Arabian canal's Eye in the sky

Filmmaking in the region is soaring to new heights – literally.

Production company SGM Group has been commissioned to shoot a documentary charting the creation of the 75km Arabian Canal.

And what better way to capture the true scale of the excavation than to mount a camera on a mini helicopter?

With a scaled down chopper serving as a camera ship, the SGM crew fly the high-definition camera into excavation sites, frequently taking it to 30 metres, which executive producer Chris Kirk said was "a very good height for filming".

The process, is believed to be a first of its kind for the UAE. "It's like an unmanned aerial vehicle. It's very clever technology with miniaturised control systems. It flies like a real helicopter," said Kirk.

"The problem with a full-size helicopter, which we do use, is it is restricted to how low it can go- they have to stay at least a 1,000ft from the ground. Although there are some technologies that keep the camera stable and zoom in from that height, it is still very restricted, so you use these remote controlled helicopters."

A little over two metres long, the helicopters, which cost between $25,000 (Dh91,750) and $50,000, can carry a load of up to 20kg.

Gyro-stabilisers, which are used in regular helicopters, are also used here to keep the camera stable. Two operators are required – one for the camera and one to fly the helicopter.

The camera records digitally on to a flash memory or a digital tape.

"We can see the pictures because there's a 2.4Ghz wireless link between the operator and camera, with a range of over a mile. It's incredible," said Kirk.

"The purpose of the documentary is to record the complex civil engineering work at the Arabian Canal, which will not only involve huge excavation but also the creation of new topography never seen before in Dubai," said Rebecca Rees, spokesman for Arabian Canal developer Limitless.

"We get a unique aspect by using this technology," Kirk said. "We can go inside where they are actually digging with the camera.

"Some of the places are difficult to walk to because of the mud and water and the helicopter allows us to get pictures we normally wouldn't get." Limitless is currently excavating a nine-kilometre stretch of the waterway and 200million cubic metres of earth for the first phase of Arabian Canal.