|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
| |
|
Al Cerullo
Publish Date: MA Dec/Jan 08 | |
Most movie buffs have never heard of Al Cerullo, but, chances are, each one of them has seen his work.
As an aerial cinematography pilot, Cerullo has been flying behind-and in front of-the camera for over 32 years, with over 24,000 hours of flight time, and has worked on such blockbuster films as Spider-man, Superman Returns, King Kong and The Devil Wears Prada and alongside such top-name directors as Steven Speilberg and Ridley Scott.
Cerullo's career began, not with film, but with flight. Cerullo learned to fly helicopters during service in the Army during the Vietnam War and, once discharged, began flying helicopters for a charter company in New York City. But it was the harsh New York winter that blew Cerullo into the movie biz. A California camera manufacturer approached the charter company seeking a pilot to fly their camera mount. "It was in the dead of winter and you had to fly with the door off," Cerullo remembers. "Nobody volunteered, so I did and that's how it started."
Today, Cerullo helms Hover-Views Unlimited, Inc., his aerial cinematography service, covering everything from ground coordination, cinematography and location scouting to on-air flying. For most of his work Cerullo flies his Eurocopter Twin Star, but can also fly a variety of helicopters including Augusta 109s, Bell Long Rangers, and Sikorsky S-76s, depending on what type the shot calls for. In addition to film, Cerullo has done work for television, commercials and music videos.
To film, camera mount systems are added to his helicopter either internally or externally. For his recent work on 2008's The Incredible Hulk, cameras were operated from a joystick manipulated inside the aircraft. Cerullo oversees everything, but cameras are operated by different freelance camera operators.
In the pilot seat, Cerullo flies the helicopter for everything from shooting chase scenes to filming background plates for digital effects. Background plates are filmed sequences where digital characters, like Spider-man, or live actors filmed on a green screen, like Brandon Routh in Superman Returns, are then super-imposed to appear as part of the "real life" filmed action. "When Spider-man is flying and you see the city in the background, he's obviously not flying in the city," explains Cerullo. "That's us in the helicopter with the camera."
While flying around Manhattan and greater New York City and New England may sound repetitive, Cerullo says the variety of subjects-from hovering around looking for dead bodies in Long Island for Law & Order or filming a college in New Jersey for The Incredible Hulk-keeps things from becoming stale. "I fly around the city quite a bit, but I'm always doing something different," he says. "It's either zooming into somebody in a window or following a car somewhere or something like that."
Cerullo also often finds himself on the other side of the camera, as an on-air helicopter pilot for such TV shows as CSI: New York, ABC's new drama Dirty Sexy Money and films such as Ladder 49 and Conspiracy Theory. "For CSI: New York, the last episode I worked on, it was Gary Sinise and myself in the helicopter flying around the city looking for this particular building," says Cerullo. "We have a dialogue in the helicopter. We have a camera in the helicopter with us that's filming both of us as we're flying around the city."
When similar scenes call for air-to-air cinematography, Cerullo's son Darren, who, along with his brother Wayne, also does ground coordination, serves as the elder Cerullo's double. "We paint his hair gray and he sits in the co-pilot seat and he doubles his father. He doubles me," says Cerullo. "It's kinda cool."
After several decades working in the film industry, Cerullo became a charter member of the Motion Picture Pilots Association (MPPA) in1997. The MPPA unites aviators in the motion picture, television and entertainment industries and works to promote their interests. "We started it so that we could have, not a union, but just a group that goes to the FAA or the DGA or another organization and get things done," says Cerullo. "It's a group so that we're all on the same page." Members include other on-air, cinematography and stunt pilots and, of the 24 members, aviatrix Patty Wagstaff is the only female member.
Cerullo also works with the Young Eagles program flying children between 8 and 17 up in his helicopter-a rarity among Young Eagle volunteers. At one such event, Cerullo was introduced to now friend and pupil, Mike Regruto. At the age of 13, Regruto, who assists Cerullo in the helicopter on shoots, already has 66-plus hours in the Twin Star under his belt-and is the only young man in the country who can claim that at his age.
"It's a great feeling to know that I've made a difference in his life. A huge difference too," notes Cerullo. "How many 13-year-olds fly a Twin Star and go on movie sets? Mike is a far better pilot than some older pilots. He's smoother on the controls than some guys with licenses already who fly for a living!"
While Regruto may be following in Cerullo's footsteps, retiring is still a long ways away for the cinematic pilot. "What would I retire from? I take my kids with me on shows. I've taken Mike, who is already a terrific pilot, under my wing. I love what I'm doing," says Cerullo. "When it's ice cold and you've got to fly with the door off, yeah, that can be a little challenging, but you just put layers on to stay warm. And it works."
For more information, visit www.hoverviews.com
|
|
|
Written by Natalie B. David |
|
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
