You never know what’s around the corner when you’re asked to fly drones on a television show you’ve never heard of let alone worked. However working on Series 2 of Rosie Jones’s Trip Hazard was so much fun.
Each episode had a different celebrity paired up with comedian Rosie Jones as she travelled around the UK doing activities outside her comfort zone, especially difficult for Rosie as she suffers from cerebral palsy. That wasn’t going to stop her though!
I first met the director Tom Levinge at 5am on a Saturday morning in Bradford as after filming the first episode the producer realised that the team of camera operators just didn’t have the time to do their job as well as shoot drone images.
Tom and I spent the morning shooting GV’s, general views around the city and then later that week coming back and filming night shots and drone time-lapse. The shots looked incredible and after that first meeting I ended up shooting most of the other episodes travelling around the United Kingdom.
The Mission? Big Laughs, Big Heights, and Brilliant Aerials
It didn’t take long to get embedded into the crew which is essential if you’re going to be working away for weeks at a time and what a lovely crew they were.
My role as a drone camera operator was to stay with the cast and crew and shoot spectacular aerial images and using my experience working in drama on shows like Gentleman Jack was to also bring the drone down super low and follow the action. The three camera operators would get their shots first then step aside and I’d fly the drone close to Rosie and the other actors. It worked extremely well giving the show a touch of Hollywood magic.
Locations + Laughs + Lift-Off!
Blackpool with Guz Khan
Some of the highlights of the series included flying over the Pleasure Beach at Blackpool as Rosie screamed her way around the park riding the Big One .
Guz chickened out of this one and proceeded to watch her whilst eating an ice cream from down on the ground.
The aerial shots were amazing, and I remember hearing gasps from Tom the director as Rosie dropped over the top of the ride screaming just as one of Blackpool’s famous Trams came into shot. Perfect telly magic which looked as though we planned it.
Next came Sky diving from 15,000ft which Rosie did with the usual enthusiasm once again screaming all the way down to the ground. Guz didn’t fancy this one either so left Rosie on the runway wishing her good luck as she climbed into the plane strapping herself to the parachute instructor. There’s a theme forming here with Guz.
The last few events were hilarious, Guz and Rosie having a break-dancing lesson and the Ballroom dancing in the worlds famous Tower Ballroom in the heart of Blackpool. Flying a small mini drone inside such a magnificent building was an absolute thrill and honour.
Pembrokeshire with Fay Ripley
Wales was so much fun with incredible weather and stunning scenery where you could really let the drone just soak up those cinematic landscapes.
Once again Rosie rose to the challenge mastering the art of horse riding with Fay giving out words of encouragement. I had to be careful here not to spook the horses, so the drone was kept at a safe distance and flown nice and slow.
One of the benefits of the DJI Mavic 3 pro is its three lenses, so even flying at a safe altitude I could still get great close-up shots of Rosie and Fay travelling through the Welsh countryside.
I have to say Rosie is totally fearless and will try anything thrown at her, she doesn’t let her disability hold her back. From Coast steering where she couldn’t jump off the rocks without help, aka being flung off by the instructor to swimming in the sea with a local group of cold-water swimmers known as the Blue Tits, even though Rosie cannot swim.
There was so much more to tell you about this shoot but sadly too much for this blog, it was just one of the best experiences I had.
Tom the director and Dan the producer had trust in the quality of work I could produce and sent me to go out and shoot stunning locations on my own whilst the rest of the filming unit were shooting indoors.
Sneaky secret, often when you see the star car travelling from location to location its being driven by one of the assistant directors so that I can get shots of it whilst Rosie and the other actors are shooting other things.
It keeps the production going getting as much footage as possible on the limited amount of time we have.
Did I mention that I also shot the production stills both behind the scenes and for promotion of the show. Well, I have now. Again, another fantastic experience but also brings my photography skills into use and gives a production more reason to book me.
One of the best things to come out of this series for me was the friendship that came out of this team, from all the crew and especially Rosie who I still keep in contact with and has become a good friend.
Behind the Camera: Meet the Crew
Just a few of the amazing team.
- Series Director: Tom Levinge
- Series Producer: Dan Wickens
- Exec Producers: Murray Boland, Danielle Lux, David Taylor
- DOP: Laurens Scott
- Publicity Photography & Drone Pilot: Phil Fearnley – Halo Vue
Halo Vue – Your Broadcast-Ready Aerial Team
I’d like to think that I don’t just fly drones, but that I help to tell a visual story and with my extensive background in photography and flying drones it gives the production companies the confidence to keep re-booking me.
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- 📸 On-location publicity photography
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Whether you’re capturing comedy chaos like Trip Hazard or need majestic flyovers for drama or documentary, Halo Vue delivers professional, scalable aerial services built for media production.
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Fun. Flying. Filming. That’s how we roll (or fly).
Follow @HaloVue for more behind-the-scenes action and aerial inspiration!
