Supplying drone filming to any festival can be a real challenge. With strict regulation about flying drones over crowds and the general consensus from event organisers that drones can be dangerous, capturing the scale of large festivals forces us to get creative. At the Adventure Bike Rider Festival this year, it was our goal to showcase the scale of the event and to inform viewers that this isn't just some small motorcycle rally.
This year (2024) the festival welcomed around 15,000 visitors to the grounds of Ragley Hall in Warwickshire, surrounding this prestigious Hall from almost every angle. Whilst this festival is for adventure motorbike riders, it is also about comfort, providing high quality showers and toilets and even a small shop carrying essential items. Therefore, whilst we could just show the rugged terrain out on the trails, there is much more to the event and we were challenged to capture aerial perspectives that sell a much broader experience than simply motorbikes and tents.
For example, we captured a yoga session with one of our FPV cinewhoops, flying through a large tent of around 30-50 people. We also used our sub-250g drones to fly close to the sides of the main stage and safely capture the interaction of performers and the crowd. Yet, it was capturing the scale of the event in full, whilst keeping below the legal altitude limit of 400ft, that presented the biggest problem. However, as providers of solutions, we were quickly able to overcome this challenge by identifying the undulating terrain as an advantage and make for higher ground.
When it comes to capturing action on the trails, or anything with our FPV drones, it was essential to have a spotter alongside the pilot to ensure safe flights and improve filming efficiency. Our spotters are competent observers, meaning they understand the drone regulations and help ensure compliance with said regulations. Having a spotter that was also knowledgeable on motorcycles and the types of motorcycles that were in line with the event's branding was also invaluable, allowing us to film our targets safely and focus on capturing amazing moments.
My personal highlights from the festival were:
Working with moto nomad Adam Riemann on content for both ABR and his YouTube channel;
Filming some amazing riders in the GoPro Arena that included Chris Birch, Geoff Walker, Adam Reimann, Rowan Jones, Dylan Jones, and others;
Filming and watching riders take on the swamp of doom - it was deeper than it looked!
When it comes to capturing aerial perspectives of an event, it's never a case of simply throwing a drone up and taking some quick snaps. There is a lot of thought and planning that goes in to ensuring drones are used safely and efficiently to minimise risk and disruption to visitors. That's one of the reasons why ABR Festival chose us to supply aerial coverage of their event for the second year running.
Please get in touch if you are interested in finding out about how we would approach aerial filming for your event.
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