Java Post Production hit the highway and took to the air for the latest broadcast commercial from STC (Saskatchewan Transportation Company).

It was a very sunny but very chilly -26 Celsius morning when the Java Post aerial photography flight crew - along with representatives from the client and advertising agency Phoenix Group - began shooting travelling shots of an STC bus as it rolled down the highway in the Qu'Appelle Valley.

The clients and agency reps were able to stay warm and toasty inside the bus, using our wireless client monitor to see exactly what our aerial camera was shooting. Unfortunately, our flight crew (Jack Tunnicliffe and Trevor Bennett) weren't so lucky. They were outside in the cold, tracking alongside, above and behind the STC bus.

The -26C weather really pushed the cold tolerances of the Javacopter aerial photography platform (not to mention the cold tolerances of our crew!) but all the footage turned out great.

At times, the crew had the Javacopter racing along with the bus at speeds of up to 60 to 70 KPH, capturing the extremely smooth and stable footage for which Java Post Aerial Photography is known.

Our guys did get a brief break from the cold weather when they moved inside the bus to shoot one "driver POV" shot, looking out the front window. And no, they didn't use the Javacopter for that shot. Instead, they used our Java Post Steadi-arm, a hand-held camera stablization mount that provides incredibly solid, stable images.

Press the gold "Watch" button to view the finished commercial. A follow-up version of the spot is planned for the summer and it will be shot in the exact same location. Except this time with green grass and a much warmer (and much happier) Java Post crew.

Jack Tunnicliffe was the director, Javacopter pilot and Steadi-arm operator on the project, while Trevor Bennett was the Javacopter camera operator. Jack also edited, colour-corrected and created the graphics for the finished commercial. The advertising agency was Phoenix Group.