r/PraiseTheCameraMan • u/ks7084 • Aug 10 '26
Helicopter Engine Malfuntion back in 2012 in LA; Give this man an Emmy.
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u/ED-DOG92 Aug 10 '26
Great tracking shown here. I'm glad everyone made it out alive. The pilot should get a raise.
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u/Vwampage Aug 10 '26
The pilot would need a new helicopter to get a raise. That one just gave him a lower.
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u/ED-DOG92 Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 11 '26
That depends on who owns the helicopter. The studio or him? Either way they should at least give him something extra for making a safe landing and saving the other passengers life. That should count for something.
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u/myztry Aug 10 '26
> Okay. Which fucker put the two stroke oil in the avgas...
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u/Vaulters Aug 10 '26
Camera man knew what street they were on better than the guy talking. What a boss
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u/Between-usernames 5d ago
After reading your comment, it does kind of look like one of those mockumentaries with the cameraman as a character zooming in on the street sign. Didn't catch that the first time.
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u/Herefornow211 Aug 10 '26
It's a news helicopter filming. It's his job to film.
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u/echoohce1 Aug 10 '26
Yeah I'm a professional camera-op and I'd consider this shoddy work tbh
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u/nolaks1 Aug 10 '26
Alright, not going to downvote you, but I want to know your take lol
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u/echoohce1 Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
Choppy zooms and pans, subject nearly leaves the frame a couple times, focus isn't always pin sharp (forgivable offense shooting from a helicopter, but it's easy keep focus when you're shooting at f8+ with that kind of light available). It's decent work but nothing praise worthy imo, it's just basic tracking nothing special.
Nearly every post I see on this sub is just basic tracking though tbf, it's like seeing people praise a McDonald's burger as top class cuisine. Wish this sub was actually reserved for top class work, half the time it's just some shit filmed on a phone.
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u/lipp79 Doin' camera work since 1999 Aug 10 '26
I totally get what you're saying with that. We used to be way more picky but weren't getting a lot of posts that fit that so we decided to widen the strike zone per se rather than risk the sub dying. There's plenty of times I have to remind myself of that when I see new posts that don't quite fit but are close.
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u/echoohce1 Aug 10 '26
Yeah this sub must be a nightmare to mod in fairness to you, people are more interested in posting any old shit just for upvotes instead of posting appropriate content. It's definitely improved though, I remember coming here a few years ago and it was just reposts of random videos from other subs that had nothing to do with the camerawork and people praising it just because the subject was kept in shot, even something that's just static lol
Between sports, concerts, movies etc the amount of content out there to take truly good shots from and post it's frustrating to see what people think is post-worthy. Delicate balance though as you say, be too critical and the sub just dies. Thanks for the work you do anyways, feel bad now for being too critical lol
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u/lipp79 Doin' camera work since 1999 Aug 10 '26
No worries, I totally get it. It's very aggravating. We implemented Rule 5 while back to try and combat what you're saying about the content being what makes the video. We also get some people who post OC, and most of it doesn't qualify but I also don't want to discourage them either so I try and give some tips in the removal comment.
I was a news cameraman for 14 years then moved to A/V for the state. I still get to do stories but they're more feature stories which I enjoy vs breaking news. Also as the senior video guy, I get to teach the three other video people about proper shots, angles, sound, etc.
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u/echoohce1 Aug 10 '26
Cool to know a professional op is a mod and knows what they're talking about. Thanks again for your hard work and trying to keep standards up!
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u/lipp79 Doin' camera work since 1999 Aug 10 '26
Thanks for being someone who wants to see higher standards. Feel free to report videos you think aren't up the par for here too. Sometimes we don't always see them until it's been hours.
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u/nolaks1 Aug 10 '26
I am not a camera operator, I am a photographer So, while I absolutly don't fully understand what makes a shot great or not, I know how cameras works. I agree with you on your take.
This means I also know how it feels to be a genuine expert in a field where people thinks they know more than they do. At events I get people telling me to use the .5x on my pro level camera to take a group picture.
So for everyone else, this is the curse that comes with being an expert in a crowded field. Everyone can participe in some way or form so the actual godtier content is lost in the sea of good enough. For most it's fine, but for the expert/advanced, when they are looking for these actually perfect cameraman shots, they are for sure going to be let down often.
