Tracking shots are difficult to pull off. Single takes, such as the nightclub entrance from the movie 'Goodfellas,' are legendary for a reason. Add in the skill set needed to maneuver an FPV drone through tight spaces, and it's that much easier to appreciate Jay Byrd Christensen's 'Right Up Our Alley' video.
The clip takes place at Bryant Lake Bowl & Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Christensen, who runs Rally Studios, used a Cinewhoop drone to squeeze through tight areas and fly in close proximity to patrons in the complex. While DPReview's request for comment on which camera was used hasn't been returned yet, the following facts were confirmed in the comments section on Christensen's Instagram post.
Jay Byrd's first FPV flights began last June and he confesses to being 'absolutely terrible' for at least three months.
He didn't nail the take on the first try. A comment from his account estimates it took between 8-12 takes to get it right.
The sound was recorded separately and it was inspired by 'The Big Lebowski' film.
The drone was purposely flown into the pins and survived the impact.
It's difficult to not hold your breath the entire time as the Cinewhoop drone enters the bowling complex, travels effortlessly through each area, and even manages to give the viewer a behind-the-scenes look at the bowling pins in each lane being swept away and replaced. Rally Byrd Studios took a classic art form to new heights with this roughly 90-second video.
This was shot with a Shendrone Squirt cinewhoop. It uses 3" props and usually 1407-1507 motors. The big thing now is bigger motors and cut down ducts or just prop guards as the drones are quieter and fly better. Many of us use naked GoPro cameras but these rigs will carry a full GoPro with ease. We don't run in-camera stabilization, we use RealSteady Go in Post. Virtually everyone is using Crossfire compatible controllers for increased range and DJI digital FPV system for video. DJI goggles feel like setting in the front row of a movie theatre. It may seem like crazy pilot skills until you fly FPV, then it's not that big of a deal. Best thing to learn on is a Tiny Whoop. In fact that's where the name cinewhoop comes from. You can buy an entire jpackage, googles, drone and controller for under $200. When you get better, upgrade to DJI goggles and a cinewhoop. Here's my parody of the video. Hope to make someone smile today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skB4cmM6zXU
Is this waypoints automated flying or manual flying? If manual, is this take 1 or 155 or whatewer? In any case impressive, even though FPV video is not really my cup of tea. Even with a small-(ish) drone some of the maneuvers so close to people's heads (and groins🙉) is dowright silly and dangerous.
I read it is a cinewhoop. I am not an expert by any means, but I think this refers to a type one builds themselves. What I mean is, I think "CineWhoop" is a general category of drone.
A cinewhoop is a small drone, each of whose 3" rotors is surrounded by a "doughnut." The design is much more nimble and crash-resistant than larger drones. They have no obstacle avoidance sensors. I don't know if some are customized to follow waypoints created during prior slow flights, which might allow them later to repeat a complex route at high speed. However, it is hard to imagine pulling off crash-prone moves like that seen at 0:29 in the video, or others where the is pointed sideways or backwards, without special guidance.
Rather amazing the navigation and POV signals did not "drop" as the drone arrived from way outside the bowling alley and then weaved through so many rooms, hallways, and passages. Often open air operations are impaired by signal interference in urban areas. The coordination with the humans playing or lounging was another difficult feat. Can one imagine enacting 8-12 "takes" to get it right? Didn't the crashes incurred in the earlier takes frighten the actors or destroy many drones?
The secret to the amazing navigation likely involved rehearsal at very low speeds, with waypoints recorded to guide the drone later at full speed. The bowlers had to know in advance exactly when and where the drone would be zooming about.
Possible encore scenarios: chase scenes, sports fiction, historical battle re-enactments, or maybe a mock wedding! But not involving masses of non-actors. Legality aside, no pilot can anticipate where crowds will move, particularly when "buzzed" by a drone.
That bowling alley certainly has lots of wire circuits, rebar slab, ferrous fixtures, and steel beams that would foul most drones' compasses. Indoors, of course, GPS does not work.
The realtime visuals in headset are usually glitchy from interference and whatever else affecting signal strength (digital is cleaner, but cuts off at x threshold whereas analog deteriorates), but clean footage is separately recorded onboard. This is definitely not what the pilot sees while flying.
The pilot was flying full manual mode like most FPV setups. There's no need for compass or GPS/waypoint nonsense. He was using a digital VTx system as primary and a GoPro as secondary. If there were any video glitches you wouldn't see them because the GoPro is recording independently from the VTx This is not new and is standard procedure. He wasn't flying from a mile away so there's no video interference issues.
It's what everybody does now and I find it sickening- literally! There is too many action clips were the drone pilots seems to want more attention for their skills than the athletes.
