The Jacksons - Destiny

Upscale Drones Will Give Hollywood's Television and Film Studios a Lift in Their Profits

     Raglan - Six figure price tag drones will help meet demand for motion picture and television studio's need for aerial camera platforms.  However, if drones can be used satisfactorily in television and film production, they can drastically reduce costs. 
     According to Los Angeles -based drone production firm Aerial MOB, helicopter rentals can go as high as $30,000 a day, while daily drone rental rates for motion picture making are as low as $10,000 to $15,000 per day to the production studio.  Until now, cinematographers have bolted specialized add-ons, like cinema-quality cameras, to off-the-shelf drones that cost a few thousand dollars each.  Two New Zealand drone manufacturers, Aeronavics and Shotover Camera Systems, want to change that.  Until recently, drone use in feature films and television was limited to productions shot outside the United States, but late last year Washington began granting exemptions to commercial drone users on a case-by-case basis.  Of nearly 700 exemptions issued by the Federal Aviation Administration at the start of July 2015, approximately half of them were for aerial photography (including transmitting live television).  Unmanned aerial vehicles have been used in films that include:  "Dr. Who", "Twilight", "007 Skyfall", "Furious 7", "Jurassic World", and other hits.  "A lot of people have been shooting with drones in the past few years but not really in the very high-end space, so that's where our business will operate, "says Shotover Camera Systems'  general manager Brad Hurndell.  See also, www.popularmechanics.com.                  

New Drone Legislation Would Give Six Months and/or Thousands of Dollars in Fines

     Sacramento - Senate Bill 168 looks likely to become law.  SB 168 will protect emergency responders from any liability for the destruction an an unauthorized drone during firefighting or medical support operations.  Private UAVs have disrupted firefighting operations several times this year, including during a wildfire last month on Interstate 15 in San Bernardino, California.  See full story...http://www.kfi640.com. 

British Academy of Film and Television Arts Presented The 11th Annual B.A.F.T.A. Video Game Awards

     London - The 11th British Academy Video Game Awards ceremony, was presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), in March of 2015.  It was as good as it gets including 25 exciting categories, a red carpet entry with nominee interviews, an opening performance by Riva Taylor, and more.  The awards show honored such  computer and video game categories as:  best video game, best video game designer, best video game animator, greatest video game breakthrough technology, best video game music, and more categories.  BAFTA took place in March of 2015, at the Tobacco Dock, in London, England.   See full story, www.bafta.org.   

400 ft. 4,000 ft. 11,000 ft...One of Those is Right

   Newhall - A drone flying at approximately 11,000 feet required the loss of two hours of fire-fighting time, after the drone interfered with fire-fighting operations in Newhall, California.  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) classifies drones as model aircraft, and-as-such, limits their flight altitude to 400 feet maximum.  See whole story, www.ktla.com.   

Drones Cost Crucial Hours of Fire-Fighting Time in California

    Newhall - Fire-fighter injuries and delays in fire-retardant-dropping air-bombers increase when model aircraft, drones, fly within or near restricted airspace that is intended for wild-fire fighting, according to the National Inter-agency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.  See whole story,  www.dailymail.co.uk.   
  

MOST SOUGHT AFTER SPORTS CAR

     Carmel - The 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, known as 'chassis number 3851 GT', that sold in California in August 2014, set a new high for a classic car at $38 million.  The Ferrari 250 GTO beat the previous sale record of approximately $30 million, for a Mercedes W196.  The Ferrari 250 GTO is among the world's most rare and sought-after cars.  Only 39 Ferrari 250 GTOs were built.  See whole story, www.latimes.com.