- So the other day,
a good friend from Arri called and they said,
"Do you wanna shoot something on the Alexa Mini LF?"
And I said, "Of course,
"any chance I get to shoot on an Alexa, count me in."
And then they go on to say XM2 pursuit has an Alexa Mini LF
with a zoom lens on the front of a jet.
Yep. I didn't even say anything.
I just hung up the phone and started driving to the airport.
Now XM2 pursuit, they are the legends when it comes
to filming anything from the sky.
Drones, helicopters, planes, jets, you name it.
- This is our go-to platform configuration
to shoot aerials with helicopters.
In this system, we can put three Alexa LF Minis in there
and do a right plate shooting.
- [Potato] Really?
- We can put our MX cameras in here.
The system that you will be flying on the jet
is actually a smaller guy of this,
but with higher torque servos.
Because you're pulling some Gs and high speed
and the wind's pushing onto it.
Two seats in this aircraft.
The one in the front where Steve will be sitting and driving
and you'll be in that back seat.
And you'll be operating this system
which is in there already.
We've got a Alexa LF Mini with a 30 to 300 millimeter zoom.
Your right hand will be controlling the head,
panning and tilting.
Your left hand is gonna be busy.
You're gonna be like an aerial DJ today, all right?
- (Potato) All right.
- On your left hand, you're doing focus RS and zoom
and also horizon correction.
And that's all done with your left hand.
So you gotta do all of these, while seated
and going at you know, 300 miles an hour
while you're chasing a subject.
- So multitasking going on.
- [Stephen] Multitasking for sure.
- Okay.
- That's your subject for today.
- Oh, we have a subject?
- Well now, we've gotta actually a moving subject
that'll peel out or fly into frame, all right?
And that will give you the true experience
of what that paintbrush actually does.
And, I call all filming tools a paint brush.
Because really what we're doing is art
you know, we're painting a picture.
Because we can fly fast with the camera,
all of a sudden they can be more acrobatics
and all this really cool stuff can start happening.
- [Potato] Wow. - And that's when
this paint brush actually shines.
Now this plane can fly at its speed,
which means he can be acrobatic
and not worry about stalling.
- All right, so I'm gonna go suit up now.
They're gonna let me fly it.
I'm gonna pilot.
You know I'm a licensed pilot.
- [Stephen] Are you? - Paragliding.
(both laughing)
It's the same thing, right?
Pretty much. I was a pretty good paraglider.
- [Sam] And then this is where you cut to the shot of me
crashing the paraglider.
(both laughing)
- [Announcer] That's a [inaudible]. That's a [inaudible]
(tree branches breaking)
- [Sam] Well, I don't think that was supposed to happen.
- [Stephen] To take home, it's your little Souvenir.
- [Potato] Wait, really I get to keep the suit?
- That's yours. - [Potato] Are you serious?
Oh my God! That is so fricking cool.
- [Sam] Lucky. - Mr Potato.
- [Potato] Yeah, no, this is awesome.
(upbeat music)
I feel super cool wearing this right now.
- [Sam] You look super cool.
- I'm gonna just wear this everywhere.
My confidence level has gone like that.
- [Sam] All right. (people laughing)
- They have all the cool toys here.
It's like, look at that thing
No big deal, just that the
Alexa mini just roaming around filming us.
- So, this one is a SHOTOVER F1 RUSH modify
and that's what we call jet cam.
We spent three years to reverse engineer
this platform together with this gimbal
in order to outfit a new redesign
and six axis gyro stabilized platform
that can fly up to like 400 knots.
This is gonna be your controller.
You're gonna have a 13 inch monitor
that is built-in in the canopy of the jet
which will be coming down to you
whenever you guys gonna be ready to take off.
- Started flying this back in 1974.
Recently, we did Dunkirk.
We've done stuff way back when a lot of TV shows,
the Hardy boys and Pearl Harbor.
Most of the time in front of the camera.
This is equally as exciting though
I mean, it's equally as rewarding
because there's a lot of skill that you know,
it takes to get the shot.
But we can do loops and rolls and anything like that
which we'll try if you're up for it.
And you'll enjoy the camera.
You know, everybody that has tried the camera,
have all thought it was a great tool.
So we're really interested in what you have to say about it.
- So not only are we gonna be filming from a jet,
we have a subject play, which is insane.
I also really like how you wear the...
I'm wearing this wrong, huh.
- You can roll 'em up.
- You look much cooler than I do right now.
There, how's that?
- So here we are with our beautiful P-51 D model Mustang,
called the Cadillac of the sky back then in world war II.
It's today's F-16, F-18.
It's our passion, it's in our blood, we love it.
