Well, well. FPV pilot extraordinaire Jay Christensen has done it again.
Odds are, you’ve seen that amazing bowling alley FPV video that was released in early March. It was a phenomenal piece of piloting and timing, showing off various attributes in the life of a bowling alley in Minnesota – all in a single shot lasting 87 seconds. Called “Right Up Our Alley,” the video was approaching 2 million views on YouTube today (April 28). We were one of the first publications to write about it; you can find our take (and the video) here.
And now… Jay has scored what looks like another hit.
A giant shopping mall
The bowling alley video was all shot in a pretty confined space, which created numerous challenges for the pilot. The new video is located in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. It’s a massive mall, complete with an indoor amusement park. And Jay takes us through it all.
Once again, we can see the impeccable pre-planning and timing, which made “Right Up Our Alley” such a sensation. And it was a sensation, introducing many who weren’t even familiar with drones to the capabilities of skilled First Person View flight. Plus, the sound design/audio editing of that film was bang-on.
The question was, would this be a one-hit wonder? Or could Jay pull off something similarly spectacular? We’re happy to report that he has, indeed, done it again.
“The Quack Attack Is Back”
That’s the name of Jay’s new FPV film, a glorious 2:17 romp from one end of the Mall of America to the other. And while timing was important in the bowling alley video, this one takes that element to an entirely new level. This film required not only the coordination of people – but also of machines. As you’ll see in a moment, there are multiple rides in that amusement park that all had to be timed so that the pilot could float, seamlessly, from one ride to the next.
And yes, Jay really pulls it off:
There’s also a great rhythm to this whole piece, starting with that almost gentle opening orbiting of the butterfly sculpture before picking up the pace. Amazing job, with kudos also to director Anthony Jaska and producers Mike Welsh and Chris Grap. Well done, all.
Wait, there’s more!
And there is. We’ve poked around on his jaybyrdfilms YouTube channel before, but somehow missed this gem. And while this piece doesn’t involve the kind of split-second timing and self-contained story we see in the mall and bowling videos, it does indeed have a narrative. Filmed by Jay, along with Michael Welsh and Jourdan Gomez, Twin Cities 2020 is a powerful piece of work, telling the stories of those cities during one of the most momentous, tumultuous years in their history. The comments indicate it brought many people to tears; we found it incredibly moving.
Trust me on this: It’s worth your time.
Jay is one talented guy, and clearly has a really personal connection with these cities.
Keep doing what you’re doing, Jay. It’s awesome.
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