Welcome to the future of camera operation and beyond! The imagination of every producer, director, and film student is overflowing with the excitement of the  possibility of drone shooting. The Federal Aviation Administration is considering the possibility of granting permission to seven movie and television companies to utilize unmanned aircraft "for that perfect shot!" The companies include Aerial MOB LLC, Astraeus Aerial, Flying-Cam Inc., HeliVideo Productions LLC, Pictorvision Inc., Vortex Aerial, and Snaproll Media LLC, the FAA said in a statement. To receive the exemptions, the companies must show their drone operations won't harm safety, and would be in the public's interest.

For me (and I'm sure I'm not alone) the flying drone has evoked images of the Half-Life 2 city scanner-you know the lightly armored, flying security camera used by the Combine to monitor City 17's residents. Maybe, it's my imagination that is taking over or maybe it's the many hours spent on the Valve masterpiece, which makes me remember that a  critically damaged scanner (drone) will usually attempt a kamikaze dive into its attacker, while spinning and emitting an alarm...... But, it makes me wonder if the possible FAA relaxation to the proposed exemption is justified. Certainly, the understanding is that public interest and safety is key in moving this forward, but, it's not stopping several respective industry giants to ignore the ban and use the drone shots as seen in certain scenes of the Martin Scorsese-directed movie "The Wolf of Wall Street". As well as, several other businesses from real estate agents to beer makers to journalists that have ignored the current ban on commercial usage in the States.  I suppose the possibility of a drone at the weight of a full 1-gallon paint can with spinning blades crashing to the ground, would strike fear in me- if I was directly under one of these identified flying objects!  I just keep thinking of the likely-hood of the beginner (on-the-ground) drone pilot (aka: young aspiring film students or hobby enthusiasts) taking on the challenge of keeping the aircraft on the "straight and narrow" and how that would be the biggest liability of all with the FAA lifting of the ban on commercial drone usage. Don't get me wrong- I love my Syma i-Copter S102G Mini 3 Channel 8" iPhone/Android Smartphone Control Helicopter - but in all honesty, I do crash an awful lot!

So, in writing about all of the concerns (that are dancing in my head), and how I sound like a "stick in the mud", let's  talk about the incredible possibilities that a camera equipped drone would add to the cutting edge landscape of our media entertainment industry! The first that comes to mind is in live sporting events- imagine the fluidity of the shot during a golf match- Bubba Watson driving that tiny dimple ball 350 yards with a drone cam "hot" in pursuit! Or, Mike Trout crushing a 440ft home run with the drone cam providing a perspective that only our "fine feathered friends" enjoy! How about horse racing, stock car and formula one racing? We certainly have the ability with a couple of more years of training to perfect this awesome camera potential for live broadcast television.  The justification for the public's best interest in regards to entertaining broadcast television-is certainly there isn't it!? I know it's already been done during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic games and we caught a glimpse of the drone here and there- but that was in Sochi, Russia why not Daytona Beach, Florida!?!

Just so you know, this is how a drone works: *The legs of this flying spider hold the rotors that spin around to keep it airborne. The drone then has a flight deck that holds the flight control system with GPS for navigation, sensors and receivers. Then there's the camera, which can be mounted in the middle or suspended below the flight deck. Drones are being used to film major movies and television shows — Heliguy has provided drones for filming of the HBO series "Game of Thrones." As demand grows, cameras are being designed with drones in mind. Back on the ground, the pilot has a control deck, with monitors that show a real-time view of what the camera is capturing, as well as flight details including altitude, speed, rate of descent and ascent, and how much power is left in the battery. Battery capacity is a limitation. Most drones can only run 40 minutes before they need to be recharged. But recharging video drones is still quicker and cheaper than refueling a helicopter.

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NAB 2014 was full of drone manufacturers- it was the "little big" innovation during the exhibits this past April. Checkout these companies and look for more drone product reviews coming from Broadcast Beat Magazine! Aerosight at http://www.aerosight.co.uk/  ; DJI at http://www.dji.com/ ; Heliguy at http://www.heliguy.com/ ;  Heck, perform an internet search and you too can pick one up online for a reasonable price!  Imagine piloting a drone and performing a "flying dutch" move or a 360 loop-d-loop  like the "Red Baron" with the added bonus of POV capture! Pretty Cool! 

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