The emergence of Pinewood Atlanta Studios on Fayetteville’s expanded west side continues to bring a variety of new companies to the city. Two of those companies on June 18 provided an up-close look what it takes to film high in the air above an outdoor television or movie set.
Camera Copters-GA had one of its helicopters available for viewing at the Pinewood Production Centre and was joined by representatives of production and distribution company Go2 Studios, one of the new vendors at Pinewood Atlanta.
Camera Copters has long been a staple of the entertainment industry in California, Florida, New York and Louisiana. Included in its services are filming from helicopters and airplanes, aerial coordination and stunts. With its expansion into Georgia, Camera Copters is an associate of Go2 Studios at Pinewood Atlanta but not exclusive to them, said Camera Copters-GA general manager and aerial coordinator J.R. “Skip” Lam, who is also a resident of Peachtree City.
Go2 Studios is an independent, full-service production and distribution company providing services such as film aviation, premier casting, film distribution and studio production.
Now a resident of Coweta County who previously spent 20 years in Los Angeles, Go2 Studios casting director and CEO LaTanya Potts said her company is a turnkey production company.
Go2 Studios initially established its local offices in Senoia last year. Those offices are now located at the Pinewood Production Centre in Fayetteville.
“We want to edify the community and get local people involved,” Potts said.
Potts and Lam were joined at Pinewood Atlanta last week by Camera Copters owner and aerial coordinator Paul Barth, who lives in West Palm Beach, Fla.
On display on the grounds of the production centre was a Twin Star helicopter outfitted with a gyro-stabilized Cineflex HiDEF camera system.
A member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) since 1986, Lam pilots the copters and has nearly 30 years in the movie industry.
“We understand the nuances and challenges that doing it wrong can cause,” Lam said. “It’s a dangerous business and it has to be treated as such. Safety is our No. 1 interest.”
When it comes to the volume of television shows and movies that will be made at Pinewood Atlanta in the coming years, it is worth mentioning that some aspects of those productions will require aerial filming. And that is why it will not be out of the ordinary for local residents to sometimes see a helicopter hovering overhead.
Put in perspective, it will be these and countless other activities which will bring many new faces to Fayetteville and Fayette County and will contribute to the county’s economic development.
