Cost Scenarios for Gen 6 First Flight: Hollister to San Francisco

**All costs are recent vendor and industry standards. Actual fees may vary

OPT 1: $15-$35k/day

Assuming we need a helicopter that is seperate from Wisk’s Bell 206, the standard $15-35K/day for a Helicopter aerial cinema unit per day will apply. Again that range is standard for pro heli-mounted cinema where camera systems are mounted to the nose and operated from the cockpit. Add 20% as my aerial producer fee to put the team together from my available West Coast based resources (all of whom have Hollywood and big brand credits). I also manage them day of, coordinate by radio/comms with your team, and do a little filming with them from the heli on shoot day.

Pilot
Helicopter
Aerial DP
Camera Tech
Camera systems
Aerial producer

OPT 2: $15-$20k/day

If costs for option 1 are out of bounds for the budget but you still want aerial film, I’d normally switch to a drone unit for this option. However, Gen 6 will need a camera to keep pace with it up the coastline, so we’re stuck with the expense of the helicopter unit. For this option, I may be able to put a team into a small Robinson R44 or R66 then shoot handheld with “doors off” from inside the heli. It’s a scrappy option, but doable. Might cut costs in half, but your shoot quality, pilot quality, and shot options also drop off. Add 20% for my aerial producer fee.

OPT 3: $10-$15k/day x 2

For this one, we cut the budget even more and station two drone units: one in Hollister and one in SF to catch start & end journey shots. Makes it much harder to get the full point A to point B story, but we could work with it in post-production. I’d want pro drone units flying heavy-lift long-range drones with 6k-8k cinema packages onboard. If we want to get wild, we can add on my FPV drone team for another $7k/day.

OPT 4: $15k for 2-3 days

Sorry, no helicopter or drones for this option so I don’t know how we get your aerials. But…you get me on the ground (Hollister probably) with my full documentary style film storytelling package which includes post-production for long form and short form vertical reels. Includes 100% of travel expenses and gear! 1 day of weather delay built in. Keep me on for $3500/day after that if Wisk decides you want more shots.

OPT 5: the +/- $120k mini documentary you didn’t know you needed.

"Announcing autonomous flight to the world"

Select an aerial package (~$60k)
Add my cameras to the entire process. (~$60k)
I tell the story. ($0)

It seems like that’s what Wisk wants to do with this first point-to-point flight, under high profile circumstances. It’s an announcement as much as it is a test flight. So let’s film it all. We do a mini documentary that unfolds in stages this year, captured by my cameras:

The planning-development stages (just Troy for $15k)
The preflight testing (just Troy for $15k)
The big day: Hollister to SF (Aerials cost + Troy in heli $15k)
The team's reactions ($5k-$20k… I would need to bring in another small film crew to shoot simultaneously as Gen 6 is flying)
Interviews at each stage: included.
My aerial producer fee: 20% of aerial unit bill, capped at $5k since you’re paying me for other things too, (example: if the aerial guys charge $30k, I charge $5k).
Post-production editing cost included (most production companies would charge $10-$30k) for long form hero video + short form reels.

Option 5 unfolds over months, so a few trips down there to get what I need. My travel and gear are included in my rate!

Bonus: telling this entire story, not just the aerial film, does this:

Demonstrates your domain authority (building AI visibility in the air taxi industry)
Demonstrates command over the stage progression process (for FAA regulators, investors, Boeing)
Show-off moment for employees for pride in their “unseen” work
Tells people that it’s not just about the big day. Wisk is about elevating the journey and the people.