hollywood Boulevard fight sequence. Flying-Cam pilot Bruno Ziegler stands on the top of a bus in front of the Hollywood walk of fame, flying the helicopter over 300 stunt people. One roll of film later, the Flying-Cam crew delivers what the director has been requesting.
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hancock/
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