They’re immersive, they’re exciting, and done right, they get the adrenaline rushing. No wonder we can’t get enough of first-person view (FPV) drone videos! As the year ends, here’s a look back at FPV drone footage that was all about immaculate planning, perfect timing and coordination, clever sound editing, and of course, next-level flying skills.
Read: Year in review: Everything DJI launched in 2022
Extreme mountain biking with Red Bull
Every year, Red Bull invites urban downhill riders from all over the world to race through the narrow streets of the Chilean town of Valparaíso. This year, they wanted an FPV drone to follow Czech mountain biker Tomáš Slavík as he would race downstairs, navigate past narrow lanes and low roofs, jump over massive man-made obstacles, and even ride through a building!
The Dutch Drone Gods team took up the challenge to deliver an absolute nail-biter of a result. But even with their unique piloting skills, they were forced to fly the drone blind in some parts of the track!
Wrigley Field, the Friendly Confines
There’s no way the Chicago Cubs could have anticipated just how viral this four-minute FPV drone video would become when they released it ahead of the final home series of the season to honor their fans. The aerial maneuvering is extremely clever and the sound mix is spot on! The drone captures several aspects of the game-day experience at the iconic Wrigley Field perfectly, right from providing a bird’s-eye-view of the L train to gliding into Murphy’s Bleachers pub before entering the ballpark. You’re then taken through the lights on the first base side, and inside the stadium’s scoreboard and the Cubs’ Clubhouse. The video wraps up with a GoPro trailing Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki out of the dugout.
Related: 25 takes, GoPro: How that viral Chicago Cubs drone video was shot
Giga Berlin FPV drone flythrough
This video came out in April, when Tesla has just begun deliveries from its latest Gigafactory in Berlin, and offered a look at the robots and tools the company uses to produce its electric vehicles. It’s not done in one continuous shot, but it’s pretty impressive nevertheless to look at a 5-inch CineWhoop gliding between the machinery, showing off different parts of Tesla’s assembly line. You see KUKA and Schuler robotic arms work in tandem with presses to shape and cut flat pieces of metal into Model Y body panels, and later, one of the Giga-presses is also seen in action.
FPV drone tours Axon HQ
Another enterprise that let an FPV drone loose on its premises is Axon. The technology company invited FPV master Jay Christensen of JayByrdFilms to get an inside look at its high-tech headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, leading to an epic one-shot video you don’t want to miss!
NFL Pro Bowl feat. Las Vegas Strip
The result of a dream collaboration between the National Football League (NFL) and drone pilot Johnny FPV, this FPV drone video takes you on a whirlwind journey through the Las Vegas Strip. Shot entirely with a RED Komodo cinema camera on an FPV drone, the clip starts at Caesars Palace and proceeds to fly through several iconic structures on the Strip including the Paris hotel’s Eiffel Tower replica and the giant Ferris wheel called High Roller. The drone then makes its way toward the Allegiant Stadium, the home of the Raiders and the site of the NFL Pro Bowl for not just 2022 but also 2023, giving viewers just enough FOMO to book their tickets!
Buenos Aires after Argentina’s FIFA World Cup win
December saw millions of Argentina fans descended upon Buenos Aires’ Plaza de la República to celebrate the nation’s first FIFA World Cup title since 1986. An FPV drone immortalized the moment by capturing the unchecked revelry of the deliriously happy fans clad in white-and-blue-stripped jerseys. The video shows fans perched atop streetlights, people holding up a giant banner of football great Diego Maradona, the drone swooping over the mass of humanity and neatly diving down the central Obelisco — all to the beats of Ole, Ole, Ola. Truly an amazing spectacle!
Ambulance FPV drone featurette
Everybody knows that director-producer Michael Bay has a thing for pulse-pounding action sequences. So, what better than a small FPV drone to get right in the middle of the action and capture shots that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible?! If you’ve seen Ambulance, you’d know what we’re talking about. And even if you haven’t, this behind-the-scenes look will give you a pretty good idea of how FPV drones are opening up whole new world of cinematography for filmmakers.
Related: FPV drones go mainstream with Netflix’s ‘Red Notice’ [Video]
FPV drone flying for beginners
If these videos have inspired you to get started with FPV drones, we recommend the new DJI Avata which is the safest and arguably the most powerful Cinewhoop-style FPV drone to fly today, straight out of the box. Read more about Avata here.
And on that note, check out the mesmerizing FPV video below which was shot entirely with the Avata. Cinematographer Nathan McBride got a chance to fly the Avata at various locations in Indonesia. His video manages to show both the fantastic image quality of Avata’s 4K/60fps camera and the incredible beauty of the Indonesian island at its finest!
Also see: New DJI Avata drone firmware brings 10-bit Color, Remote ID
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