Flying-Cam

Production : DreamWorks Pictures
Country : China / USA

While many Hollywood filmmakers are venturing into China, Flying-Cam has been fully prepared to be their companion providing quality close-range aerial filming support. DreamWorks The Kite Runner is a good example to show.

The Kite Runner, adapted from the best-selling novel by Khaled Hosseini, narrates a story commenced in the peaceful Afghanistan in 1970s, when the two childhood friends Amir and Hassan built up their unbreakable bond through kite flying. A good proportion of the movie was shot in Xinjiang Province, the Western part of China. The City of Kashgar has provided a safe solution for Kite to simulate scenes in Kabul, Afghanistan. Although this Far Eastern location is still a stranger to many people in Hollywood, Flying-Cam has already trained for them a full Asian team at the Westerners gateway to China: Hong Kong.

Ideal Tool to Simulate Flying Kite
Simply look at the title of the movie, you could immediately understand how important kite flying is in the story. To simulate a flying kite was not an easy task, especially when it has to be done in the remote Kashgar, where transportation is a huge issue. It suggested a tool that is agile in movement, handy for transportation but at the same time powerful enough to combat against physical challenges. Flying-Cam is this very tool summoned to bring the Kite Fighting Tournament into life.
By souring into the sky, the aerial camera could skillfully mimic the swiftness of a launching kite. To capture the POV of a flying kite in the tournament, Flying-Cam first tilted down from the sky to discover mountains in a far distance, then glided down towards a fort and a hill, and eventually revealed the two friends competing in the tournament.

To strengthen the sense of reality, the Flying-Cam team also worked closely with the special effect team. Loaded with the Canon EOS-1 Mark II still camera, the remote controlled helicopters took many aerial photographs for the VFX tiling plates of the terrain for matte painting.

Another Record Breaking Moment in Close Range Aerial Filming History!
Filming with the Kite was both challenging and rewarding. When achieving a driving shot, Flying-Cam was sent to Taxkorgan, the Roof of the World perched on the border between China and Tajikistan. Once again, challenges turn to opportunities that testify the capability of Flying-Cam. At 4067m above sea level, where the crew had a hard time fighting for a breath, Flying-Cam successfully broke its high altitude filming record and attained a new high in close range aerial filming history. With the robust growth of Asia, we believe that many records are yet to come!