Winners of the 2019 New York City Drone Film Festival
Video Credit: New York City Drone Film Festival
The New York City Drone Film Festival was founded in 2015 by Randy Scott Slavin, an award-winning director, photographer and aerial cinematographer. The event began as the first international film festival dedicated to drone cinematography, and 2019 marks its 5th year running. This year's festival featured panels, screenings, an afterparty, an expo, races, demos, and a Q&A with the film directors post screening. The film festival named winners in eleven categories, and it’s clear that the chosen victors deserved their accolades. Let's take a look at some of the winning pieces.
CINEMATIC FPV CATEGORY & BEST IN SHOW - MOABLASTER 2 - THE STORM BY AIRBLASTR
This film stars rock formations and a storm, and we get a first-person view. My favorite part is when the drone flew through a waterfall and the water droplets hit the lens. The Storm was recorded by Airblastr a.k.a. Jonny Durst from Bozeman, Montana.
EXTREME SPORTS CATEGORY - GOOD MORNING BY RICHARD PERMIN, MAXIME MOULIN & FILMMAKER ANTOINE FRIOUX
In the extreme sports category, our winner is a fun and lighthearted film featuring skier Richard Permin as he skis his way through several mornings. The highlight of this video for me was watching Permin fly from rooftop to rooftop at the Avoriaz 1800 ski resort in France.
LANDSCAPE AND ARCHITECTURE CATEGORY - A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE BY MARCUS MÖLLER
This video featured beautifully vibrant colors, seamless transitions, and captured awesome reflections on different water surfaces. It wonderfully captures the different beauties of nature.
NARRATIVE CATEGORY - I AM DRONE BY TOMMY TABIJIA A.K.A. UMMAGAWD
The transitions between clips are creative and engaging. This film successfully personifies a drone by giving it a story, thoughts, and feelings. Plus, the robotic text-to-speech voice was a nice touch and added to the concept.
X-FACTOR CATEGORY - I AM FRAGILE BY FLORIAN LEDEUX
The title and imagery of this film work together as we’re shown clips of various wildlife and landscapes. “I AM FRAGILE”, ice, polar bears, walruses, and whale pods. They all remind us of our precarious relationship with nature.
SEE MORE
The NYCDFF was held at the start of this month at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, and Women Who Drone attended the event as a media partner along with Dronegear, From Where I Drone, and Rotor Drone Magazine. This is only a selection of the winners for this year’s competition. Winners’ submissions from this and previous years are featured on the NYCDFF website. See who else won at https://www.nycdronefilmfestival.com/winners.
I am a writer and an artist based in Georgia. Specializing in illustration, graphic design, and video art, I love to explore the new ways technology intersects with art. I think drones have done amazing things for photography and video art, making what would previously be costly and difficult more accessible. As a complete novice, it was only recently that I saw what independent artists could do with their drones, and I continue to be impressed by the sights that drones are able to explore and the images they can capture. Instagram: @tyesha.ferron
