Two community colleges in Colorado are teaming up to shoot drone footage for a local Toyota commercial.
Commercials were shot in May and October 2022. This project was made possible by a unique partnership between the Colorado Film School (CFS) at the Community College of Aurora and an agreement with the Saatchi & Saatchi advertising agency. CFS has been producing Toyota regional spots for Saatchi & Saatchi for several years, but CFS students do not have professional training in operating drones for video. Community College students with an Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Basic Operator Certificate learn how to fly drones for applications such as film production, construction management, and municipal mapping. Purpose UAS students worked with a production team to create aerial shots for a commercial.
Students were required to use state-of-the-art equipment to create professional-level productions for major national brands. “Projects like this provide Aims students with a professional and portfolio-building experience that they can market in the workforce,” the university press said in his release.
Dr. Leah L. Bornstein, CEO and President of Aims Community College, said:
“It’s really great to see two community colleges coming together on this project,” said Aims UAS Chief Instructor Pilot Jake Marshall.
Six Aim students participated in each commercial. Aim staff estimate that each student spent about 50 hours on this production. Commercial pre-production began two months before his shooting date, and students attended production meetings. The team was provided with past commercials that they researched and created scenarios for.
The Ames crew practiced collecting shots under similar conditions. Students also operated the drones, cameras, monitors, controllers and equipment used in the production. Some shots required a dual operator setup. One person flew the drone and the other one controlled the camera.
“They all use shotlists to track them at high speed,” Marshall said. These action shots include chasing a moving car on a winding dirt road, swooping in front of a vehicle, maneuvering through trees, and spinning in the air to capture fast-paced video and film it. This includes creating commercials such as
“The students had to learn storyboards, jargon, and really pay attention to what the director was looking for. We’ve decided if we need to make a good flight, which is very important,” Marshall said. “This experience solidified what my students were learning in class.”
Jeremy Bleakley, a student in the Aims UAS program and an intern technician, worked on the commercial. “It was challenging in a good way. It was exciting to be able to work in the field and feel how everything worked.” He also liked the way the commercials brought people together. rice field. “It also really builds friendships with the out-of-group crew that you usually work with at the university.”
Another student in the program, Derek Crawton, said: I’m looking forward to testing everything I’ve learned over the past year and a half or jumping up and throwing it into a commercial. Lofton said he loves flying drones. You are flying in first person view. “
With two successful commercials, the Aims UAS program will work on a third regional commercial in May 2023.
Aims will launch an Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Basic Operator Certification Program in 2021 to develop talent for the growing and dynamic drone industry.The aim is to designate drone pilot training Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) Unmanned Aircraft Systems College Training Initiative Program.
In addition to working on local film productions, the Aims UAS program worked with Weld County to create state-of-the-art maps through survey work and 3D mapping. Ames also collaborates with other universities, local governments, law enforcement agencies, and local economic development on special projects.
Miriam McNabb, editor-in-chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of professional drone services marketplace JobForDrones, is a fascinating observer of the emerging drone industry and drone regulatory environment. With her 3,000+ articles focused on the commercial drone space, Miriam is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and high tech she has over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing new technologies.
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