Fast moving objects, people, and vehicles have always made filming subjects alike especially tricky for camera operators to capture. Many considerations and compromises normally have to be made regarding, budget, how captivating or high quality the overall production value is, and a slew of other logistics are normally to follow as well. In fact, the whole industry of "camera movement" itself has mostly been mostly the result of solving such problems. For Directors of Photography, their job quite literally is to craft the style and feel of a film or production. They are constantly seeking new and innovative techniques that add a unique look to their film while remaining within their set constraints and budget. Meanwhile, FPV has become a mainstream, streamlined method to creating epic cinematography at a relatively cheaper price point. Eye Candy Aerials believes FPV drones are a disruptive technology in the world of high speed camera movement that will make capturing action sports and movies that much more possible.
Netflix's latest big production, Red Notice was one of the first mainstream films to use FPV in a cinematic action sequence context. Of course, as always, Johnny FPV killed it with his flying skills making all the scenes shot with FPV absolutely insane to watch. I believe this is the first of many instances where big production companies and directors of photography decide FPV can be a primary means of capturing highly immersive scenes, commercials, follow cams, and even solving complex logistical problems such as site-scouting.
Red Bull Rampage is another great example of FPV gaining traction in action sports. For over 20 years, this death defying, slope-style mountain biking competition in Virgin, Utah attracts world-class level athletes from all over the world to push their limits. They generally innovate the sport of slope-style MTB as a whole while doing so. Up until now, the rocky cliffs and rough terrain have made it nearly impossible to capture the sheer size of the features these riders hit. For the first time in 2021, Red Bull Collaborated with a drone pilot who goes by _blastr and created this. Nice flying _blastr!
In summary, aerial FPV is becoming a mainstream tool for creatives of all types create high quality, immersive, and captivating videos. Simultaneously, FPV has the added bonus of being relatively budget-friendly, safe, and logistically simpler than previous means of attaining aerial shots. The future of cinematography is rich with opportunities that reaches far beyond that of our current imagination. FPV is a glimpse and also a great analogy to this phenomena because the technology is still so new, yet becoming more and more readily available to creatives everywhere. 10 years ago, "flying freestyle" the way those like Mr Steele can would be nearly impossible to try to imagine. Today, freestyle flying is a weekend hobby enjoyed by millions. In large, we are experiencing the dawn of a new era in the world of cinematography. Creative workflows are about to become vastly different than they are today leaving a vacuum of new possiblities yet to be explored. What an exciting time to be alive!