- I don't really have to go to the bathroom
but I feel like maybe I should.
- Yes. - Just to be certain
I don't pee myself.
- Go to the bathroom, drink some water.
- Step one, okay.
The seatbelt also doubles as a parachute,
that's pretty cool.
So what we're gonna do is
we're gonna go 5,000 feet in the air.
I'm gonna press the ejector seat button and see.
This is quite different than boarding
a American airlines flight.
- You don't wanna touch that one,
and you don't wanna basically touch
really nothing around here.
- Okay, got it.
So I shouldn't just go around
(Potato murmuring)
- Don't do that here.
You know, if you hit that, those black things in there,
they'll both fall off the airplane.
- [Potato] Really? - Yeah.
- [Potato] Cool. - You know sometimes
when you head down - [Potato] Uh-huh.
- all the time,
it can maybe be a little uneasy for your stomach.
So if that happens, look outside.
That's what I'm saying.
- As long as I know where this is, I think I'm ready.
(plane engine roaring) (upbeat music)
That's gonna be your seat?
- I'll hold that GoPro.
- [Potato] Okay cool.
(upbeat music)
So yeah, this is kind of crazy.
All kinds of things going on around here.
(upbeat music)
- [Steve] Hey, here we go Gene.
- That's good.
- [Steve] So, we just have electric motor spins the motor up
by the engine itself up
and then we put gas to it, spark.
(canopy engaging)
(people muttering)
(jet engine roaring)
(Steve muttering)
(people muttering)
Okay.
(upbeat music)
How did you do, you doing okay?
- [Potato] Oh my God, that was so much fun.
Wow, that was a,
that was an experience.
Thank you for, first of all keeping me alive
(Potato laughing)
And roll.
Oh my gosh, that roll that you did.
- [Steve] It was very smooth and everything, yeah.
- It was uh,
it was so incredibly smooth.
We went upside down for a while, huh.
- [Steve] Yeah, yeah. - [Potato] Just kind of sank
for a little bit.
- [Steve] Just seem like you're always in your seat
So you pull the nose up
and then your roll and you're still in your seat.
You're pulling down, just a gentle manouver.
- That was incredible, wow.
- [Steve] Then we put a to 2 G turn on you
so you just feel what 2 Gs were like.
- And the camera itself, you know
it's so easy.
I still have to get used to that joystick.
'Cause you know how the, um
the tilt is reverse.
There's so many moments where I'm like,
c'mon, oh man
I flipped them on the wrong direction with the joystick.
But you know, once you have this thing on the lap,
it's just like, a dream to you.
- [Steve] You got them right away
and you held them.
And you know, we just did a few little things.
Just introduction to the camera,
but shoot, he could go to work right now, I think.
- It is a little tricky with the focus too.
Especially once you get way in there too
and then trying to focus
and make sure everything's good,
but wow, that was fun.
And it was, it looks smooth.
I think I went almost all the way into a 300
a couple of times and just got that close
and it, whenever I zoom in,
I had an instinct that said like,
"Hey, don't get too close."
"You're going to hit him."
And I was like, oh wait, no.
Okay then I'm good, I'm good.
But we got so up and close.
We got close ups.
Wow, that was an experience.
This is the highlight of my life for sure.
Wow, that was really incredible.
- [Andrea] In the fastest [inaudible], in the world.
- [Potato] That was incredible.
Yeah, my mind's still blown.
(Steve laughing)
Wow, this is going to be my Halloween costume, it's perfect.
Halloween's tomorrow.
We go around.
People will be like nice costume.
And I'll be like, no, no, no, this isn't a costume.
I was in a jet yesterday.
No big deal. - [Sam] It's a lifestyle.
Oh, geez. Hey dude.
I, I like Halloween as much as the next guy
but it's basically December already.
- I told you it's not a costume.
Like this is, it's actually very comfortable too.
There's one zipper comes off naked.
- [Sam] These are not even the real patches.
- Hey don't touch me. Let me live my life Sam.
I told you I'm never taking this off.
Did you know that if you wear a flight suit
people are all of a sudden really nice to you?
- [Sam] Do they say that in a weird accent?
They're like Mr Potato.
(Potato giggling)
- Like before I would get one of those water cups
and fill it up with Sprite and people used to frown upon me.
Now I look back at them and they're like,
Oh, he must be a national hero.
Shout out to XM2 pursuit.
I'm going to throw links to them and also Arri down below.
Definitely worth checking them out.
Did I crack my glasses, what the heck?
No, what is this? It's like
- [Sam] , Is it sticky?
- A little bit, should I taste it?
- [Sam] Yes, please do.
(upbeat music)