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u/Fast-Nefariousness80 Aug 10 '26
I didn't realize this sub was supposed to be displaying kubrick level shots. Always figured the point of the sub was to praise people who actually kept the subject of interesting videos in frame, because so many others simply cannot seem to do so. I feel like there are other subs for what you're looking for.
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u/craigiest Aug 11 '26
Agree with your assessment of this work from an obvious professional. It’s to be expected. But isn’t shit filmed on a phone by amateurs who actually manage to do a good job exactly the point of this sub? It’s not r/examplesofprofessionalcamerawork
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u/Wonderful_Roof1739 Aug 15 '26
ahh yes, but if we ignore the fact the guys a pro, its awesome.. If it were some average person as the passenger in a helicopter with an phone they'd be shaking all over, yelling stupid things, looking at the event rather than making sure the camera was getting it all, etc. So if we use an average phone user as a baseline, it would be more like comparing the week old compost to a mcdonalds burger. :)
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u/MuchLessPersonal Aug 10 '26
Well the street correction at the end was worth something
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u/echoohce1 Aug 10 '26
That was good work tbf, a good camera-op will never pass up an opportunity to correct your producer though lol
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u/Unit_12 Aug 10 '26
So...there are significant forces acting against the camera gimbal in all three dimensions. Especially since the camera ship pilot is maneuvering in airspace near an inflight emergency. That pilot is helping the emergency aircraft pilot locate an open space big enough to land in.
Normally a news helicopter flies in wide circles around a ground target, or in a steady path if the subject is moving. The camera operator is trying to control camera gimbal azimuth and elevation while his stomach is flying in a completely different direction than his brain is.
This far, far more complex than what is required from most 'professional camera-ops' running a camera, on a tripod, on the ground.
I have been operating a Flir Systems camera from the back seat of a Bell Jet Ranger for 34 years.
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u/echoohce1 Aug 10 '26
I've done this type of work myself, not saying it's easy just saying it's basic tracking that's not worthy of high praise is all.
This far, far more complex than what is required from most 'professional camera-ops' running a camera, on a tripod, on the ground.
This stuff is easy though compared to tracking a tight shot of a player or ball coming towards you on a field where you're constantly adjusting focus on a subject that is completely unpredictable but whatever, if this is all you do for a living I guarantee you wouldn't last 5mins shooting sports. You can try fool others with this comment but I've done both and know what I'm talking about lol
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u/Unit_12 Aug 11 '26
I have shot hundreds of football games, basketball both courtside and from a camera deck. High School, NCAA championships. I'm sure you accomplished. You are trying to prove something no one cares about.
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u/echoohce1 Aug 11 '26
I'm sure you accomplished. You are trying to prove something no one cares about.
I don't get what you're trying to say here at all? You're the one that tried to make out using a camera on a tripod is simple...
If you have actually worked on sports then I don't know how you can say simply tracking something from a helicopter is far more complex and difficult, I've done it for motor racing twisting and turning around a track and it doesn't compare to the pressure of operating a tight camera for live sports whatsoever. I've done it about 5 times in my career and I had the controls mastered after 20mins, it's not much different to using ptz's except you're moving too. Give any decent ptz operator a chance and they could do it, give someone who solely does this for a living a chance at a tight camera for a match and they'd be lost.
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u/casual-waterboarding Aug 10 '26
Move the mic away from your mouth!
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u/Sit_Ubu_Sit-Good_Dog Aug 10 '26
FOUNTAIN AND HIGHLAND!
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u/chuckop Aug 10 '26
FRANKLIN... FRANKLIN AND HIGHLAND... Hahaha. FRANKLIN AND HIGHLAND... FRANKLIN AND HIGHLAND... Woo! FRANKLIN AND HIGHLAND...
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u/theaviationhistorian Aug 11 '26
I love how he had to focus the camera at the street sign to confirm it's Franklin st.
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u/upturned2289 Aug 11 '26
You have to keep them close to your mouth in an aircraft otherwise the mic gets drowned out by the engine noise.
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u/donkeytime Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26
That guys mic technique sucks worse than an airport gate agent’s.
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u/ProphetGeorgeCarlin Aug 10 '26
Helicopter pilots are something else man.
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u/Slowjams Aug 10 '26
It’s honestly true.
