If you were making a video on vintage aeroplanes it would contain …….

Mysticpuma

Yes hearing the engine noise is interesting to a point…… Startup, and taxing yes but at cruise its just constant. For example in a Tiger Moth, the power is set to 1950rpm and that is where it stays in the cruise.

During tight formation flying on a hot day it varies considerably, but I don’t think it sounds interesting – just loud. The engine noise is a lot different in the cockpit than on the ground.

I have a lot of hours (and 24 years experience) flying my Tiger Moth and cringe at what I hear some people say in docos. Our plan is to have experienced pilots on the type do the commmentry and then that person pilot the aeroplane.

We plan to have taxing sequences, takeoffs and landings, shot from both from the aeroplane and from the ground, air-to-air sequences, formation flights where possible.

cheers

Hmmmm, now I see what you are looking for, one point I would certainly like to have looked at is, keeping the Narration overlay and music very limited.

Now, by that I of course don’t mean that what is going on shouldn’t be explained, but one thing very,very rarely done in a Documentary is to actual ‘listen’ to the plane.

Rarely have I seen a documentary where you can listen to the plane start-up, taxi, build up speed inside and outside of the cockpit and the actually hear the plane take-off, flyby…..all without any Narration or music.

The reason I would want to see a documentary is to hear original pilots talk about the plane, it’s peculiarities, it’s quirk, things that were fixed after feedback. If the series is about renovationa dn restoration, then lets hear those pilots (where they still exist) describe what we are seeing be renovated.

Then, when it comes to the actual pre-flight checks and startup, lets just have the Narrrator say what is going to happen, then finish with “and lets hear the process from start to finish…..”

Honestly, so many programmes/films have banal music and Narration which is really not needed by enthusiasts.

Take for example any airshow you got to. The most annoying thing is hearing the plane you have waited to see (for me the P-51 or P-47) and then the commentator says “yes ladies and gentlemen, here comes the famous P-47, lsten as it approaches the runway with that huge Radial engine growling. It’ now passing overhead and that engine sounds so impresive, and now there it goes rising into the sky, just listen to………” I WANT TO!!! SHUT UP!!!!

Enthusiasts want to hear what the plane sounded like, and that is why I can’t stand going to airshows anymore. I just want the commentator to say, the next plane in the display will be the P-47, listen and enjoy. One day, maybe….one day 🙁

Anyway, if there is a chance to hear the plane, that for me would be a bonus in any footage, just my two-pence 😉

Cheers, MP

Mr Cresote :- your suggestions are very good, I have a video called “On a Wing and A Prayer” which covers a re-enactment flight of the first Royal Mail run by QANTAS in 1922. The re-enactment is done by a formation of 4 Tiger Moths and a Stampe who flew the 1000km route in formation. (Charlieville to Cloncurry).

The history of QANTAS is discussed in the video and fortunately QANTAS’s first engineer came along he was well in his 90’s at the time and he recounts what it was like for both the pilots and engineers.

A RAAF Dakota (VH-CIN) flew along doing what they do best, carrying the baggage and some of the support crew. We had a helicopter with a gyro-stablised camera mount doing some of the air-to-air shooting of the formation.

I know what it was like because I piloted the No. 4 plane in the formation. One of the best scenes for me is a 0430hrs briefing and met report for the days flying. We were in the air at first light and had some great flying – a tight formation flying at about 500 ft over the featureless plains of western Queensland (Australia) for a couple of hours and then the arrival at our next landing point. There were large crowds at each of the landing points and it was quite a thrill to land and taxi in and be welcomed

Interesting aside is that the old QANTAS engioneer told me that during WW1 he wanted to be a pilot and they told him that he had a heart problem and so he ended up as an engineer. Later he went on to become a pilot with QANTAS.

I think the videos I have in mind will have a heavy emphasis in the direction that Mr Cresote suggests with some exception – music will be present and for a very good reason. When you fly a open cockpit biplane the noise is deafing and just minutes of engine noise becomes very boring. When you put on the flying cap and headset (with 40db sound attenuation) the noise is much reduced and you tend to block it out. Music becomes very appropiate to suggest the feelings of exalluration.

