CCTV’s drone provides new filming opportunities (slideshow)

Joseph Park, Staff Writer

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the CCTV drone! Have you ever looked up into the sky while on break? You might just be able to spot the elusive drone hovering about in the sky.

The white DJI Phantom 2 took to the skies after the CCTV team acquired it in September. With a radio distance of several kilometers, the drone is able to get many shots from various angles for CCTV that would be “otherwise impossible without a blimp, helicopter, or large crane,” said CCTV moderator Mr. Kevin Hare. Senior Lucas Xavier agreed, saying that the drone offers, “better shots overall.” He added on, “We can catch much more than a normal camera can.” Sophomore Ben Bleichwehl, the main operator of the drone, specified on the matter, saying, “We’ll film videos we can either speed up or slow down and turn into a time-lapse, which we then take and incorporate into the CCTV video.”

In the experienced hands of Ben, the drone hovers over various school events, filming the action with its GoPro camera. Using a piece of equipment called a gimbal, which Ben explained works as a stabilizer that “always aligns the camera with the horizon no matter where you turn,” the GoPro can film from various angles. “The GoPro shoots 4K [resolution] at 60 frames per second,” Ben said. In the past, the drone has taken aerial shots of the football games, the safe driving demonstration open house video, and the fall rally amongst other events. As of right now, the drone is being used to mainly film sports.

Currently, the CCTV team is working on securing a sponsorship opportunity with the GoPro company. “The sponsorship would offer more GoPro cameras we can use, along with more camera equipment like mounts for the GoPros,” Ben said. According to Ben, the drone offers Cathedral an edge over other schools by demonstrating it has the materials and the resources that can effectively utilize the sponsorship.

By obtaining more GoPros, Ben hopes to distribute the cameras to the various sports teams. For example, cameras could be attached to the football player helmets as they practice. Mr. Hare noted that videos of the surf team fitted with cameras would be exciting to watch as well. BMX (bicycle motocross) is also an option. “It can really go places,” Ben said.

Along with the sponsorship opportunity, the CCTV team is working with CIF for filming football games. The year before, the team owned a small drone that was prone to issues, which led to CCTV being not able to film the games. This year with the new drone, the CIF refs have allowed the team to fly over the track. “We hope to fly over the football game in time,” said Ben. “There are live feed (streaming) opportunities with the drone — that could be an idea. Also, since the KUSI Prep Pigskin Report TV show is always there, it would be cool to have CCTV always highlight that.”

Of course, there are some safety precautions to take note of. Anything could happen to the drone while it’s in the sky — something may fail, and it may fall on people. “I make sure to take it up to a height that’s safe,” Ben noted. “I know its limitations, and I always keep them in mind.”

So far, there have not been any major accidents. “We’ve been pretty lucky with accidents,” said Ben. The drone has been through some minor testing and equipment scrapes, although none involved people directly. “Using the drone is really fun, but there is definitely a serious aspect,” said Ben, “because while you might be getting a really cool shot, you still need to think about safety.“

What does the drone mean for the CCTV team? On the topic, Mr. Hare said, “A lot of the stuff we’ve been doing is fine-tuning our skill so we can make shots look more professional. We hope to integrate it more into weekly features.”