*
[electronic beep]
- Air Traffic Control: Clear for takeoff.
- Pilot: Six-Golf-Lima is on the go.
- Laurie Gorman: It's a gorgeous view.
- Pilot: A lot of sailors up here in Wisconsin.
- Grant Fenster: It's an absolutely beautiful state.
- Pilot: That's the shot.
- Mike Eicher: I had no idea it was gonna look like that.
- Pilot: I'll 180 here.
- Camera Operator: Yep. - Pilot: That's nice.
- Pilot: We'll call that good.
[chopper blades hum]
- So, this is our third Wisconsin From the Air .
Laurie Gorman: The first one, I like to think of
as the greatest hits of Wisconsin.
And the second one focused on winter
and the many ways we celebrate winter in Wisconsin.
This one, we're focusing on water.
- Mike Eicher: Water is Wisconsin's identity.
It seemed like only a natural fit
that we do a program
about this wonderful resource
that Wisconsinites have.
- Grant Fenster: It's a chance for people
to discover something new, go somewhere
they haven't seen before,
and to see it in a new light.
- The biggest challenge in this production
was deciding what to shoot
so we chose our state's namesake river,
the Wisconsin,
and followed its course
through the heart of our state.
Also, the St. Croix, Mississippi Rivers,
and Lake Michigan,
waterways that define and shape Wisconsin.
- We're flying over large bodies of water.
Big ones.
Laurie Gorman: This show was created
using a few different methods.
Again, we brought back the helicopter team
that we worked with on
the previous productions
to capture stunning visuals from the air.
We also incorporated some drones on this production
to take us where the helicopters couldn't.
- Grant Fenster: Drone work was essential
to pull this program off.
But it's not just "Let's just throw it
up in the air and see what we get."
We've got something specific in mind.
And that helped us get the camera in spots
that we couldn't go with the helicopter.
We gotta coordinate a lot of things
to pull a shot off.
The guy running the drone, he's looking at his screen,
so then we've gotta walk with him and guide him through there.
He's trying to thread the needle through the trees
and then cue the person on the canoe
at the same time
to take off and try to
get a whole synergy to the shot
to make it work.
It took us a couple cracks at it
just to get everything to work out,
but at the end of the day,
we really got the shot we wanted.
[drone hums overhead]
[gentle piano melody]
[acoustic guitar] [drone buzzes loudly]
- Laurie Gorman: We got the drone operator
up on the Arcola High Bridge
on the St. Croix River
and he did some amazing things with his drone--
went under it, went over it, went right beside it,
so you could see that bridge
in a way that you probably never will.
- Grant Fenster: We were filming in Algoma
and we were by a lighthouse.
All of a sudden, these birds started coming out of nowhere
on either side of the frame flying around
and we realized we must have been close to a nest
and they were trying to attack the drone.
And the drone operator
just hit reverse on it as fast as he could
to bring it back to us,
and the birds are zipping around, dive-bombing at it.
We made it to shore
and the shot made the show.
It looks beautiful.
It looks like it was planned,
but we were just trying to save the drone.
[laughter]
- I think a challenge for this production
is finding a new way to capture water.
Whether it be putting a GoPro on a pole
and sticking it in the water,
putting a GoPro on a water-skier
so that we could get "his point of view."
- Water-Skier: Alright, wish me luck!
[sploosh]
- Grant Fenster: We were sticking cameras,
anywhere we could put 'em,
off the side, off the front
getting splashed with water.
We really wanted to
take people someplace special.
- Our intent is to really try to bring you, the viewer,
into the scene.
To not just show you the Mississippi River,
but to fly over the bluffs, to get close to them,
to show you what it's like to be that eagle,
or to be the hawk flying over it.
We're really trying to get the viewer into the experience.
- Mike Eicher: I've worked for Wisconsin Public Television
a long time.
I've been up and down the Wisconsin River
and I had never been to the headwaters.
It was a real treat to see that
and to see that small stream
meandering, and finding its path,
and then, knowing what the rest of it looks like.
It was quite the treasure.
- Grant Fenster: People really love these shows
and when we're out filming,
you really see it play out.
We were at Cana Island
and we were putting the drone up in the air
and person after person would come up to us
and they would just dive into how they love the other shows.
They'd bring out specific moments from them
and they'd be like, "I used to live there."
or, "I'd go there on vacation."
And it's really neat seeing people enjoy that.
And then, to be able to be out there and capture it,
it takes it to a whole new level.
- Laurie Gorman: You know, we all have a connection to water
in Wisconsin,
whether it's the local fishing hole
or your annual getaway to Door County,
we all have memories and connections
to Wisconsin's water.
So, I think these aerial programs
really connected with our viewers
because of the way we've been able to capture
these treasured locations
of the state of Wisconsin.
- Grant Fenster: We're very fortunate
to be able to make these types of programs.
This show captures the natural beauty of the state
and takes you on a journey
that only Wisconsin Public Television can do.
[water gurgling]