For the Australian readers Barry Hempel piloted another Tiger and Shane Winter was co-pilot in my Tiger (VH-JRS). Unfortunately both of these gentleman were killed a couple of months back, Barry on a Sunday and Shane the following day.

cheers

Most of us only get to see vintage aircraft at a handful of air displays, so how about a sequence showing what’s involved; invitation, planning, costs, flying to the show, actual display, meeting other teams/pilots, departure, etc. And as someone else said, no crappy rock music, just succinct & informed commentary where required and the sound of the aircraft. Oh, and accuracy. Nothing spoils a video for me like some silly remark such as “When the RAF’s Bulldogs and Tiger Moths tangled with Richtofen over the western front…”

Mention should be made of the survivors.
It would:
Recognize the people and groups that help keep our heritage alive
and
Let the uninformed know how few of them are still out there….thus they must be protected.

Thanks for all the comments. Our focus is not in preserving the WW2 history (see http://www.ozatwar.com/ if you are interested in the war around Australia and the Pacific – this is the most comprehensive site on WW2 – bar none). Don’t look at that site unless you have days you want to waste!

We are more interested on preserving contempory history – the current vintage and warbird aeroplanes and their owners. How they are operated, good air-to-air shots and on the ground shots, interviews with their owners and pilots on the history of that particular aeroplane and its ground and flight handling characteristics..

We want to promote the restoration and flying of these aeroplanes.

It’s sobering when you go to UTUBE and see the calibre of some of the videos on there, lots of pretty ordinary stuff, however some really top class productions as well.

So bearing that in mind more comments please.

As I said in a previous thread;

“Well, as they would have time to commission and shoot it, how about this.

On September 15th 2010, it will be 70-years since “The Battle of Britain”.

Now would be the time to get any last surviving pilots, German and British to discuss their memories of the events, and maybe also to get them in the same room and show, using models etc or getting guys to re-create battles in Combat Simulators, to show the tactics they used to defeat or get the advantage on the enemy.

To hear this from both sides would be superb.

The series could run over 12 Episodes and be made up of the year 1940, each episode covering month of the year, or 6-episodes with September being the final one?

To have an in-depth documentary, recreating battles from the memories of the pilots still living, and also famous ones from books like Stanford Tuck, Wellum, Bader, Mölders, Galland and Wick, to be honest that would be an amazing tribute to all who flew and possibly the final chapter to show the legacy they have left behind.

I also like the idea of getting the surviving pilots to talk about and maybe sit in the planes that they flew to re-live their experiences and talk about advantages and disadvantages that the planes they flew in faced.

Finally to have them visiting their airfields (even if they have been re-developed) would be quite poignant as it would bring home the fact that it was so many years ago that they flew combat in the skies.

Just my honest thought.

However, if there was ever a chance to commission a DVD, I think a “Band of Brothers” style series, focusing on one Fighter Group for each side (as an example No.92 (Stanford Tuck)) for British and JG 26 or 51 for the Luftwaffe.

It’s just an idea, but Aviation has been sadly forgotten in so many schedules, with only the History Channel showing any interest with “Dogfights”.”

Cheers, MP.

Actually there is money in it, just nowhere near as much as people imagine. For a subject which has so many people interested in it the actual DVD sales figures are surprisingly small!

I bet he is going to tell you there is no money in it 😉

Probably right as well !

I’ve been making aviation videos/DVDs for the last 15 years, if you PM me I’ll be happy to “enlighten” you on the market you’re looking to target!

We are doing our first shoot this coming weekend with air-to-air footage of a Gipsy Moth and maybe a Tiger Moth and maybe a Fleet Biplane. Using a C175 with the door off as the camera ship, although in future we may also be using a C195.

Just practicing at this stage. This is a big learning curve for the team hence the practice days.

I have received emails from a lot of QVAG (Queensland Vintage Aeroplane Group) members offering their interest, support and aeroplanes so we should have a very varied collection of aeroplanes to choose from.

