The Bird In The Sky

The excitement that ran through me upon hearing that there was going to be a DRONE that I could fly, in the sky, to capture video, was unforgettable. Immediately, I recognized this game changer that would alter filmmaking forever.

Predictably, the early days were fraught with challenges. To begin, you had to own a GoPro camera to install. That was the easy part. Some of the hard parts were there was no way to know what you were filming because there was no monitor to see. Plus, there was no stabilization built in, so all the video was too shaky to really use anyway.

It also could just fly off on its own. Once, while flying this perfect sunset on the beaches of Normandy, France, it decided rest make a straight shot to the sea and rest forever with our brave soldiers from generations past. Not a bad place to lose one, if you think about it.

All these challenges didn’t matter. I was all in. Slowly, improvements started to take hold bit by bit. My buddy and I once installed a stabilization and first person view system by taking apart the drone and welding it back together (completely out of my normal skill set).

Over time, 4K, iPad viewing of the images as you were flying, return to home function, licensing, all allowed for a much better quality and safer experience. And with that, the ability to enhance the stories we told with groundbreaking imagery, was here.

Enjoy this short reel of these beautiful locations I’ve had the pleasure to experience. How many locations can you name?