By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | How many people do you know who have come up with a new term to describe their business?
We’re not talking about some hip-hop phrases, or a word that is in everyday use. We’re talking about a word that describes a new way to produce, one that has a good chance of becoming in widespread use.
The term comes from my friend who I previously shared an office with before he moved to Winston Salem, N.C. He’s Nick Nicholson, founder of VIA Video, and his vocation is that of a videographer.
Previously.
Now Nick is into a new field, utilizing those ever-growing new additions, drones. Simply put, Nick attached a modern video camera to a drone and flies it up and around whatever he’s shooting.
The new word is “Aeriography.”
It might be quickly defined as “Video from above.” He defines the word this way: “Gathering of imagery, both still and motion, from an altitude.”
It’s not simple, by any means. A couple of years ago, Nick bought a small drone, and learned to fly it. After attaching a camera to the drone, he found that it was difficult to do two things at once: fly the drone, and manipulate the camera.
Nicholson with Kubota client
Recognizing this difficulty, Nick brought on another person, a pilot, to guide the drone, so that he could apply his professional know-how to the filming. That was the turning point, since it allowed each person to concentrate on their special field, producing a better quality video.
Nick also recognized the dangers that would entail if he attempted to fly the drone and shoot video at the same time. It’s somewhat like the dangers of texting and driving an automobile at the same time. The “driver” (pilot) of the drone after all has to watch out for power lines, trees, and perhaps today, even other drones.
Nick is originally from Rhode Island, where he graduated from that state’s university in 1974. He moved to Atlanta in 1979, and established Video Inventory Associates, a photographic inventory company. Yet while successful, he did not think it particularly challenging or rewarding.
He began shooting video around a real estate development, The Galleria in Atlanta. He shot different angles for several months. Soon the development company recognized that all this footage needed editing. So from this modest start in 1980, Nick began working on not only corporate video production, but post production, and carved out a niche in the local marketplace. He soon had clients in construction, law, manufacturing, aerospace, mining, agriculture and healthcare.
Nick says of his new wrinkle for his video business: “It is a perfect adjunct to my business I already had, in that it offers me an opportunity to have a platform I never had before, an aerial one, and provides perspectives unique for many industries. It’s a burgeoning industry. The biggest hurdle is getting properly certified from various governmental agencies. For instance, I am now getting a “tail number” for our drone. And you must fly under 400 feet, have an observer with you, and other limitations.’
But Nick really doesn’t like to use the term “drones,” but prefers unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). “The biggest advantage is that you can place high definition cameras in places you can never get a helicopter to fly. And an UAV is much less expensive than using a helicopter.”
- To see some of Nick’s “aeriography” work, go to: http://www.viavideo.tv/services/aerial-footage.
So, a new product (UAV) results in Nick’s new term: “aeriography.”
Follow Us