[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pav-10YEIEE?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=250&h=141]
Behind-the-scenes article about the DJI / Good Morning America Iceland aerial live broadcast. In February, I had the great privilege of going to Iceland with Good Morning America for a live broadcast over an erupting volcano (the Holuhraun eruption in the Bardarbunga volcanic system) using DJI Inspire 1 quadcopters. Ferdinand Wolf (Skynamic) and I were pilots for the amazing trip, and ABC Chief Meterologist Ginger Zee flew in to host the segment. The behind-the-scenes video is finally out, which is really exciting because it shows some of the amazing footage we were able to capture during the non-live flights, during which the weather was often much better. We had both Inspire 1 and prototype Phantom 3 units, which we used to capture 4K video to be used in the Phantom 3 videos you now see circulating around the web.
More info (article I wrote before but never published):
In late January 2015, we were contacted by ABC’s Good Morning America and asked whether we thought it would be possible to broadcast live from Iceland’s Holuhraun volcano eruption using drones. Although I had gone to Iceland to capture footage of the volcano just 4 months earlier for the first DJI Feat (using Lightbridge-enabled Phantom 2 quadcopters), the prospect of using the new Inspire 1 with its integrated Lightbridge connection to broadcast live, high-definition footage of the volcano to GMA’s 6-million viewers was exciting. In addition, I thought that it would be incredible to send not one, but two Inspire 1s over the eruption so we could capture footage of one Inspire from the other. This would require that we bring a second operator with excellent piloting skills.
Before we committed to the project, both ABC and DJI evaluated the many factors that would determine the chance of success; live video broadcast from a remote location is difficult enough without the additional challenge of trying to do it from a volcano, on a glacier, in the middle of an Icelandic winter. Permits, local logistics, wind, extreme cold, extreme heat, toxic gases, and the possibility of a catastrophic eruption were all taken into consideration; in the end, we determined that the goal was worthy of pursuit, and we packed our cases with just a few days notice and headed out to Iceland.
I flew out from San Francisco, ace drone pilot Ferdinand Wolf joined us from Germany, and ABC sent a crew of engineers, producers, and meteorologist Ginger Zee from New York and London.
Although the Inspire 1 features HDMI output from the remote itself, we ended up bringing quite a bit of gear to help ensure that the project was successful. Most importantly, we brought extreme-weather clothing so we would be able to stand out in the cold for long periods of time. Iceland is notorious for quickly-changing weather conditions, and we never knew what sort of conditions we would be in. In addition to proper attire, we brought spare Inspire 1 units (4 total), extra smart devices to run the DJI Pilot app, tripods, and Atomos Shogun and Ninja Blade external monitors, which also function as high-quality local video recorders. We ran HDMI from our Inspire 1 remotes to the Atomos units, which allowed us to keep a high-quality local recording in case one of the Inspires went down. The GMA team used the Atomos’ pass-through HDMI port to connect into their satellite broadcast system using an HDMI to SDI converter and a long cable that ran from our operating positions to the truck in which they were stationed.
No one we knew had used Inspire 1 units in such extreme conditions, and we spent two days before the live broadcast doing on-location test flights with the GMA team. First, we had to find the best place from which to operate. Winds are really important near volcanoes because the gas they emit is often toxic and can also displace breathable air if it moves in. We found a place upwind from the volcano (and was forecast to remain upwind) with good line of sight to the eruption wall’s rim. A test flight established that working distances were around 1200 meters, so we set the Inspire 1’s HD settings to a range of 1.5 Km, which worked perfectly. After that, Ferdinand and I were basically ready to go, but we couldn’t stop ourselves from continuously flying the volcano and gathering the spectacular footage that you see here in the video.
The biggest challenges that came up right before the live event were weather related. 30-knot winds and snow came out of nowhere, creating whiteout conditions that were hard to work in. Our hands froze, and the Inspire 1 units and all of the other exposed gear became filled with snow. Also, the thing that viewers never see about a live broadcast is that there is a lot of waiting around. We had a two-hour window during which we were expected to be ready to go at any time, and before that time, we were running live rehearsals and other tests. I was really worried that the cold, wind and snow, combined with the large blocks of time during which were just waiting around would prevent us from carrying out the broadcast. A lot of our gear had problems coping with the extreme cold, and we had to shuttle them back and forth to heated cars to warm them up.
Keeping batteries working in the cold was another challenge. A battery that has become cold to the core will not work well, and DJI’s intelligent batteries prevent them from being charged back up until they are warm. We installed the included insulators on the sides of the batteries, and ended up making additional battery insulators using 1/8” insulated foam tape. We also used a heated blanked inside a heated car to keep batteries warm at all times, and ready to go; but even so, about half of our batteries stopped working on site (they all resumed working once they warmed up).
Another problem was that none of our Apple devices worked in the cold. After just a few minutes, iPads and iPhones both refused to turn on, showing an error message about temperature. Instead, we used Sony and Panasonic Android devices that worked perfectly in the cold.
When broadcast time arrived, winds had dropped to around 15 knots, a wind speed we knew we could handle easily. The two Inspire 1 units fired up, and we were able to carry out the first live broadcast using a UAV from over a volcano to over 6 million live viewers!
It is important to note that DJI and ABC / GMA had the required permits to get close to the volcano, which is absolutely off limits to the general public. Icelandic police accompanied us at all times.
The DJI Inspire 1 and its integrated 4K camera and Lightbridge connection is a powerful tool that allows for the real-time broadcast of video from unique perspectives. The units we used in this project were stock, production units, and we were all impressed with how they held up in such harsh working conditions. We are excited to see the new perspectives that the Inspire 1 and other DJI products will bring to journalism and other real-time broadcast applications that require aerial perspectives!