I watched a a video called ‘A Tigers Tail’ the other day, produced in England and featuring Christopher Reeves. Its OK but dated and some of what is said is a bit suspect!

One of the smaller projects is to produce a video that can be put on UTUBE to promote interest in restoring and flying vintage aeroplanes. When we look around most of the people flying are over 40 and in many cases (like me) well over 40. We need to attract the younger generations using the technology that will reach them.

cheers

Don’t worry Ollie, we’re working on it with the BE-2!

A great thread though…… for me more 1930s/40s sports aeroplanes would be wonderful, but in the UK at least, the Hitler….sorry History …Channel has proved that recycling WW2 documentaries is the way to make money.

PS. I can promise Propstrike that no accountant from Droitwich will get near our documentary!!

Id like to see something following the rebuild from the start.

Great idea, the problem with that is that it would need to be shot over a number of years. I have one that someone produced of the Avro Cadet at Mothcair, with Nick Chalinor being quizzed at different stages of the rebuild.

I am looking for something that can be produced in 3-6 months.

thanks for the suggestion and its one that I think should be done by someone.

I did visit utube as suggested and looked at the Comper Swift – great video. Imaging that same event shot on high defination by a professional cameraman and including air-to-air footage and a detailed walk-around the aeroplane with commentary by the pilot.

I have a couple of videos from www.classiccockpits.com one on the Catalina amphibian and one on the DJ Vampire -they look great and are closer to what I am thinking of producing.

Comper swift

Try u-tube and type in Comper Swift,
3 will appear, an origional film of Arthur Butler loaded by “Bomber guy”, a film of the spanish pobjoy Comper and lastly our recent first fligt of a gipsy Comper at Camden this September.

Id like to see something following the rebuild from the start.

We are looking at making a video on De Havilland aeroplanes maybe a focus on the moth series. Not an historical account rather showing thinks from an operational aspect, short bit of history of the aeroplanes, walkarounds, startups and shutdowns, take offs and landings, air-to-air shots. Discussions with restorers, maybe a short bit on how restoration projects get started.

All just ideas at this stage – but I need more ideas and themes.

Other possible themes include “ex-military trainers downunder” meaning similar things to the first para but on ex-military aeroplanes in NZ and Australia ie Tiger Moth Moth Minor, Winjeel, Stearman, T28, CT4, Chipmunk, vampire and others

All new and in HD maybe in blueray.

Is there a market for this, there is a lot of expense in making it.

cheers

PS. No crappy music (especially that dreadful DIY stuff, played by somebody’s mate on an Argos keyboard) and no excruitiating commentary, such as ” The infamous Fokker triplane, as flown by the Red Baron’ and ”Legendary Spitfire, which won the Battle of Britain in 1940!”

If there has to be a commentary, make it stuff we do not already know. And not read by nasal-sounding retired accountants from Droitwich, who struggle to understand the script.

Get in touch with some of the big studios , and try to locate unseen footage from some of the classic movies, as has been done with B of B.

Movies live Bridge Too Far, memphis Belle and loads more must have miles of great footage which never made the final cut.

I remember Derek Piggot ( Blue Max ) describing a sequence he flew in a Moraine 230 above a stunning cloudscape, which never ended up being aired.

Infact, this is such a great idea, I might even do it myself;)

As an Aussie, if we were speaking locally, I’d like to see the early days of Australian aerodromes, ie: Essendon. It must have been the most amazing place when the Douglas Company’s finest were flying out of there.

Go along to the Airways Museum’s film night. Essendon featured (briefly) in the last one, and extensively in a previous night.

As to the original question, in-cockpit ‘exclusive’ action shots, interviews with the pilot and current ex crew.

Critically, tight editing, and professional standards.

Good to ask!

What an excellent thread!

As an Aussie, if we were speaking locally, I’d like to see the early days of Australian aerodromes, ie: Essendon. It must have been the most amazing place when the Douglas Company’s finest were flying out of there.

Globally? Get as many surviving air and ground crew, both military and civil, on film talking of their experiences for us and future generations.

Really looking forward to what folks have to say!