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Mar 15th, 2021

One-Shot FPV Drone Videos Are HOT

Written By | Tom Comet

By now most of you will have probably seen the amazing FPV drone bowling alley tour created by the talented @jaybyrdfilms .  Around fifty people have kindly shared the link to this video with me, and rightfully so due to the fact that it is just so awesome!  This minute and half long one -shot, short film takes the viewer from outside a bowling alley, in through the front doors, circles around the bowling action a few times, into the back mechanical areas and inner workings of the bowling alley, the bar, and more, ending with a perfect strike as the FPV drone (and viewer’s perspective) crash into the bowling pins making a perfect strike.  But why am I telling you this, you have already seen the film… To add to the experience this film mixes in real life sound that was obviously captured on site and manipulated by a talented foley artist for added effect.   The overall film shows just how much fun all the patrons of the establishment are having and, quite frankly, makes me want to go bowling.  A perfectly executed FPV one-take film or “oner” as we sometimes call them.  Well done!

This video and many more like it are a examples of a new genre of  short form commercial content that I like to call the One Shot FPV Drone Tour or just the FPV Oner for short.  It is a new and fresh way to showcase a building, business or space and, as we saw with the bowling alley video, it has the potential to go viral if it is done well and catches on.  People share what they like!

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This style of films have come into existence by combining the new FPV (first person view) drone technology , higher quality GoPro cameras, new post production stabilization technology with massive amounts of skill and creativity.  We are now using even smaller, safer Cinewoop style drones for these projects as they are even better suited to the task.  A Cinewoop drone is a  sub class of FPV drones with smaller 3” propellers, ducted (covered) propellers for added protection and increased safety while flying in confined areas and in close proximity to people.  If you want to learn more about FPV drone technology in general I recently covered it in a couple of blog posts here and here.

How difficult is it to make a short FPV drone “oner” like this?  As with all drone work, safety and professionalism need to come first so these things can’t just be improvised and thrown together haphazardly.  We start with the end video in mind and work backwards from there to assemble a production plan.  Ideally the client has a great looking venue that is not too confined and filled with interesting stuff to look at. Next we work out what parts of the facility, equipment, and technology we want to show?  Which people (if any) and what are they doing?  Next it takes a very talented Drone Team led by a highly skilled FPV Drone Pilot and professional support Team.  We work out the specific flight path, choreography, action and time everything to the second.  Everyone gets safety briefed by our Aerial Coordinator prior to any flying.  Radio communication between our Aerial Coordinator, Spotters and the FPV drone Pilot is crucial as the pilot only sees what the drone sees through the FPV goggles.  Next we roll the GoPro and fly through your space capturing everything and everyone in a perfect one-shot take.  Even with careful planning and flawless execution it will probably take a number of tries to get everything perfect.  I am told the bowling alley video took ten tries to get the one perfect capture.

We have created a number of these videos over the past year or so and our clients have always been overjoyed with the results.

We even made one that shows off our own headquarters and creativity just for fun.

The FPV Oner has proven to be a fresh new way to showcase businesses and might be something that you want to consider as a marketing tool for your organization.

To find out more about this exciting technique or to learn more about drones of all shapes and sizes check out our web site  or contact us today.  You can view our FPV Drone demo reel here.



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