Drones: Soaring Innovation Changing The World

There are few pieces of technology that excite us quite like drones. Though these unmanned ariel marvels aren’t new, it’s only now that we’re realizing their full potential across virtually every aspect of our lives, including entertainment, public services, travel, and distribution…

SKY-HIGH ENTERTAINMENT

Over the past ten years, drones have transformed the film, television, and photography industries, unlocking new possibilities, cutting costs, and allowing directors to show offthe world from above without relying on expensive cranes and machinery. And thanks to increasingly advanced technology, drones have the potential to become an even greater part of the entertainment industry than they are today, transforming the way we create content.

By attaching a camera to a drone, producers have more options than ever, filming from angles that would otherwise be difficult - or impossible - to achieve, thus providing viewers with more interesting forms of media, inspiring artists to create previously unthinkable art. In pre-production, drones are also used to help artists survey large areas to find the best shoot locations, saving time and money and allowing studios to plow more into actors and the edit. Research suggests a helicopter costs between $10k and $25k to hire for a ten-hour shoot, whereas a drone can be provided for just $250 per hour, complete with a trained operator.

The iconic opening motorcycle sequence of the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall, for example, relied heavily on drone technology, and in the 2015 Jurassic World, drone-mounted cameras swoop over crowds who are being attacked by pterosaurs to mimic the movement of the flying reptiles. In TV show Game of Thrones, HBO’s most successful series to date, drone technology was used in every episode, offering its producers access to stunning shots they’d otherwise have to painstakingly recreate in post-production.