Pursuit Aviation achieves breakthrough in aerial cinematography with JETCAM
Pursuit Aviation, a leading global aerial cinematography company for movies, television and commercials, has taken innovation within the industry to a new level with JETCAM. The company is the first to mount a SHOTOVER camera system on an aerobatic jet aircraft to capture stabilized images shot traveling at speeds of more than 400 MPH. This breakthrough technology can be seen on DVD and Blu-ray now as the first commercial use of JETCAM was in the 2018 feature film “First Man.”
Previously, JETCAM had been used during Pursuit Aviation’s filming of the World Speed Record of 531.27 MPH set by Steve Hinton in 2017 and for filming the formation flights of the USAF military fighters alongside historic Warbirds at the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation annual training event. Great Big Story, an award-winning global media company owned by CNN Worldwide, today released a documentary about the world speed record attempt featuring extensive footage filmed by Pursuit Aviation.
Pursuit Aviation worked in conjunction with SHOTOVER to develop this first-of-its-kind setup. The SHOTOVER F1, a 6-axis gyro-stabilized camera system, was vigorously tested and modified to develop the F1 RUSH, which allows the operator to capture stabilized images at high speeds and high G forces. The company put together a team of skilled mechanics, custom fabricators, camera technicians and pilots to achieve the goal of shooting high-speed aircraft in their natural environment.
“Our team has worked on this project for more than three years and to finally see JETCAM in action firsthand is extremely rewarding,” said Eric Williamson, spokesperson for Pursuit Aviation. “We believe the unique capability to mount a camera on the jet to capture stabilized images at very high speeds opens up new possibilities for filmmakers to achieve their vision and provide audiences with never before seen shots.”
The company uses state-of-the-art equipment and is on the forefront of aerial cinematography technology, helping directors get the perfect shots from the air. Pursuit Aviation recently started working with industry stalwart XM2, a multi-platform aerial cinematography and photography company. This partnership arms Pursuit Aviation with the latest VFX and drone technologies, providing superior quality for aerial filming.
Often considered a “one-stop-shop” for aerial productions around the world, Pursuit Aviation offers all of the equipment needed, while also providing backup systems for redundancy should there be any issues, thus avoiding unnecessary and costly production delays. The company’s team of skilled pilots and aerial coordinators can seamlessly handle all aspects of an aerial production, start to finish. It is home to one of the largest aircraft fleets in aerial cinematography industry, including many rare vintage warbirds from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Pursuit Aviation’s available fleet includes two camera helicopters, four picture helicopters, seaplanes, corporate jets and over 35 warbird aircraft, including the P-51 Mustang, F-86 Sabre, P-38 Lightning, F8F Bearcat, F4U Corsair, P47 Thunderbolt, Supermarine Spitfires, a F7F Tigercat, a P40 Warhawk and A1 Skyraider.
ABOUT PURSUIT AVIATION
Pursuit Aviation is a team of highly trained stunt pilots, aerial coordinators and cinematographers of the sky that has countless feature and television credits, and most importantly an excellent safety record. We offer a multitude of turnkey production, aerial and technical services from concept to completion in a mindful, budget-conscious manner to meet our clients’ needs. Whether chasing a car or chasing the sun, we can coordinate the exact helicopter camera movements with the Aerial DP to support a Director in achieving his or her creative vision from the air.
CREDITS
Pursuit Aviation has filmed aerial sequences for major projects, including feature films “First Man,” “The Mule,” “Dunkirk,” “The Devil Has a Name” and “Arizona.” Popular television shows the company has worked on include “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Major Crimes,” “Lethal Weapon” and “The Gifted,” while commercial shoots include Jeep, Geico, State Farm, Honda and Hulu.