Written by on Jul 9, 2012. Posted in Production News

Colonel Blimp braves windy Philadelphia with a helicam for Passion Pit

London-based music video production company Colonel Blimp has braved the windy skies over Philadelphia in the eastern US. Take A Walk comes from Massachusetts band Passion Pit and uses a helicam to take a bird’s eye view of a ball as it bounces around the city.

Passion Pit wanted to film in New York, but in the end the sheer number of city locations they wanted and the cost of filming made Philadelphia the most accommodating option. David Wilson directed the piece: “What I really liked about Philadelphia was that its skyline isn't particularly iconic. It had this great feel of a representation of a north-eastern American city, making the focus more about the movement towards an urban environment rather than to the bright lights of New York.”

Using the helicam was a challenge given the windy conditions and the fact that it needed two separate operators - one to control the flying and someone else to manipulate the onboard camera.

What I really liked about Philadelphia was that its skyline isn't particularly iconic. It had this great feel of a representation of a north-eastern American city.

David Wilson, Director

There was also the issue of having no more than three minutes at a time in the air before the battery died. Despite the challenges they ended up with the shots they needed and Wilson was happy with the machine’s flexibility.

Wilson adds: “[Philadelphia’s] really beautiful and has a lot of range, from nearby forests to gritty urban ghettos, to the high-rise city centre. Some of the architecture there is incredible, including the extraordinary 30th street train station. The city was extremely accommodating; both the council and the residents.”

Credits:
Artist: Passion Pit
Production Company: Colonel Blimp, London
Producer: Tamsin Glasson
Line Production: Doomsday, New York
Doomsday Executive Producer: Danielle Hinde
Line Producer: Brian Turner
Director of Photography: Larkin Seiple
Director: David Wilson