I am an early bird. One of my favorite things to do during the annual Miami Boat Show is to get out early for sea trials or to shoot some video or still images of our boats. The early morning light in Miami in February is beautiful and perfect for the purpose.
Orchestrating the shoot is complex because we use a helicopter whenever we can. The helicopter charter has to be set up days in advance and we rely heavily on the weatherman to tell us what the morning light will be like on our chosen morning. The boats leave the dock in the darkness about 1/2 hour before dawn. The helicopter pilot and cameraman are, meanwhile, warming up the machine at the Tamiami airport and getting in the air as we depart the marina. We rendezvous about 20 minutes later at (in this case) the Rickenbacker Causeway bridge at the Northern end of Biscayne Bay. The sun is rising and the morning light is warm and inviting.
Once we are all on station the fun and shoot begin. The helicopter pilot is amazing. A real pro. He can fly backwards or sideways at 30 knots with his skids just feet above the bow pulpit of the boat. The first time out it's a little tense for the boat's captain but once you get used to it is is just plain exciting.
The cameraman, who in this case is Billy Black, is sitting with legs dangling out the side door. He uses a gyro stabilizer to take out any shakes and wobbles, and via his headset he is speaking with the pilot and the boat captain. The result of our early morning outing at this years Miami show can be seen at this link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trASCGYOjzw
Hope you like it We had fun doing it.
