Vermeer Beta: Use Augmented Reality to Control Your Aerial Drones for Video | No Film School

The future is here for aerial videographers with the new augmented reality technology by Vermeer. The Vermeer Beta launch is truly some groundbreaking stuff in the world of AR as the new iOS mobile app allows users to “pre-visualize a drone flightpath in augmented reality.”

Let’s take a closer look at this awesome new future tech and see just how useful it could possibly be for aerial videographers and photographers alike.

Introducing the Vermeer App

While drone videography has been revolutionized by the likes of DJI and with the rise of 4K action cams, the ability to reliably plan and “pre-visualize” has left many aerial videographers in the wind. Developed by Aerobo, one of the largest aerial cinematography companies in the world, Vermeer is an iOS based mobile app built to help filmmakers and photographers unlock the full potential of aerial drones.

Here are three ways individuals can use Vermeer to plan and capture cinematic aerial shots.

The person with the drone (internal or 3rd party) can use Vermeer to preplan and then execute the shot on location.
The person with the drone (internal or 3rd party) can use Vermeer to pre-plan before arriving to the location.
The DP or director can use the app to design the shot beforehand, and then turn it over to the drone pilot to execute.

Augmented Drone Pre-Visualization

Now this is where we really get into the sci-fi future tech, using some of the most advanced augmented reality technology currently on the market, Vermeer lets you visualize your location and move through it using your phone as your augmented camera. We’re talking about possible uses for setting cinematic exteriors to real estate videography to construction and industrial applications to name just a few possibilities.

Specs and Price

Vermeer is designed to work on a wide variety of iOS devices and all the latest DJI prosumer drone options. If you’re interested in learning more about Vermeer, you can check out this complete side-by-side walkthrough video here, or finding out more info on their website here.

Compatible iOS Devices:

iPhone 7
iPhone SE
iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
iPhone X
iPad Pro

Compatible Drones:

DJI Spark
Phantoms: Phantom 4 , Phantom 4 Professional, Phantom 3 Professional, Phantom 3 Advanced
Inspires: Inspire 1, Inspire 2 (the pre-vis is optimized for the FOV for the X7-24mm lens, and the X5S-15mm lens; all lenses, however, are supported)
Mavics: Mavic Pro, Mavic Air, Mavic 2 Pro

To download Vermeer, you can check it out in the Apple store here!

drones dji aerial cinematography Vermeer AR

'Kitty the Killer' Director on Finding the Right Balance Between Action and Comedy

Balance Action and Comedy With 'Kitty the Killer'

Lee Thongkham discusses how he effectively infused pulse-pounding action with humor.

Blending action and comedy together can be tricky, but when it’s done right, it creates movie magic. Films like Beverly Hills Cop, Lethal Weapon, Rush Hour, Tropic Thunder and, more recently, Everything Everywhere All at Once are prime examples of this being done successfully.

The latest title to join the hybrid genre is Lee Thongkham’s Kitty the Killer, which follows Dina, a highly trained teenage assassin and her mentor, Charlie, as they unexpectedly join forces to stop a sinister plot and save millions of lives.

When Thongkham crafted the script, he focused on really building up the action, with the comedic relief stemming from one of the main character's journey and traits. It was important to him that the humor never detracted from the intensity of the action, but rather enhanced it in a way that made the movie more enjoyable for the audience.

When discussing the topic he says, “One of the biggest challenges of directing an action-comedy is finding the right balance between the two genres. To achieve this balance, we worked closely with our talented cast of actors, including our lead actor, who had experience in both action and comedy. We also spent a lot of time in pre-production mapping out the action sequences and choreography, so that we could ensure that they were both exciting and funny.”

Thongkham goes into this and much more in our interview below.

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