I’ve had a passion for photography since childhood. After studying at Aberdeen University, qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor, and careers in surveying, photography & videography for Getty Images, as well as property development in London, I qualified as a commercial drone pilot in 2014 and set up Richard Elliott Aerial Filming.
Specialising in remote areas, my stock photographs for Getty have sold to many prestigious clients over the last 30 years. My final property development in London was the construction of “The Grey House” in Highgate Cemetery, which won major architectural awards for the design team. During my ownership of the house I established it as a filming and event location; this continues, with large parts of the 2019 series of ‘Luther’ filmed in the house (www.85swainslane.co.uk).
I & my team fly Vulcan Raven drones for heavy lift filming, DJI Inspire 2s as daily workhorses, & Mavic 2 Pros for recces & difficult flying locations such as in between the trees in forests.
HEAVY LIFT
Our heavy lift systems offer great flexibility for productions to use their preferred cameras & lenses, such as the Alexa Mini LF with Signature primes or RED Monster with Cooke primes.
Our Vulcan Ravens are super heavy lift machines so can handle loads of up to 25kg safely.
The Movi Pro gimbal provides rock-steady footage while giving up to 3 axis lens control and stop/start capability via the Movi Controller.
DJI INSPIRE 2
We always have 3 Inspire 2s with us on shoots, with 2 DJI X7 Super 35mm cameras, a DJI X5S Micro 4/3 camera, & a full complement of lenses for both cameras, from (in 35mm terms) 24mm to 90mm. All 3 Inspire 2s have CinemaDNG & ProRes licences, & we use fast SSDs for constant backup & to save waiting around at the end of filming days.
DJI MAVIC 2 PRO
We take 2 Mavic 2 Pros to each shoot – extremely lightweight drones with 1-inch sensor Hasselblad cameras, perfect for recces & setting up shots ready for the heavier lift systems.
Ancillary equipment which is always with me/us includes an Atomos Shogun monitor for DoPs, wireless headsets for always-on comms between DoP & drone crew, Ofcom-licensed two-way radios, & even a satellite phone – it’s crucial that comms are never an issue, no matter how remote the filming locations.
I’m a First Option approved contractor for film & TV (with £10m public liability insurance), and an ARRI certified cinematographer. I have BOSIET & MIST certification for worldwide offshore work, & I’m a Professionally Qualified Person CSCS card holder. I’m an SQA qualified first-aider, & I’m FAA ‘Part 107’ qualified for commercial drone work in the USA.
CAA approved for aerial work, PFCO company number 532, FAA number 4242184
