Napa filmmakers use drones over vineyards

(NVR) - Keeping their feet firmly on the ground, two Napa Valley filmmakers are using emerging and somewhat controversial technology to capture spectacular aerial footage of vineyards, wineries and other wine country locations.

Adam Krolfifer and Bret Lyman teamed up last year to purchase a custom-made, remote-controlled helicopter — technically called an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) but known popularly as a drone.

“We call it an aerial cinema rig,” Krolfifer said, cringing at the term “drone” and what he says are misplaced negative notions about the technology. “It's such an awesome tool for us to have as filmmakers and video production specialists because it gives you that great aspect, that awesome view that you want to see in something epic.”

The spiderlike aircraft has eight arms radiating from a central body housing the battery and control system. At the end of each arm is an electric motor fitted with a propeller. Attached to the craft's underbelly is a pivoted support called a gimbal that holds a camera.

“The gimbal is fully automated,” Krolfifer said. “It has servos so that if you're flying at five miles per hour or so and tilted a little bit the gimbal stays level.”

Made mostly of carbon fiber material, the lightweight helicopter can be carried by one person and fly a payload of about 22 pounds. During flight, the whole contraption is controlled through consoles operated on the ground by Krolfifer and Lyman.

“We have eight minutes of battery time on each flight so we have to bring it back down and put another battery on to go and get the next shot,” Krolfifer said. “We can't go very far … the furthest we take it is maybe 200 feet away.”

Working as a team, the two filmmakers use the drone to gather aerial footage used in promotional videos for area wineries and other businesses. The remote-controlled craft and its high-definition video camera provide a bird's-eye perspective as it floats over vines and hillsides. On the ground Krolfifer controls the drone's flight path while Lyman, as director of photography, operates the on-board camera. The camera beams its image to a monitor, allowing Lyman and Krolfifer a real-time preview of the footage.