# Is this video real?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-video-real/587176
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 28, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-video-real/587176 "2011-06-28T18:48:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![CheeseDonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@CheeseDonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheeseDonkey)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-video-real/587176/1 "2011-06-28T18:48:36Z")

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> **[ItemFix - Social Video Factory](https://www.itemfix.com/?r=ll)**
>
> Social Video Factory

What do you think?

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### Author: ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-video-real/587176/2 "2011-06-28T19:01:27Z")

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Probably real, but not as close a call as it appears. The helicopter was obviously there to observe/film the surfers and wouldn’t be positioned right over the wave. It would be leading the wave by several yards. The fact that it’s a really small copter helps create the illusion that it was closer to the surfer than it really was.

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### Author: ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-video-real/587176/3 "2011-06-28T19:20:09Z")

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The surfer didn’t hit the helicopter.

The video was shot with a telephoto lens, compressing the image so that it looks like the helicopter and surfer are in closer proximity than they really are.

**Elmer J. Fudd** : ‘Really small’? That’s an MD 500N. Specs say it has a crew of one and will carry six passengers. To me, that’s pretty big. (I’ve flown Robinson R22s and Schweizer 300s, both of which are two-seaters.) 😉

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### Author: ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-video-real/587176/4 "2011-06-28T19:35:23Z")

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Check. Telephoto lens. Not microcopter.