A bit late to this, but thank you Joe for your wonderful post. We should all be so lucky to have someone write something up for us like this.

I will echo what the other writers have said, in that I only knew Dave via the web. As a writer, I respected his insight and dedication to film. I ALWAYS read what he had to say. His voice was original and his content was always timely. He succeeded in helping me get from the site what I think we all want -- to be on the cutting edge and "in the know". His passion for film was admirable. As a colleague, he was incredibly friendly, encouraging, and thoughtful. He would actually chat me with an attaboy on articles I was proud of, which was so kind.

He will be greatly missed. Rest in peace.

I hope this doesn't come off as hack-y, but I'd direct you to my interview with "Earth to Echo" editor Carsten Kurpanek. He gave a ton of good advice, and his twitter is at the bottom if you'd care to directly make contact. Really great guy. http://nofilmschool.com/2014/07/earth-echo-editor-carsten-kurpanek-journ...

Very thought out response, Michael. I think you should sent this along to the FAA or some other "power that be" - I can only imagine they get a ton of complaints, but someone proposing additional solutions may be welcome. Emphasis on "may" since our government is well... our government : ).

You raise a fair point about loss of life regarding manned vs unmanned, and while I'm unsure about your tone, I appreciate your challenge. (Though I think that also depends on the size of the drone we're talking about.) I'm glad you care enough to talk about it. I still find the point nonsensical because it seems like a false equivalence. Comparing the use of a highly-regulated/much-higher-entry-cost/high-attention/usually-large-crew-requiring vehicle that we as an industry have decades of experience with (helicopters), to a presently very un-regulate-able aerial machine that many more people will have access to, capable of flying several pounds of weight on the whim of anyone willing to lay down some cash, seems silly. We have a history with helicopter shots and safety. We're just starting to see the official adoption of drone use - while not a loss of life, I've personally heard several horror stories about people getting hurt with drones... just like I've heard stories of improperly set c-stands falling on sets, lights falling, people tripping on gaff tape... the list goes on. Be sure that, just like any piece of film equipment, accidents will happen, and like anything, the frequency of use will have an impact on the numbers. I'd be interested in reading the quote from Garrett Brown, if you wouldn't mind sharing?

Thank you for chiming in here, Dave!

I'm digging this, Jeff. Sally forth.