Law against privately owned ‘drones’ hits filmmakers & hobbyists

Small remote-controlled aircraft, also called drones, are becoming increasingly more involved in our lives, but filmmakers argue that strict rules won't allow them to use them for the purposes for which they were intended, the SME daily reported on Tuesday. Several companies that have used drones to shoot videos for films have informed SME that they are ending their activities. GeoKarpatia tried to do business with drones taking pictures, but new rules have turned out to be very restrictive, and the company is now considering whether to continue or not. "It isn't a problem to meet all the requirements, but the law is very limiting when it comes to the use of drones ... In the field of film or photography - which they were primarily intended for - they can't really be used", said František Komara from GeoKarpatia. The first ever rules for the use of drones were announced by the Traffic Office in August. These state that remote-controlled aircraft able to shoot pictures or videos as well as aircraft models heavier than 20 kilograms must be registered at the office. Moreover, the drone operator has to undergo a theoretical and practical exam under the supervision of an inspector from the office. Juraj Dudáš from the Slovak Unmanned Aircraft Association conceded that rules are essential, but they don't address the needs of filmmakers or amateur users. For example, it's still the case that only a legal entity with a licence can shoot photos or video, as it's considered to be work on an aircraft, even when filming in one's own garden with a toy helicopter. "An ordinary hobby drone user with a camera is viewed as an illegal user", said Dudáš. Filmmaker Albert Rafaj - who has been using remote-controlled helicopters to shoot videos for five years - says that the procedure for obtaining a permit to fly a drone is complicated and that there's a need to fill a number of unnecessary forms. "Many forms are the same as if the person wanted to operate an air rescue service with a real helicopter", said Rafaj. Filming people in cities is the most complicated - filmmakers have to determine the space in which the drone will fly, and people aren't allowed to enter this. Drones have to stay at least 50 metres away from people, even if they are actors aware that they are being filmed. The same distance applies to buildings, so filming on a street is almost impossible, said Komara. Moreover, the screenplay for flight footage has to be submitted several weeks before the shoot, which filmmakers view as nonsense, said Rafaj. "We call each other the evening before filming, about whether the weather is good for us to go out filming or not. Usually we don't have orders with a specific date for shooting several weeks in advance", he added. The final obstacle is the Defence Ministry, which has to assess the shots and issue a permit stating that the photos or videos don't show anything that is subject to confidentiality.