Aviation film and television-USA Aircraft Group Corporation

Date: 2025/12/16

his is a comprehensive introduction to "aircraft film and television shooting", covering its core concepts, shooting techniques, technical difficulties and applications in film and television works.
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Airplane film and television shooting: creating visual wonders in the cloud
Aviation and aircraft film and television shooting refers specifically to the real-life film and television shooting in the air with real-flying aircraft (airliners, fighters, helicopters, etc.) as the main body or important background. It is different from the shooting that completely relies on models, special effects or in-cabin green screens. It pursues extreme realism, shocking physical special effects and irreplaceable sense of presence.
I. Core shooting platform and mode
1. Special aerial photography aircraft:
· Modified aircraft: Modify small aircraft (such as Cessna) or helicopters, install gyroscope stabilizer gimbals at the hatch, nose, wings and other positions, and carry movie-grade cameras (such as ARRI Alexa Mini, RED Monstro) and telephoto lenses.
· Aerobatic aircraft: Using highly mobile piston aerbatic aircraft (such as Extra 300), which can fly in close formation with the photographed aircraft for close range and highly mobile follow-up shooting.
2. "Choon-to-machine" shooting:
· This is the most classic way. One or more "camera platform" aircraft shoot around the "actor" aircraft.
· Formation flight is the key, which requires experienced aerobtics pilots to work closely with the cinematographer to accurately maintain the relative position and speed in three-dimensional space.
3. Real-time shooting in the cabin:
· Shoot in the cabin or cockpit of the real flying plane. The plane may be controlled by the pilot to perform specific flight movements (such as bumps and dives) to obtain real actor reactions and physical interactions.
· It is necessary to solve the problems of noise, vibration and space limitation, and the photographic equipment and personnel need to be specially fixed.

4. Ground shooting:
· Use a telephoto lens to shoot airplanes flying in the air from the ground, combined with special daylight conditions (such as sunrise and sunset) to create a magnificent silhouette or halo effect.
II. Key technologies and equipment
· Gyro-Stabilized Mount: the "soul" of aerial photography. It can effectively isolate the violent vibration and bumps caused by the aircraft engine and airflow, and provide the stable and smooth picture required by the film. High-end gimba such as TYCHY, Shotover, Cineflex, etc.
· Remote focus and control system: The photographer operates the shaking, shift, zooming and focusing of the gimbal in the cabin through the remote controller, just like operating the camera on the ground.
· Special communication system: Clear and uninterrupted communication is required between pilots, cinematographers, directors and stunt coordinators, and noise-cancelling headphones and special aviation channels are usually used.
· Safety and emergency equipment: All equipment must be fixed multiple times to prevent falling off. Personnel need to receive emergency training and be equipped with parachutes (in some high-risk shootings).
III. Difficulties and challenges of shooting
1. Extremely high cost and complexity: involving aircraft leasing/purchase, modification, stunt pilot, aviation application, insurance, and a large number of professionals, the cost is extremely high.
2. Strict safety requirements: Safety always comes first. Any aerial operation requires careful planning and risk assessment, and compliance with strict aviation regulations.
3. Uncontrollable environmental factors: Weather, light and airspace control may change the shooting plan at any time. The golden shooting time (magic moment) is fleeting.
4. Precise coordination: The pilot must understand the director's visual intention, and the photographer needs to predict the flight trajectory. The completion of a shot requires perfect synchronization between heaven and earth.
5. Regulations and permits: It needs to be carried out in a specific airspace (usually in a restricted test airspace or over deserts and oceans), and apply for a shooting permit from the civil aviation administration in advance.
IV. Classic applications in film and television works
· "Zhuangzhi Lingyun" series: the pinnacle of aerial photography. Using a large number of "machine-to-machine" live shooting, the actors are really put into the cockpit of the fighter, presenting unparalleled aerial dogfights and pilot perspectives, defining the aesthetics of air combat movies.
· "Mission Impossible" series: Atong's "real-life madman" spirit extends to the air. For example, in Mission Impossible 6, the live shooting of the HALO skydiving at an altitude of 25,000 feet; in Mission Impossible 5, he personally hung outside the airbus A400M cabin that took off.
· "Bohemian Rhapsody": Aerial photography was used to reproduce the shocking panoramic view of the stadium of the 1985 Live Aid concert, creating a historic grand scene.

· "Captain of China": In order to restore the emergency landing of Sichuan Airlines 3U8633, a 1:1 simulation cabin was built and combined with special effects such as high-altitude live shooting windshield rupture, combined with aerial photography to show the thrill of the plane in complex weather.
· Documentary "Planet Earth"/"Our Planet": Use aerial photography technology to show the magnificent scene of the earth's landform and animal migration from the unique perspective of God.
V. Future trend: integration with technology
· Virtual production and LED Volume: For cabin scenes, more and more productions turn to using giant LED screens in the studio to play pre-shot high-dynamic range aerial photography materials. The actors and the cabin environment can get real light and shadow reflection, avoid the unnaturalness of the green screen, and are not limited by weather and flight. For example, "Zhuangzhi Lingyun: Lone Ranger" has adopted this technology in large numbers.
· Drone collaboration: Large-scale movie-level drones (such as ALTA of Freefly Systems) began to undertake some low-altitude, close-range and high-risk angle shooting, which provides greater flexibility as a supplement to manned aircraft.
· Ultra-high resolution and high frame rate: 8K cameras and high frame rate shooting (such as 120fps) provide more space for post-cutting, upgrade slow motion and visual effects.
Sum up
Airplane film and television shooting is one of the ultimate areas of combining courage, technology and art in film production. It represents the filmmaker's ultimate pursuit of authenticity, and the visual shock created is difficult to completely copy by pure CGI. Although virtual production technology is revolutionizing the industry, the physical realism brought by real aircraft piercing the clouds, the wings reflecting light in the sun, and the engine pulling out the airflow is still the ultimate weapon for the top blockbuster to ignite the audience's enthusiasm and create classic moments in film history.