This column is the first in a series of articles about drones, professionally known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). We’ll call them drones to keep things clear for our audio/video world, yet the following thoughts apply to each type of unmanned system — regardless of the acronym.
In this month’s column, we’ll discuss an exciting trend that’s happening in our industry today. In subsequent columns, while maintaining our video perspective, we’ll learn about the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems (AUVSI), a key industry-specific drone organization, and conclude with an article about the Unmanned Vehicle University (UVU) and the all-important aspect of training.
It Begins with Intuitive Aerial
Back in 2013, I authored a PLSN “Video World” column (June, 2013, page 54) on drones — specifically about Intuitive Aerial, a Swedish company that manufactures professional drones for digital cinema and commercial production. This heavy-duty drone has the lifting capacity to carry a RED Digital Cinema camera that shoots footage up to 6K resolution, and the drone itself requires both an experienced pilot and a skilled camera operator. The resulting aerial footage is remarkable, replacing (and surpassing) what camera and crane rigs are capable of shooting outdoors.
Fast forward two years. On television today, in commercials, programs, news feeds and even independent productions, drone footage is big time. It’s easily recognizable, with perspectives and moves that can’t be matched by any crane shot. Drone footage (typically acquired by a GoPro or other compact video camera) adds tremendous visual interest to any program — not to mention, adding superb B-roll options for the video editor.
If you search online for “drones” on Amazon, BestBuy or B&H Photo, you’ll be inundated with hundreds of manufacturers for the hobbyist and the expert, plus a huge variety of camera options, and an equally large range of price points.
So, what’s the connection with us in the professional AV world?
An Opportunity Revealed
InfoComm 2015 was fairly typical. Walking up one aisle and down another, we had the usual mega LED walls, mega 4K monitors, flame-thrower projectors and brightly colored fog banks. But down at the very end of the convention center was something remarkable — a mini-pavilion full of drones, live demonstrations, exhibits, training classes and subject matter experts. Based on what I experienced, we’re on the leading edge of a little revolution.
This opinion is shared and championed by Kevin Kelly, President and COO of Stampede, a longstanding InfoComm exhibitor, and the driving energy behind this year’s drone pavilion.
“There’s no question that I’m a strong proponent of UAVs and drones and the fact that they belong squarely in the pro-AV industry,” said Kelly. “That’s why we sponsored the pavilion. We put forth the concept of a drone video system, and by calling it that, we’ll encourage and help the adoption of this technology into our industry.”
The Connection
My original focus with regard to drones was clearly broadcast and commercial production. But after walking through the drone pavilion, my perspective widened way beyond that. Suddenly, a vast array of drone video applications became clear, and the connection is our AV industry’s ability to drive solutions and integrate multiple technologies.
“By using a drone, you gain many advantages,” explained Kelly, “and you can fulfill video applications that we’ve not been able to service before and offer great value to end users. For example, when you say ‘camera,’ we naturally think about broadcast, surveillance and video conference cameras — all well within our industry. But whether the camera’s on a tripod, a dolly, a crane, or on a UAV platform, it’s still in our industry.”
For me, the connection between drones and the AV industry is crystal clear, but you won’t find it on the shelves of Best Buy. That’s for the hobbyist — but that’s not us. Our focus centers on the word “system” and the far-reaching video applications that can be built on this technology. With a camera mounted on a drone, combined with the ability to acquire, monitor, stream, archive, analyze, transmit and make decisions based upon the aerial footage, a wealth of video-centric applications come to mind.
Security, structural and rooftop inspection, power line inspection, precision agriculture, law enforcement, first response, firefighting, search and rescue and transportation are just a few that would lend themselves to this technology — each with a high potential to save customers time, money and lower risks to personnel. Perhaps a control room or a command center might be required to organize, dispatch and monitor footage from a company’s fleet of drones.
So, who has the skill to put this type of system together? Unquestionably, it’s the AV professionals in our industry. A Fortune 500 company won’t go to Best Buy to configure their shining new drone department — they’ll come to us.
Challenges
I asked Kevin about the current challenges that companies might face when attempting to create a drone-based system for commercial applications — or perhaps create a department solely for the purpose of acquiring aerial footage for their requirements. “I only see opportunities,” noted Kelly, “and when I take a step back, the challenges are limited only by our imaginations. Yes, the regulatory environment is a challenge, but it’s a temporary one. We have a relationship with a consultant called UASolutions Group, and they’re the leading experts in the U.S. on obtaining FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) waivers and certificates. So, the tools and the relationships with the right organizations are now in place.”
The United States has one of the most complex airspaces in the world, yet today, with safety in mind, the FAA is encouraging people, companies and private institutions to apply for these waivers. The FAA’s final set of laws governing the use of UAV technology is due out in mid-2016. Note that other countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada already have rules in place for commercial drone operations.
Cycles of Innovation
In the past few decades, we’ve seen multiple cycles of innovation, and we’ve welcomed them into our industry. Witness the move from linear to non-linear editing, CRTs to LCDs, tape-based to file-based workflows, wired to wireless, wireless to streaming and so many more. Now, another cycle of innovation begins, and one might even call it a defining moment — the move to mobile, unmanned cameras (in the sky, no less).
“Venture capital is pouring into new companies based on this technology,” said Kelly, “and new clients are clearly interested in integrating drones into their business models. To that end, our professionals have the opportunity to declare that we are the industry for this to flow through.”
Kelly summed it up nicely. “It’s all about video content,” he said, “and this industry is all about video, and helping end users accomplish their goals. The day of the drone video system is here.”
In my next column on the subject, we’ll introduce the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems (AUVSI) and explore what you should know — before you fly.
Paul Berliner is president of Berliner Productions in Davis, CA.
