Canon C300s were employed to shoot Departure Date, the first feature film shot aboard an airline in flight

Canon USA announces Departure Date, a feature film that was shot and edited entirely onboard an airline in flight. Shot with EOS C300 cameras, the film was shot in nine days on three separate flights while 35,000 feet in the air.

The film was written and directed by Kat Coiro and tells the story of Jake (Ben Feldman), who finds and loses the love of his life (Nicky Whelan) on a Sydney to Los Angeles Virgin Australia flight, meets his depressing future (in characters played by Philip Baker Hall, Janeane Garofalo, and Luis Guzman) on a Virgin America Los Angeles to Dallas flight, and is motivated to get his girl on a Virgin Atlantic Los Angeles to London flight. The film had its premiere on June 17th at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

“Virgin has a long history of groundbreaking firsts, and shooting the first film at 35,000 feet certainly continues that tradition,” said Virgin Produced Head of Commercial Production Huntley Ritter. “We pride ourselves on the quality of the content we deliver in any medium, and the Canon products we utilized on this production and have used in the past have always exceeded expectations. We look forward to working with Canon for years to come.”

“I knew it would be a challenge to figure out how to get it done just in terms of lighting, mobility, electrical power, and airport security,” states DP Doug Chamberlain. “I looked at the Canon EOS C300 digital cinema camera and was immediately convinced that it’s the perfect tool for shooting ‘Departure Date.’ The EOS C300 is a very production-friendly camera.”

The Canon EOS C300 features a Super 35mm Canon CMOS sensor and the new DIGIC DV III image processor.

The DP used PL-mount compact prime lenses with the C300 and the cameras’ small size made it possible for him to shoot in the tight confines of actual airline cabins. “Fortunately, at under four pounds, the C300 is actually quite light,” he said. “It proved to be everything we needed in terms of the extreme mobility required to shoot in such a small space. I was able to move quickly and efficiently, and back the camera right up against the bulkhead or the window and still get my shots. I don’t think I could have done that with many other cameras.”