Help me spend my money

Cross Aerial Photography · Nov 3, 2017

Dobmatt said:
I can't help, but I must throw a small bucket of icy cold water over your head. You're dreaming about wowing a movie industry or wind turbines industry with your equipment? That may happen down the road you're about to pick up, but this is a long and winding road. If you're lucky you may succeed one day getting your foot in the door. Your toolbox, however, must be at least $75K heavy, with a fleet of Matrice class drones, RED cameras and so on. Don't get me wrong, please, I wish you all the best.

For now, however, get the mighty (black, means professional) Inspire 2 with X5S camera and start knocking on the doors ...

Oh dont worry, I know that bucket is there. As for the "wowing". That is meant for local clients. I live in a college town and back home, people were amazed by my Mavic because it had bendy arms. So this Inspire (or whatever I get) is more meant to WOW them.

Yes, on a movie shoot and I2 is dime a dozen. You really need a Alta or something like that running a RED or Alexa to be a real pro. But right now, dropping $3-4k is hard. Dropping $75k on the big boy setup is a totally different league. Not to mention that fact that just joining the Union is $12,000.

Dobmatt · Nov 4, 2017

Cross Aerial Photography said:
Oh dont worry, I know that bucket is there. As for the "wowing". That is meant for local clients. I live in a college town and back home, people were amazed by my Mavic because it had bendy arms. So this Inspire (or whatever I get) is more meant to WOW them.

Yes, on a movie shoot and I2 is dime a dozen. You really need a Alta or something like that running a RED or Alexa to be a real pro. But right now, dropping $3-4k is hard. Dropping $75k on the big boy setup is a totally different league. Not to mention that fact that just joining the Union is $12,000.

Good to know you're not an naive youngster, "look Ma, it's flying!!!" type guy. All you need is experience, more than anything else. If you ever make that magic transition from toys to tools, If you're really fascinated by this technology and possibilities it's offering, you'll get there ...

Cross Aerial Photography · Nov 4, 2017

Dobmatt said:
Good to know you're not an naive youngster, "look Ma, it's flying!!!" type guy. All you need is experience, more than anything else. If you ever make that magic transition from toys to tools, If you're really fascinated by this technology and possibilities it's offering, you'll get there ...

Yea. Being a mechanical engineer in college who also builds racing drones and things of that nature, I am never ceased to be amazed by what these craft do.

Dobmatt · Nov 4, 2017

Cross Aerial Photography said:
Yea. Being a mechanical engineer in college who also builds racing drones and things of that nature, I am never ceased to be amazed by what these craft do.

I stand corrected. Nerds rulez

!!!

Donnie Frank · Nov 4, 2017

Cross Aerial Photography said:
EDIT: So I have decided that the I2 may not be the best for me. If I want to film with movies and stuff like that, I am going to have to join a Union and the local one for me is $12,000.

You don't have to join 600 to shoot aerial for film. 600 Camera operators are NOT drone operators. TWO of my film jobs (Discovery and Graves) we procured because gung-ho camera operators went to Best Buy because "flying drones is easy." After crashing and losing the entire day's footage, they called me. So....essentially we are NOT competing with Camera operators for their jobs. Aerial work is piece-mill enough that you can contract out. Two of my buddies joined 600 and it was a big mistake. Now their work - which used to be profitable - now goes for paying Union dues. To add insult to injury, I make almost double as a contractor as I would working for Union scale. I worked one job AS a 600 Camera Assistant, and made about 500 bucks for 12 hour day, which is less than half what I would normally make. However...I DID receive a "vacation check" for $12.00 from the Union. So I got THAT going for me....<;^)

I worked with a DP who had been a 600 camera operator for 40+ years. We got along great. We talked about 600. When I told him I get a movie gig every 4-6 weeks, he whole-heartedly agreed that it wasn't worth joining 600. If I were working 10-20 days a month, THEN it would be worth joining.

Good luck.

Cross Aerial Photography · Nov 4, 2017

Donnie Frank said:
You don't have to join 600 to shoot aerial for film. 600 Camera operators are NOT drone operators. TWO of my film jobs (Discovery and Graves) we procured because gung-ho camera operators went to Best Buy because "flying drones is easy." After crashing and losing the entire day's footage, they called me. So....essentially we are NOT competing with Camera operators for their jobs. Aerial work is piece-mill enough that you can contract out. Two of my buddies joined 600 and it was a big mistake. Now their work - which used to be profitable - now goes for paying Union dues. To add insult to injury, I make almost double as a contractor as I would working for Union scale. I worked one job AS a 600 Camera Assistant, and made about 500 bucks for 12 hour day, which is less than half what I would normally make. However...I DID receive a "vacation check" for $12.00 from the Union. So I got THAT going for me....<;^)

I worked with a DP who had been a 600 camera operator for 40+ years. We got along great. We talked about 600. When I told him I get a movie gig every 4-6 weeks, he whole-heartedly agreed that it wasn't worth joining 600. If I were working 10-20 days a month, THEN it would be worth joining.

Good luck.

Yea, and I got only a handful of movie contracts and they are pretty low budget stuff.

Dobmatt · Nov 4, 2017

Donnie Frank said:
You don't have to join 600 to shoot aerial for film. 600 Camera operators are NOT drone operators. TWO of my film jobs (Discovery and Graves) we procured because gung-ho camera operators went to Best Buy because "flying drones is easy." After crashing and losing the entire day's footage, they called me. So....essentially we are NOT competing with Camera operators for their jobs. Aerial work is piece-mill enough that you can contract out. Two of my buddies joined 600 and it was a big mistake. Now their work - which used to be profitable - now goes for paying Union dues. To add insult to injury, I make almost double as a contractor as I would working for Union scale. I worked one job AS a 600 Camera Assistant, and made about 500 bucks for 12 hour day, which is less than half what I would normally make. However...I DID receive a "vacation check" for $12.00 from the Union. So I got THAT going for me....<;^)

I worked with a DP who had been a 600 camera operator for 40+ years. We got along great. We talked about 600. When I told him I get a movie gig every 4-6 weeks, he whole-heartedly agreed that it wasn't worth joining 600. If I were working 10-20 days a month, THEN it would be worth joining.

Good luck.

I think the main reason for confusion here is a myth that owing a professional grade camera platform (drone with camera) and being a skilled pilot will make joining the professional community easy. While it is possible in some rare, specific situations (mostly determined by pure luck), the path to success is of opposite direction. Movie industry is absorbing new technologies quickly as usual, cameraman will learn how to operate a drone. Power grid industry will learn these new, more efficient and affordable ways of inspection. Real estate agencies will train employees to operate drones, every smart agent will carry a Mavic in the car. It's just a matter of time. Nobody from within these industries will look in desperation to hire an freelancer with a drone, they'll adapt by themselves as soon as possible.

Another words, if you're a professional camera operator, wind turbines inspector, real estate agent or land surveyor - great, buy a sufficient drone and stay at the top of the game. If you're a drone enthusiast, amateur photographer or hobbyist - great again, enjoy this new technology to full extent and as much as your credit card allowes. But don't invest a small fortune in equipment only because you wan't to be a professional. It's not working that way ...

Said that, it's is absolutely possible to make a few bucks extra here and there after you find a drone under X-mas tree. Living of it? Unlikely. Correct me, anybody, if I'm wrong ...