Drones + Cameras

Work

Technology

  • Heavy Drones

    Ariel’s heavy systems represent the state of the art in drone technology designed to carry the highest quality camera and lens packages safely and reliably.

    Ariel always carries two heavy drones for redundancy in the case of a hardware glitch.

  • Light Drones

    Ariel’s smaller drones are incredibly useful where production needs a lighter weight crew or where the shots are in tight confines or require high speed flight. All lightweight drone rigs are transported in backpacks and are able to easily travel on international flights as carry on baggage as the batteries are under the 100 watt-hour capacity limit.

    Ariel always carries two drones for redundancy in the case of a hardware glitch.

  • Lightweight Cameras

    Ariel’s smaller drones are able to carry lighter cameras that are generally more cost effective but that use good lenses and are of a quality suitable for high end film, TV and content work.

    • Freefly Alta 8

      Freefly’s flagship heavy lift drone the Alta 8 is a fast, agile and efficient octocopter that carries Alexa Mini & Red camera packages with full FIZ and anamorphic lens packages.

      The Alta packs down into a manageable flight case.

      Flight times range from 20 to 10 minutes depending on payload.

    • Ariel X8 Octocopter

      Ariel’s X8 heavy-lift drone has a top speed of over 120kph and is built like the proverbial.

      Redundancy is provided by dual, independent motor power systems and separated flight controller systems.

      Flight times range from 15 to 10 minutes depending on payload.

    • Ariel X8

      Freefly Alta 8 Heavy Lift Octocopter

    • DJI M600 Pro

      DJI’s latest large, industrial drone is quiet, portable and easy to fly for a large hexacopter and its batteries are airline carry on approved allowing for easy international travel.

      The M600 Pro is capable of long distance flights and with the X5R 4K RAW camera is able to fly for up to 30 minutes thanks to its efficient power system.

    • DJI Inspire 2

      DJI’s most capable drone, the Inspire 2 carries either the X7 6K RAW or X5S 5K RAW cameras and with 8 batteries can be operated solidly for over an hour and a half of flying by one person, out of just a backpack.

    • Ariel X4

      The Ariel X4 is a super endurance quadcopter, capable of over 45 minutes of flight on a single battery. These drones have carried all manner of payloads from Nikon 360, a Sony NEX to a 3D printed severed head.

    • DJI Mavic Pro

      The tiny DJI Mavic represents the cutting edge of consumer drone technology but yet still packs in a 4K camera of surprisingly good quality. This diminutive drone is perfect for location scouting and tech recce situations.

      The Mavic is able to be operated by one person and has a 25 minute flight time.

    • DJI Inspire RAW

    • Arri Alexa Mini

      The ARRI Alexa Mini is the camera of choice for high-end production and Ariel’s gimbal packages allow for full remote roll/stop/focus/iris control with HD Teradek 3000 video downlink.

    • Red Weapon / Epic

      Red cameras are the best option when maximum resolution is required and Ariel’s gimbal packages allow for remote control of camera settings as well as roll/stop/focus/iris control and HD video downlink.

    • Canon C200

      The C200 is a new camera from Canon that records in the new “Cinema RAW Lite” format. We have found it to have extraordinary dynamic range and it also performs extremely well at high ISO in low light.

    • DJI X7

      DJI’s latest camera is the Super35mm X7. This amazing camera records in 22GB/Min 6K RAW and our packages include the full Hasselblad derived lens sets comprising of 16, 24, 35 and 50mm f/2.8 primes. These packages also have remote focus units that can be operated by any camera assistant. The DJI X7 delivers stunning results out of a tiny package and the 6K RAW recording allows for great results when grading the natively supported files in DaVinci Resolve.

    • DJI X5S

      This remarkable little camera records a whopping 14GB of data a minute in 5.2K RAW cinema DNG files; it is essentially the little brother of the X7 and good for budget conscious productions.

    • Freefly MoviPro

      The Freefly MoviPro is the industry standard brushless gimbal for use in aerial and handheld situations. Its organic and natural feel is unmatched.

      Ariel always carries two MoviPro for redundancy in the case of a hardware glitch.

    • Walter Klassen Wheels

      Combined with the MoviPro the Walter Klassen wheels make for an organic, smooth and accurate camera operation feel that is immediately familiar to cinematographers.

    • Freefly Movi Controller

      The Freefly Movi Controller allows for panbar “Mimic” operation whereby the unit is mounted on a fluid head and the operator simply pans and tilts to move the gimbal.

    • Teradek Bolt 3000

      The Bolt 3000 is Teradek’s most advanced and long range HD video downlink that allows for 1080P monitoring at up to 1km distance. SDI input and output, quick reconnect and robust signal make this the best downlink available today.

    • Atomos Shogun Flame

      Ariel’s ground stations contain Atomos Shogun Flame monitors that allow for automatic recording of Pro-Res files from SDI and HDMI signals and the Shogun’s bright screen (1500NIT) make it ideal for drone use.

    • RTMotion LCS (MK3.1)

      The RTMotion LCS (MK3.1) is the worlds premier long range remote focus system. This allows the camera assistant complete FIZ and start/stop control throughout the flight of the drone no matter the distance.

Safety

  • CAA Certificated

    Ariel has been CAA102 certificated since 2015 and are permitted to conduct operations including.

    · Flights above 400ft altitude
    · Flights within 4km of aerodrome or controlled airspace
    · Flights at night (including golden hour)
    · Flights above people and property

  • Safe Operating Procedures

    Ariel has specific safe operating procedures that reflect the unique levels of risk and liability using drones on film and television sets present. These procedures encompass everything from drone proximity to lithium battery management.

  • Comprehensive Insurance

    Ariel holds comprehensive insurance cover as required by film productions. This includes.

    · $7.5M Aviation Liability Insurance
    · $1M Public Liability Insurance
    · $Full equipment insurance (Covering Ariel owned gear)
    · $150,000 “Hired in equipment” insurance covering all cameras, lenses and accessories that are attached to drones or rigs during production.

Team

  • Sam Peacocke

    Aerial Cinematographer

    Sam’s background in music video and TV commercials means that he brings an innate understanding of the film making process and how camera movement can help directors create beautiful imagery.

    See some of his previous work here. www.sam.peacocke.com

  • Ryan Haste

    Drone Designer & Pilot

    Ryan is a racing drone designer whose creations have set lap records at a world championship level. Ryan’s lifelong passion for flight and his background in government sector compliance and operations means Ariel’s drones are in safe hands on set.

  • Giona Bridler

    Aerial Cinematographer & Photographer

    An award winning stills photographer; Giona has recently moved back to New Zealand after living in his native Switzerland for some years. Giona has shot all over the world and the last year has seen him using drones to explore aerial perspectives with his unique eye.

    See Giona’s work here. www.gionabridler.com

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