Brain Farm's Toy Chest

The Toy Chest

Brain Farm used an incredible lineup of gear for The Art of Flight—including the Phantom, the Cineflex, and an array of other HD and 35mm film cameras. Here's a closer look at their high-tech arsenal.

Phantom HD Gold Camera

The $70,000 Phantom can shoot more that 1,000 high-definition frames per second (fps), which means one second of footage can be drawn out to about a minute—enough to parse the beat of a hummingbird's wings.

Cineflex V14 HD Camera System

The Cineflex utilizes a custom remote-controlled Sony CineAlta HDC 1500, the same system used to shoot the Super Bowl. Five stabilizing gyros allow the $500,000 system to capture rock-solid footage even when being buffeted by 90-mile-per-hour winds.

Red One HD Camera

The $35,000 Red One shoots 30 fps at 4,500 pixels, nearly four times the resolution of standard high-definition cameras. Plus, it gives editors the same freedom in post-production—adjustable frame rates, color temperatures, and apertures—that the digital revolution gave still photographers a decade ago.

AStar B3 Helicopter

A closer look at Brain Farm's high-tech arsenal

Brain Farm had access to more than a dozen of these birds while shooting The Art of Flight. The B3's roomy 28-square-foot cabin can hold five snowboarders and a cameraman. Its massive engine is specifically designed to perform well in extreme temperatures and at high altitudes. It's the only helicopter ever to land at the summit of Everest.