Drone Shows

[jamisonlm3]

Saw a video of this and thought it was pretty neat. It's not a straight drone show or fireworks display. It mixes the two really well. The drones are used to created what are basically 3D animated set pieces. The audio matches too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8swX_UB6GPY

[topshelfpyro]

That was from PGI last week on Fri night. It was neat in person. They used 850 total drones during the show.

Talked to Verge aero while there, to buy a 200 drone package costs $700k. They will do shows for $350 per drone all inclusive.......I believe Rozzi owns those drones or most of them......

[BMoore]

I have mixed feelings. I've seen a few shows like this that mix drones and fireworks very effectively into a neat new experience. On the other hand how much time and money is being invested into the drone technology that could have been used to innovate take the pyro to the next level? If you have a drone show company collaborating with a fireworks company you can get great results. When firework companies start investing in drone technology on their own I feel like we are moving in the wrong direction.

[Blaster]

My feelings aren't Mixed in any way... ;)

That's the stupidest thing I've Ever Seen! ~hehe

[topshelfpyro]

I have mixed feelings. I've seen a few shows like this that mix drones and fireworks very effectively into a neat new experience. On the other hand how much time and money is being invested into the drone technology that could have been used to innovate take the pyro to the next level? If you have a drone show company collaborating with a fireworks company you can get great results. When firework companies start investing in drone technology on their own I feel like we are moving in the wrong direction.

The problem is, alot of places are banning fireworks and not doing the big displays anymore citing "enviromental" or "PTSD" or "the poor dogs/animals" for doing it. If you're a company and have drones then you can still sell a show to them, if you only have fireworks you can't.......

Verge Aero shows are limited to 12 minutes max according to them. I know alot say that the attention span of people is 10-15 min for pyrotechnics but I would argue that it depends on what they are watching.....Shells going up in the air and nothing else I would tend to agree with that since it does get monotonous after a while, however, an actual pyromusical well scripted I believe can engage people at a deeper level and hold interest much longer.

Drones are like the former IMHO, lights in the sky usually with 3D shapes that are cool to look at but again boring after a while. A combination of both seems like it could be something new and fun when done well.

[BMoore]

I guess I see it like this.....You can have a painter and a photographer. Two different types of artists both creating pictures. Both can be talented and produce great results. Both have a fan base. You can even have a single exposition/show where the two artists display their work side by side and that's great. However, one day the painter says...."Those photographs look amazing so I'm going buy a camera and spend half my time on photography instead of painting." Now, you suddenly have a "painter" responsible for a reduction in paintings for fans to view. Now, also imagine a painters convention (if there is such a thing) or painters school and someone shows up with a camera saying "Your pictures might look better if you spend some time using this thing." It's not the right time or place. That's kind of what I see happening doing something like this at PGI.

[Engineer Cat]

Fireworks are analog sky art. Drone's are digital sky art. I prefer analog, although the combination of the two at PGI was very creative.

[PyroFL]

The drone part of the show was very cool and I enjoyed watching it.

I’ve been trying for the past year to see a drone show but seem to always be working.

Am more amazed at the cost to put on a drone show or hiring someone to come do it, which prices out every backyard Pyro.

Personally I think it’s more an opener to a firework show not part.

To me it’s like:

- Putting Guinness in a Budweiser glass
- Putting Toyota truck center caps on a Chevrolet truck
- Putting Wolf ammo in a Smith and Wesson

Even if you can, doesn’t mean you should

[jamisonlm3]

Fireworks are analog sky art. Drone's are digital sky art. I prefer analog, although the combination of the two at PGI was very creative.I think that's actually a pretty good way to put it. To me, the drones are basically pixels. With just a few, you can create what in my mind are essential set pieces. They ca even animate and change them throughout the show. With more drones, you can do what is shown in the video with.

[PyroWalker]

Would the drones in this show (or any other show for that matter) be as cool or exciting without the pyro? I find 99% of all drone shows are incredibly boring. There may be one or two cool moments, but those are almost always because of how they are paired with the pyro.
I will never be on board for drones except to be used to take video/photos of a firework show.
I agree with some of the previous posters that drones are being used as a good excuse to get rid of fireworks. Several area shows have been replaced by drone/light shows near me, and the anti-firework crowd is eating it up. This is a slippery slope for the firework industry. I personally despise that companies are teaming up with drones, because I believe it will be the downfall of certain parts of the fireworks industry. At a minimum I feel it will keep the firework industry stunted or stagnant while drones are a focus. We probably won't see too many new things until the money starts to focus back on pyrotechnics.