I am looking through "The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier" for specific information on what I hear are called "Helicopter shots". Unfortunately, I cannot find anything specific. I am also looking on line while I am writing this. If anybody could give me some specific information on this, I would appreciate it. Thank you.
Screenwriting : Helicopter shots by George Pierson
Helicopter shots
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You might be thinking of "Aerial Shot," which is a filmmaking term. Sometimes it's accomplished with a plane, helicopter, drone, balloon or any other means that gets a high stationary or moving POV.
Best fortunes in your creative endeavors, George!
I think of it like a car shot - the camera is inside the car/helicopter (INT.) or it's outside the car/helicopter (EXT.). Your action text will paint the vision.
Thank you for getting back to me. What I need to know is how I could write it into a script. I came across a "script" for the movie TWISTER. I would like to know if the way the person wrote it is correct or not. Also, I came across a clip on Youtube for the scene in question. You could start viewing the scene at the 00:55 mark, but to be more specific, the specific scene would begin at 1:08 where you see vehicles go down a dirt road between two green fields.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5iKf65xWhk&t=82s
{Camera to Bill}
Bill:{Into Radio}Rabbit, do you know any shortcuts, let us know, we need every second!
{They all fly down the road, camera going into aerial view of the team. }
Bill: Okay, Rabbit, time to impress me!
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You don't need to write it specifically into the script. You don't want to use that kind of language in a spec. You can accomplish the same just by describing the scene in its entirety and let the director decide if it needs to be done aerially. It's called "directing from the page", and directors don't want you to do their job.
The way that person wrote it was more acceptable at the time (written in the early 90s), but not so much nowadays. In short, leave the camera directions to the director and just focus on writing the story.
Example of how to write it without camera direction: They all fly down the road toward the darkening horizon.
That implies an aerial view because it has the line of trucks in the foreground at the same time as the horizon in the background.
OK, thank you.
Dan MaxXx, I would agree that using drones, with a good camera, would certainly be a lot cheaper to use in aerial shots. I have seen videos on social media of people using drones. They get some great views.