Post by rcdude07 on Apr 23, 2012 10:22:28 GMT -4
RC Videos by Gary Kay
I’ve had the pleasure of review the Joe Nall 2010 DVD by Gary Kay. Before I get into the review of his skills and video work, let me provide some background on Mr. Kay.
Gary started filming R/C when he was around 8 years old, which happens to be the same time he started flying in the hobby. As the years progressed and he got better with the practice he started filming the Joe Nall event every year. Eventually he worked up the nerve to stand beside those with official press passes at Nall, and to his surprise he was welcomed with open arms. The following year he was given a press pass for the event and Gary has continued his tradition of filming Joe Nall every year. Except for 2011 due to his ongoing recovery from cancer he was unable to attend the event. Gary is happy to say he is cancer free now, but due to other issues he’s training to build stamina in order to be back filming at Joe Nall. In addition to the Joe Nall event he has filmed the 2006 Don Lowe Masters, several full scale airshows, and some heli events. He didn’t initially sell his DVDs, instead he gave them away to family and friends. Eventually people started offering him money for the DVDs. So now Gary sells his DVDs on the side as another hobby and a way to help make money to pay for the bills concerning his recovery from cancer. He has no set prices for DVDs, instead he’ll work out prices/deals with you concerning what/how many you want to order from him. He is a proud, active member of the RC Pilot Association group on Facebook, which is where I met him. Gary offered a batch of Joe Nall 2010 DVDs for RCPA members with the agreement of doing a review, which I gladly accepted
Gary openly tells everyone he uses no video editing software except for start and stop to make hard transitions. With this in mind, I was expecting to get the raw experience, which is often loss with professionally edited videos. And the raw experience is what I got. I personally had been to Joe Nall back in 2004/2005 when it was only 2 flight lines, so I knew what to expect. Gary did a good job of trying to catch all the noon demos and a little bit of all the flight lines on the DVD. I was surprised to see he was able to get several key people to interview: then AMA President, IMAA president, and QuiQue Somenzini to name a few.
Gary’s video and tracking capabilities is average to slightly above average. Anytime when one is recording live events, some items just move faster than the average person can predict and handle. So there are a few times when the subject aircraft flies out of view/off screen. A person’s jitters/nerves affecting the recording stability, Gary does a good job of keeping the shakes to minimum. Since he doesn’t use any editing software, there are times the aircraft washes out against dark skies, and the audio is a bit hard to hear.
The sound of the aircraft in the air is prevalent throughout the DVD, which is nice during the Warbird launch/event and when browsing the flight line. However, it hurts during the noon time demos as it’s hard to hear the announcer concerning the aircraft in the air. Personally, I would have liked to have seen at least subtitles telling us what the demo was and who was flying.
Joe Nall is primarily a large scale meet, so much of the video centers on 30-50% gassers. However Gary does include turbines, EDFs, and a heli or two. Since Joe Nall is so large now, it’s hard to see and do everything, but Gary has done the best job possible in capturing a little bit of everything onto a DVD from the largest R/C meet in the world.
In summary: If you are looking for HD, professional videos then go somewhere else. But if you want the raw experience of a little bit of everything, then this is the DVD for you. Other video companies will focus on the professional pilots and the atmosphere/camaraderie at the event, but Gary grabs video of everything, showing no bias in one part of the hobby. I will enjoy watching Joe Nall 2010 from RC Videos by Gary whenever I need to get an R/C fix and can’t fly.
If you’re interested in contacting Gary for some DVDs he can be reached at kay dot gary at ATT dot net (I don’t want him to be clobbered with spam by linking his email address, so please do the appropriate substitutions).
Gary has graciously provided a teaser trailer and it can be viewed at the following location: