Drone Rules? What Rules...?

What are the Legal Limitations of Drones?

What is Part 107?

As of August 2016 the Official Rules and Regulations (Part 107) from the Federal Aviation Administration are in affect and they are AWESOME! The FAA was only 3 years behind schedule from the original estimates, but we have them now! They require every commercially operating drone pilot to go through training and pass a federal test to be a licensed drone pilot. It also mandates drone registration for all drones (even personal drones above 0.55lbs) and also clarifies operating rules. Read more about Part 107 here.

More on Drone Registration

The registration requirement applies to all drones operated commercially or for fun weighing more than 0.55lbs but less than 55lbs. This is similar to gun registration where incidents of misuse can be traced back to the original owner. Good or Bad? Adding a level of accountability is good for accidents and to ease public concerns, but it doesn't stop someone from intentionally doing something illegal as is the problem with guns. That being said, It's very easy to register and there's no fee so I think it's great. And maybe it will cut down on the amount of "buy and fly" people out there who don't do proper training before crashing into downtown Manhattan buildings (watch below). To see a better comparison of commercial and for fun rules go here.

What is Pertinent Need to Know?

There's a few things you should know to better be prepared for any upcoming operation:

1. Night flying is not allowed (30min before and after sunrise/sunset is allowed)
2. Operating over 400ft above ground level is not allowed unless you are within 400ft of a building (then 400ft above the building height)
3. 5mi around any airport is a no fly zone
4. The drone must be in Line-Of-Sight at all times. Visible to the naked eye

That being stated, most of the above rules can be waived by the FAA by applying for a Certificate of Waiver (COA) authorization if it can be shown the operation can still be completed safely. More about COA's here. This process can take up to 90 days so it must be done well in advance. Login to the FAA's website to apply for a COA, or create a new account to start your COA. Also, operations around airports can be permitted by contacting the Airport's Traffic Controller directly and asking for permission. 

Double Feature Weekend!

This weekend is the release of TWO features we filmed last year! This is a reminder to GO AND SEE THEM! The first, 'The Road Within' is bound to be an amusing and funny story of three young adults struggling with mental disabilities. Click on the picture below to watch the trailer! There's limited theater reach, so go to one of the listed theaters below.

NY:
AMC Empire
42nd Street Entertainment Center, 234 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036
https://www.amctheatres.com/movie-theatres/new-york-city/amc-empire-25
LA:
Laemmle NOHO 
5240 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601
http://www.laemmle.com/theaters/23
Laemmle Music Hall
9036 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
http://www.laemmle.com/theaters/4

The second, 'The Squeeze' is a masterful drama thriller about gambling and golf and should prove to be more than entertaining. Click the image to the left to watch the trailer. It will be playing at the following locations:

Los Angeles: Laemmle Playhouse – 673 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA
Chicago: AMC Village Crossing – 7018 Carpenter Rd, Skokie, IL 
Dallas: AMC Palace – 220 East Third St, Fort Worth, TX  
Houston: AMC Gulf Pointe – 11801 S Sam Houston Pkwy E, Houston, TX         
Atlanta: AMC Barrett Commons – 2600 Cobb Place Ln Nw, Kennesaw, GA
Phoenix: AMC Desert Ridge – 21001 N Tatum Blvd, Phoenix, AZ
Tampa: AMC Woodlands Square – 3128 Tampa Rd, Oldsmar, FL          
Miami: AMC Sunset Place – 5701 Sunset Dr, South Miami, FL    
Denver: AMC Highlands Ranch – 103 West Centennial Blvd, Highlands Ranch, CO     
Orlando: AMC Downtown Disney – 1500 E Buena Vista Dr, Orlando, FL           
Las Vegas: AMC Town Square – 6587 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV
Austin: AMC Barton Creek – 2901 S Capital of Texas Hwy, Austin, TX

The Squeeze Feature Film

This is our second feature film being released this month, and on the same date! April 17th is officially HoverCameras Day! We told you about The Road Within in an earlier blog post, a drama/comedy, now The Squeeze we just learned is being released the same day. From Director/Writer Terry Jastrow, this has all the makings of a great action adventure thriller about golf, gambling and love. We had an awesome time filming in Las Vegas for this feature, lots of long desert roads and high flying. Checkout the trailer below and look for it in theaters April 17th!