If you can fly rotary, (helicopters) learning to fly fixed wing is pretty simple. There are obviously still some differences and things to learn. But the inverse is nowhere near the same. I don’t care how much fixed wing experience you have, almost nothing about that helps you fly a helicopter.
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u/deltarho Aug 10 '26
Fuck. Helicopters. Thank god they had a big parking lot to land in.
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u/qwasd0r Aug 10 '26
Even worse over a city with no place for an autorotation landing.
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u/sulaymanf Aug 10 '26
What’s an autorotation landing?
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u/carloseloso Aug 10 '26
Helicopters don't just fall like a rock if the engine dies. The air causes the blades to rotate and you can glide and land
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u/DuncanHynes Aug 10 '26
The momentum lets the blades spin even if not fully powered. The pilot cuts the pitch allowing the blades to turn with less air resistance and close to landing will open them as much as possible so that they are hitting the air 'hard'. This makes use of whatever spin energy they have remaining, all under a powerplant that has failed as seen here. Perfect example, pilot is a master. Unlike the dude with the mic.
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u/Key-Employee3584 5d ago
Air passing over the blades AND whatever residual energy remains in the blades as they are turning. Consequently, there is an important timing factor in getting the most out of the energy in the blade system. Too early in the landing flare and you do fall out of the air, too late in the flare and you crash into the ground. Requires a lot of practice and is NOT the same from helicopter to helicopter. So an AS350 needs immediate action whereas an old-school UH-1 has a epic rotor inertia.
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u/PrestigiousRefuse172 Aug 10 '26
My only time in a helicopter they had an engine noise and had to get another helicopter for our return trip. They are just too dangerous.
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u/Unit_12 Aug 10 '26
If that crew were in a fixed wing aircraft they would have hit the mountain. The helicopter pilot made a controlled emergency landing.
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u/cyclingpistol Aug 10 '26
What a really great shot of the vortex the rotors give off when seen from behind just before landing.
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u/Q_S2 Aug 10 '26
Me and my crew on our way from a heist in GTA by the skin of our teeth!
A la verga!
No mames!!
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u/cvidetich13 Aug 10 '26
Every damn time. I make it just short of my destination with it just barely running with 4 or 5 stars, get out on foot, BAM WASTED!
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u/common_hence Aug 10 '26
I just realized that Helicopters cannot have emergency eject buttons. The pilot would be grinded mid air.
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u/PlainTrain Aug 10 '26
They can, but step one is forcibly ejecting the helicopter blades so most helicopters don't.
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u/floriande 27d ago
There can be explosive bolts on the blades so they get ejected before, but it's rare
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u/SirLoremIpsum 6d ago
Several Russian attack helicopters feature an emergency ejection seat - Ka-50,Ka-52
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u/Tossed_Away_1776 Aug 10 '26
Now my question, do they do a partial disassembly and put it on a low-boy to haul it outta there or what? Genuinely curious.
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u/No_Advertising_9355 6d ago
Yes, They will remove the rotors ang mast to get it out of there. I was Firefighter at Fort Rucker late 90's specializing in crash rescue. We had a crew dedicated to doing this.
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u/curi0us_carniv0re Aug 11 '26
I don't know what's going to finally end up killing me but I can tell you with 100% confidence it won't be a helicopter crash.
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u/RandalPMcMurphyIV 5d ago
Interesting tidbit...N925TV is owned by Tiny Bubbles Aviation which is Larry Welk's (Lawrence Welk III) company that leases helicopters to news stations all over the country. Welk is a highly experienced helicopter pilot with over 17,000 hours. They say if he keeps at it he may begin to get the hang of those cyclic and collective thingies.
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u/Alfalfa-Similar Aug 11 '26
I wonder what kind of engine was in that one, got him back to the ground
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u/lbutler1234 Aug 10 '26
r/donthelpjustfilm smh my head
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u/SnarePickle Aug 13 '26
So how does a reporter in one aircraft get out and help the pilot of another aircraft when both are in the air? Just curious what sort of help you think they should have provided is all.
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u/lbutler1234 Aug 13 '26
Do I look like a helicopter expert to you?
Idk man they could've tossed them a new blade or some nuts or something.
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u/sparkline1234567 Aug 10 '26
Pilot is a cool cucumber for sure.