Live sports video
Similar (but different) to Cinematography, live sports video has its own unique set of demands. There is less emphasis on creativity, as the subject will be there doing its thing regardless if you’re there or not, but being in the “right place at the right time” is key. You need to make sure you always get the right camera angles, with the right framing, at the right time, as there is no possibility of a second take!
Subject speed in live sport, is often far faster than for movie-making. In some cases with fast-moving subjects (eg motor racing), it may be necessary (or desirable) to operate the camera in First Person View (FPV) mode, in order to follow the subject in a more intuitive way. This gives a very "engaging" shot, due to the high levels of relative movement between the FPV drone, and the subject.
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CDS can provide drone filming services to you as either a pre-recorded filming service, or as a livestream. In the latter case, CDS can offer a broadcast van with the following services;
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Live audio and video mixing
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Superimposition of overlays (eg, telemetry, logos, etc)
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Good internet connectivity (Starlink, multiple bonded cellular services, etc)
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Livestreaming via a restreamer, to up to 6 streaming platforms simultaneously (eg Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, etc, etc)
For pre-recorded services, CDS also offers a full, custom, end-to-end video and audio editing service.
CDS can also provide other ground-based videographers and photographers, with all the necessary camera, audio, and lighting gear.
In other words, we can do a full production for you! Or, at the other end of the spectrum, this can just look like a single drone with one pilot and one spotter, supplying you with raw footage and no editing!
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CDS' entry into this category started with filming horse racing live for Channel 7 at all the major Melbourne Metro tracks (Flemington, Caulfield, Sandown, Moonee Valley), of which 3 of these are wholly or partly in strictly controlled airspace, necessitating several CASA Area Approvals to be issued.
Lots of our “practical” work is also on the difficult or extreme side as well, hence we became known for doing all the difficult and extreme jobs, safely!
On the “Entertainment” side, our focus has more recently turned to filming motor racing, which is one of our passions. This has taken off beyond expectations, with unsolicited leads coming at us from all directions, once we entered this field.
For example, CDS recently took a crew of 10 to Mt Panorama to produce a mini-film for 60 competitors of their experience at Challenge Bathurst 2024. This is a “bucket list” event for most competitors, so many of them wanted to capture their experience, by using our services! CDS also had 6 editors working on this project, to get the video packages delivered in time for Xmas.
Here’s some examples of the customer videos that we produced:
We’ve also recently built a drone specifically to keep up with Supercars / F1 cars, even if they’re going at full race pace, for at least one lap. This drone can currently do about 350km/h! We engaged the services of one of the top FPV drone racing pilots in Australia to fly it, and here’s what it looks like, at our first attempt at chasing cars at Sandown, after less than an hour of practise. (Note: the pilot was under strict instruction to stay well clear of the Grandstand and Pit area, as there were people in that vicinity): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LYrCq1zOmR06kaasEieXnm9EMn1V3x0k/view?usp=sharing
CDS’ drone fleet currently consists of 12 drones, 6 of which are well suited to filming motor racing. If you're interested, please contact us and we can send you a document, to help you understand the capabilities and suitabilities of each drone in our drone fleet!
CDS Differentiators:
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We have two of the top FPV drone racing pilots in Australia, working for us!
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We've built Blackbird, the world's fastest camera drone (capable of 350km/h+), to keep up with ANY race car, or fast-moving object!
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We've built one of the world's fastest gimbal drones (capable of 200km/h+), to enable super-accurate framing, even at high speed
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We have experience in gaining approval to operate under Motorsport Australia event regulations
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We have experience in gaining approval to operate in Controlled Airspace (CDS currently has a CASA Area Approval to fly in the top third of Sandown Raceway (which is strictly controlled airspace), and can easily get approval to fly at any other racetrack that is wholly or partly in controlled airspace, eg, Calder Park!)
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We have an EVLoS Class I & II permit, this allows legal use of goggles when flying FPV drones, anywhere in Australia
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We have vast experience flying at night
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CDS has $24m Public Liability Insurance, this specifically applies even when filming all kinds of live sports, including motorsport!
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We have experience in Broadcast TV, livestreaming, and pre-recorded filming of live sports
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We have an experienced crew that has flown at various racetracks and different types of motorsport events
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We have experienced camera operators (for drones with a separate gimbal camera)
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We have experienced spotters (we always use at least one spotter per drone, in motorsport applications)
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We have lots of drones that are suitable to use for filming in a Live Sports environment
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All these drones can transmit live at a minimum of 1080p resolution, or record locally to an SD card, at minimum 4K resolution
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CRP has a technical background in Electronics Engineering, see Background: Founder & Chief Remote Pilot
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