My bad. The flight finder is actually set for 4:45 PM PST not 5. That means it was supposed to be right over Catalina a half hour before the video was shot. But it doesn’t seem likely that it was there at all with a NOTAM in effect.
Very interesting information. Thanks for replying. You’re obviously a lot more savvy about this than I. I just try to use common sense. If I understand what you are saying correctly, if the flight would normally be over Catalina at 4:45pm, then it should have already been well over the city by 5:15 when the footage was filmed, but since the NOTAM was in effect, it was unlikely the flight was anywhere in the area? I find it interesting that the NOTAM was issued and then the gov’t denies there was anything going on in the area.
Another thing I find interesting: I believe I read that the helicopter was in the Santa Monica or Palisades area when the film was made. If the photographer was looking south/southwest towards Catalina and the object flew almost vertical and then veered to the right as in the film, then that confirms the photographers account that the object flew to the northwest.