I can't imagine how you could categorize anything in that video as "sickening." Quite a talented bit of drone-work, and the making-of video is impressive as well.
I agree with you that bowlers are athletes, so there's that... (aside from the fact that the bowlers in this video were volunteers for the shoot and are unlikely pro bowlers by trade), but I have no idea where you got the impression that the drone pilot wants all the attention. They're not even featured in their own video.
The whole raison d'être for this video is clearly to showcase the drone work. If the primary objective had been a peak into the world of amateur ten pin bowling, I would agree it completely misses the mark. However, that obviously wasn't the aim of this particular production.
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Good low light performance, which cam did they use?
On a side note if it was in UK they would have received thousands of complaints about breaking drone rules and regulations and putting people in risk 😂
The featured video was based on a staged event. Rally Studios certainly had the approval of the bowling alley owners and planned coordination all the volunteers or professionals that appear.
Doesn't change the fact that people are still going to complain!! If everyone is as logical as you are, and think before they act, the world will be a better place. You and I both know this video is staged as soon as the guy opened the front door and held it open for no reason... but the rest of the human race unfortunately is not always on the same page. =(
" If everyone is as logical as you are, and think before they act, the world will be a better place." I think you mean "think as I do". I prefer the world the way it *is* -arguments and all.
Or better said: Would have crashed the drone already before passing the entrance. 😂🤣😂
Truly amazing flying skills, would not have wanted to swap with one of the people playing a role in this short movie. It felt as being a stand in for a knife thrower.
Top notch, really enjoyable to watch! Way to go for commercials / promo clips for venues like this (well, once we are able to do its on a decent enough budgets)
Amazed at the speed the drone flew indoors. I thought the footage was sped-up, but no, the people's movement shows that it was actually taken at that speed.
When George Lucas saw this, he dug out the film rolls of the Endor forest-chase from his archive, watched them, then slowly curled into fetal position and wept...
You're right, this couldn't be done with GPS, but it could still be pre-programmed and possibly make use of positioning tags of some type. Still impressive though, however it was done.
@deltaFoxtrot: preprogrammed based on what? This was done with a guy looking through his fpv goggles visually flying through objects. This manual flying style isn't something magic, skills are out there since already a while. Check out video of pple flying indoor.
Hi Matt. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it wasn't done manually - in fact, that is most likely the case. I'm just saying that it would - at least theoretically - be possible to guide a drone through this 'set' automatically, but without GPS.
This really takes me back. I grew up in the '60s, about a half mile from Bryant-Lake Lanes. It was a thing then, and still is today. For me, this was almost a homecoming.
I'm really impressed by the field producer who managed to go around and interrupt people's bowling and drinking to get them to sign releases and liability waivers. Or was the whole thing done with a recruited cast?
100% sure that's all acting (staged I mean). Things are happening under a director's command or a script, like the guy rubbing his ball (errr...) at the perfect moment so the drone can pass by, the girl discussing, guys in the theater, it's all under an "art direction".
Very cool. Really captures the essence of the place and it hasn't changed much in years - I lived blocks away some 20 years ago. I'd only question describing it as a "complex". About the furthest thing from modern high end bowling establishments. Probably the only complication going on is trying to get the bartender to buy you a round on the house....
It's very impressive, but drags out so long that it's clearly done for wow factor rather than artistic merit. I've seen other videos with shorter impressive drone fly-throughs that fit within the context of a larger video, and those are truly impressive.
A little harsh but you do have a point that I agree with. After it circled around the 3rd or 4th time around the main lanes I started to get motion sickness on my 27" monitor. Could've been half or even a quarter of the length, just one pass through the areas of the alley for customers and certainly didn't need to go fly in to the back area of the alley...
That is some serious flying skill. I especially like the bit where the drone moves through the tiny crevice above the lanes and moves past the pin-resetting machines.
That really was quite impressive, and I thoroughly enjoyed the video, especially howh certain events were timed so precisely, really, very cool.
However, personally, I would have loved to see the exact same shot, but just a bit slower. Yes, the skill of setting this up and flying so quickly and precisely are VERY impressive, but for me, I think I would have enjoyed it even more at just a slightly slower speed, giving me time to appreciate and savor each moment.
Just my 2 cents, and not meant to detract one whit from the amazing display of skill shown in this wonderful video.
Wow, that’s impressive! I don’t think I’d ever be able to pull that off without crashing. I tried to fly my little DJI in the apartment once and sent it right into a wall.
I found it easier to watch than handheld "wobblycam" footage. I just watched a movie almost entirely filmed handheld (Melancholia ) and that made me feel woozy. However I agree that slower would be more appropriate for a tracking shot like this. Really amazing piloting work here.
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