Heli Skiing Go Pro – getting the best from your heliski videos
POV action sports video cameras, such as the GoPro and Contour models, have given athletes of every age and every sport the ability to capture what they love doing. Whether this is heli skiing through trees, mountain biking tight single track, or practically any other sport you can imagine, these cameras offer the opportunity to share these experiences with the world.
Keeping the audience watching is top of your priorities here. To create compelling footage there are a few tips and techniques that you can follow. Too many people simply upload unedited, single shot movies, that although may seem special to them, will not captivate the audience, and have them clicking away within seconds. Using the following as a guideline we’ll help you produce something everyone will want to watch, with just a little thought, time, and commitment from your part.
How the audience views the action on the screen is entirely up to you, and more specifically the perspectives you choose to use. Videographers use a range of shot types (just look at any ski movie) to get the most from both the riders and the terrain. Several options are available. With large, long runs think about keeping the skier small in the shot to emphasis the vastness of the terrain. Tighter shots, focusing on the athlete, will pick up more precise movements, perhaps good for technical lines.
We would recommend trying to get at least three different angles or perspectives from your shots. The POV shot is great for showing what you are experiencing throughout the run, and the terrain that lays ahead of you. A reverse POV is equally good to show your expressions and enjoyment, especially with all the powder shots you’re likely to capture, (though used too much for too long can be slightly infuriating). Lastly try to get some longer (in distance) shots of yourself, perhaps filmed by friends waiting below for you to come shooting past, and a few cutaways to set the scene and give a more rounded story to the production.
Because action sports tend to happen at high speeds, choosing the right settings to get the best aesthetics is important. Both GoPro and Contour cameras offer recording modes of 60fps at 720p HD resolution. The ‘60’ here is the amount of frames captured per second – standard video is played at 30fps – so in this mode you can get a really nice slightly slow-motioned footage that captures all the movements of the body. For other, static shots think about shooting with a slower speed but higher resolution, for extremely clear and crisp video when played back. Try 1080p HD or 960p HD for a greater field of vision.
Before you begin, know that creating good-looking videos, that you’ll be proud to share with your friends and colleagues, does take a reasonable amount of time. Try to commit to the project before you begin, and having a plan of which shots you need before you hit the snow will really help you out. Getting comfortable with editing packages for video saves a lot of time too. These don’t have to be the top of the line professional offerings, such as from final cut pro or avid, but using a tutorial beforehand for your chosen software will save a lot of curses toward your computer.
Creating something unique that stands out from all the other POV movies out there, shouldn’t be difficult, and with a little practice will be the perfect way to capture and remember your heli skiing adventures for years to come.
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