Caribbean Splendor!

Recently HoverCameras was an honorary guest at a large film convention taking place on the caribbean seas. Our pilots got to sail all over the caribbean to shoot the most magnificent aerials for the attendees of the convention which broke up into groups and were each tasked with creating a short movie in only 7 days. Nothing like the 30mph guesting winds while flying to get your adrenalin pumping. Below is a compilation of all those shots, and without boasting too much, they are BEAUTIFUL! Check them out!

The Road Within

We are finally getting to see the first glimpse of a feature film we worked on last year. Scheduled release date is April 17th. We're unsure at this point how many theaters this film is going to hit, but rest assured this one is worth watching. Written and Directed by Gren Wells and staring Zoe Kravitz (Divergent 2014, X-Men: First Class 2011) and Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire 2008, Chappie 2015) this film tells the story of three unlikely friends all struggling with a disability while discovering themselves on an epic road trip. Working with Gren Wells on this dramedy (drama+comedy) was awesome as she's a go getter, letting nothing stand in her way of making a great film. We also had a bit of excitement filming this as 'stealing shots' in certain locations was not uncommon. Shooting mostly in Big Sur, CA and along the coast it was so easy to make our aerials AMAZING. Please click below to watch the preview and see it in theaters this April!

See more of our local shoots at Drone Rental Los Angeles.

McFarland, USA Movie Release

We are happy to have been a part of the backbone for this project with Juanes' "Juntos" music video that features the movie! This is one of those rare inspirational pieces that opens your eyes to what it means to be a champion. While this little cow town in the central valley of California may seem unexceptional, it happens to be the home of the 24 year in a row state championship high school cross country team. This incredible feat from a small high school of 750 students is incredible in itself, paired with the fact that they have won titles in not only they're own division (division 5), they've also won titles all the way up to division 2 which is unbelievable. Kevin Costner portrays the cross country coach who finds himself creating a cross country team with no prior experience. Discover what makes a champion. Disney's "McFarland, USA" comes to theaters February 20, 2015! Click below to watch the trailer. If you would like to read more about McFarland and the music video Juntos click Here!

Latin Pop Stars and California Cow towns

You may be a little confused by the title of this one. Recently we worked with Latin Pop Star "Juanes" on a music video for his song Juntos (Together). We saddled up and hit the road, destination McFarland, California. The song is being featured in the upcoming Disney movie "McFarland, USA." The music video for the collaboration was just released and the combination between Juanes performing and highlights from the movie makes for the perfect clip. Our drone aerials our littered throughout and we are extremely happy with it. Featuring Kevin Costner the music video has already passed one million views on youtube. Click the picture below to watch the music video. If you want to read more about the upcoming movie click Here. Enjoy! 

Cranberry Harvest in Bandon, Oregon

HoverCameras was recruited for a stunning documentary of the cranberry harvesting happening here on the west coast, so we packed up our drones and headed for Bandon, OR. Thirteen hours later we arrived in the most beautiful serene place, the Oregon coastline. From beach to heavy wooded mountainous terrain in just minutes, we started with the beach establishing shot first up in the documentary. Later moving to the cranberry bogs we did lots of aerial and ground shots of the little red seas. Unfortunately the sun never fully peaked out, but seemed to add to the majesty of the place.

Working with Fletcher Murray of "The Association" for his Cine Boot Camp Workshop was the greatest pleasure. Their documentary received special notice from Zeiss, as Zeiss loaned some lenses for the workshop. Click the image below to be swept away in their magical and informative documentary.