There’s drone flying, and then there’s drone flying that takes the activity to a whole new level. In a recent promo video released by Ford Europe, World Drone Prix champion Luke Banister of the drone racing teammate Tornado XBlades and his teammate Brett Collis take on the Ford line of automobiles in this incredible obstacle course video. Shot in a warehouse, the pair send their drones screaming through van interiors, underneath trucks and around squealing and smoking tires.
Dubbed Dronekehana One after the YouTube sensation Gymkhana, the video was filmed at Ford’s headquarters in Cologne, Germany. Beside fancy flying, the video showcases some of Ford’s best automobiles including the hot new Ford Focus RS in a drift maneuver, a Ranger pickup, a B-MAX car, and an updated version of the classic muscle car Mustang. The obstacle course was designed to be challenging even for two of the world’s best drone pilots.
“It was a tough course, and we had some mishaps,” Bannister said, “but at least the Mustang’s all right, that’s all that matters.”
So how did Ford capture this incredible footage? The team shared its secrets in a behind-the-scenes video starring Bannister, Collis, and Victory Kirby from Xblades Racing; and VFX artist Joe Steel of Time-Slice Films, which handled the photography. The team used the first-person video footage captured by the drones themselves as well as camera-equipped drones that flew behind the stunt drones, capturing footage of the straightaways and other less technical moves.
To capture the complex angles, the video team also employed a rack of 36 GoPro cameras connected together and arranged in a line. This setup allowed the team to catch the flight in a bullet-time motion made famous by the Matrix. It also enabled them to record the maneuvers from a variety of different angles at a single time.
