Cheap drone technology is set to revolutionise TV and film-making giving independent productions the ability to match Hollywood, according to the organiser of a new festival.
Big-budget movies such as Skyfall, The Wolf Of Wall Street, Mission: Impossible 5 and TV shows such as Game Of Thrones and Narcos have already embraced drone-mounted cameras for aerial shots, as opposed to the more traditional and expensive method of helicopter-based film crews.
But Owen James, founder of the London Drone Film Festival, coming to the Institute of Contemporary Arts on May 23, believes the real beneficiaries will be aspiring artists and film-makers.
He said: “Over the past few years more people are using drones for shots that would have been impossible or prohibitively expensive. A helicopter film crew costs several thousands of pounds an hour, whereas a professional, two-man drone film team would cost about £1,500 for half a day.
“Helicopters are noisy, subject to more airspace regulation and disturb wildlife. Drones can get closer to the action whether it is a forest or a volcano.
“Newer drones have in-built obstacle avoidance and automatically will not enter no-fly zones near airports.”
Mr James said he believes current regulations restricting the use of drones are “very strong” and do not need to be tightened further.
He said there was a “lot of misinformation” about the technology, which can also be used for disaster relief efforts, combating poaching and reporting from conflict zones.
It comes after Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin revealed that a suspected “strike” on a British Airways plane coming into land at Heathrow last month was not “a drone incident” and may even have been a plastic bag.
The festival is holding a competition for short films in categories including narrative, extreme sports and landscape. Part of the proceeds will go to Cancer Research UK.
