The cost of filming Soarin'

ChrisFL

ChrisFL

Premium Member
Original Poster
I've been watching videos from these new $1,000 camera drones...they have really good quality and take absolutely stunning images.

It makes me wonder, if the quality is as good as what Disney I'm sure used a helicopter for...wouldn't the cost of filming new footage for Soarin' come down significantly if they went with a drone setup similar to this?

Here's an example (this one is with a GoPro3 attached):

 
skyphotographer

skyphotographer

Well-Known Member
If it was legal, yes it could dramatically reduce the cost. The FAA currently says that you cannot use drone footage for commercial purposes. I have several of these copters with cameras. Would like to open an aerial photography business someday if/when it becomes legal.
 
ChrisFL

ChrisFL

Premium Member
Original Poster
skyphotographer said:
If it was legal, yes it could dramatically reduce the cost. The FAA currently says that you cannot use drone footage for commercial purposes. I have several of these copters with cameras. Would like to open an aerial photography business someday if/when it becomes legal.
Click to expand...

Wow, "skyphotographer" just the person to answer the question :p

I didn't know it was entirely banned right now...interesting
 
Metilinos

Metilinos

Member
ChrisFL said:
Wow, "skyphotographer" just the person to answer the question :p

I didn't know it was entirely banned right now...interesting
Click to expand...

It's not, just can't use it with the intention of selling or making profit on it, which literally is what Soarin' would do.

But I bet Disney could get around that or get some form of permit if they tried.

Getting the guests on board to change the footage is the real challenge
 
ChrisFL

ChrisFL

Premium Member
Original Poster
Metilinos said:
It's not, just can't use it with the intention of selling or making profit on it, which literally is what Soarin' would do.

But I bet Disney could get around that or get some form of permit if they tried.

Getting the guests on board to change the footage is the real challenge
Click to expand...

Well there's already rumors about Soarin' Over the World coming, they have even started filming parts of it...so just wondering if there's something new that's more cost-effective with recent technology
 
skyphotographer

skyphotographer

Well-Known Member
I believe they film Soarin' with some kind of IMAX camera. Might be too heavy for current drone technology. I think 4K video is the best you can get with a lightweight camera right now.
 
PaisleyMF

PaisleyMF

Active Member
Soarin' was filmed using IMAX film cameras at 48 frames per minute. And since the projection system is a Imax Dome or OMNIMAX it will need to be produced with the new Digital Imax system.
 
kap91

kap91

Well-Known Member
The drones and go pros or 5d's are not currently any match for a proper cinema camera and helicopter gimble rig. The drones are at least getting close to that smoothness with a decent operator but the camera is a completly different story. To suggest that the compacted and compressed till it bleeds image of the gopro's or 5d could at all compete with a 70mm camera or the digital eviquivalant is laughable. Someday the tech will be there but not anytime soon and definitely not on a screen the size of a large office building.

The quality might look ok on YouTube but nowhere near as good as a cinema camera and it would look downright awful on Soarin's screen. Just cause they're both 4k (which one of them really isn't but that's a different argument) doesn't mean both are quality.

And there's also all the FAA regulations as well, I know people ignoring them but they don't have the exposure that Disney does either.
 
marni1971

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Indeed.

GoPro footage played on an Omnimax would be like watching second generation VHS in a movie theatre.

Even the smallest IMAX camera is rather large and heavy. Even if it could fit, a drones size would undoubtedly fail to handle wind buffering and the required changes in speed and direction.
 
seahawk7

seahawk7

Well-Known Member
You know how Star Tours is supposed to have many experiences for the ride? What about doing something similar with Soarin? It's just a thought but wouldn't be cool to have maybe four different experiences available and Disney could increase the amount ride systems. If Soarin is one of the more popular rides in Future World, why not increase its experiences and ride systems?
 
ChrisFL

ChrisFL

Premium Member
Original Poster
seahawk7 said:
You know how Star Tours is supposed to have many experiences for the ride? What about doing something similar with Soarin? It's just a thought but wouldn't be cool to have maybe four different experiences available and Disney could increase the amount ride systems. If Soarin is one of the more popular rides in Future World, why not increase its experiences and ride systems?
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The ONLY reason I'd say no to this is that it's already incredibly popular and always has long wait times.

If they do this, ideally I think it should be a choice on which "destination" to fly to instead of it being random.
 
flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
ChrisFL said:
I've been watching videos from these new $1,000 camera drones...they have really good quality and take absolutely stunning images.

It makes me wonder, if the quality is as good as what Disney I'm sure used a helicopter for...wouldn't the cost of filming new footage for Soarin' come down significantly if they went with a drone setup similar to this?

Here's an example (this one is with a GoPro3 attached):

Click to expand...


Because a HD camera is neat, but no match for 70mm film or IMAX cameras. Both which no R/C drone has any chance to do.

And commercial drone use is banned without FAA approval.. and they seem to not know how to do that consistently yet. They are working on commercial use.. but it's a case of technology ahead of the laws still.

But to get a giant format like that.. you need large format film... or tile together many smaller digital images. For which, you still want a very high resolution source.
 
seahawk7

seahawk7

Well-Known Member
ChrisFL said:
The ONLY reason I'd say no to this is that it's already incredibly popular and always has long wait times.

If they do this, ideally I think it should be a choice on which "destination" to fly to instead of it being random.
Click to expand...
I liked the idea of choice as well but some destinations might be popular than others and might ultimately lead to some destinations being under utilized for lack of a better term.
I think that Test Track and Soarin are the top two popular rides in Future World so why not give one of them higher capacity. Like instead of reinventing the wheel just add more wheels?
 
WondersOfLife

WondersOfLife

Blink, blink. Breathe, breathe. Day in, day out.
skyphotographer said:
If it was legal, yes it could dramatically reduce the cost. The FAA currently says that you cannot use drone footage for commercial purposes. I have several of these copters with cameras. Would like to open an aerial photography business someday if/when it becomes legal.
Click to expand...

That's a stupid law. Why is it illegal?
 

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