I’m not going to write a motivational article about how amazing the drone show industry is, about wonderful clients, and superhumans—3D artists. This is my experience, observations, and honest answers to frequently asked questions I get from friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. By the way, drone shows are just one of the directions I work in as a new media artist. This art form can be viewed as one of the types of new media, where technology and creativity come together to create unique visual experiences.
How are drones controlled in the sky? Are they all connected to each other?
Each drone is pre-programmed with its flight task created using specialized software. This task includes precise coordinates, altitude, and time intervals the drone must follow. The drone connects to GPS satellites, which adjust its position in space according to the flight task. There are no swarm models; drones are unaware of each other’s existence, and pilots take the controls only in extreme cases when all satellite connections are lost and it’s necessary to carefully land all drones. In my experience, this has never happened.
What do you like and dislike most about this work?
When I started my journey as an artist, I painted on canvases and did street art, and I loved that what I created was tangible and existed in the real, physical world. After that, I transitioned to graphic design, where all the work and the final result happen on a computer, which is quick and convenient for producing content/art but remains confined to pixels on screens. That’s why producing drone shows was a way out of this situation for me: first, I create the show in 3D software, and then I see it come to life in the real world, in the sky, with all its scale, volume, etc.
As for the downsides, it’s still an 8-hour workday in front of a computer, where you see the result of your work—the show—for only 1% of the total time spent.
How long does it take to create a single show?
As they say, there’s the ideal scenario and the real one. Ideally, an artist should have 10-15 working days to develop concepts (if needed), create and refine figures in various iterations, animate these figures, assemble all figures into a single show, work on transitions between figures, add takeoff and landing animations to the final show, check for collisions and solve physics issues, export the flight task… profit.
BUT, in reality, clients want the cheapest show possible, so they choose between various drone show companies, wait until they get a price reduction/discount, drag out the process, and sign the contract 4-5 days before the show, leaving no time for thorough preparation. As a result, everything is done as quickly as possible, “as it turns out, so be it.” Needless to say, such clients only hurt themselves, receiving a less-than-optimal product.
What if changes to the concept are made at the last moment?
Making changes to figures at the last moment, in the final 1-2 days before the show, is practically impossible. Technically, it’s possible, but it can lead to the fall of all drones. That’s because we check many parameters, and such rushes can lead to errors that ultimately ruin the entire drone fleet. On average, a 100-drone show costs $20,000–30,000. Of course, with personal discounts and so on, it’s often sold cheaper in reality, but that’s not the point. Producing each drone costs an average of $1,000–2,000: some buy them cheaper from drone manufacturers in China, others produce them themselves. Losing a fleet in a show could cost a company at least $100,000 due to a client’s whim to change a single figure at the last moment. No self-respecting company would take such a risk. But, of course, situations vary. The client isn’t always right.
Can you adapt a show to a specific brand or theme?
This happens at the very first stage of working on the show. I study the event, the client’s wishes, the brand book (if there is one), the type of audience and show, cultural nuances, etc. I’ve worked on various shows, from birthdays and New Year’s Eve celebrations to a fashion show for a high-fashion brand.
Do you use a storyboard and script approach for shows?
If a client comes without their storyboard, has no idea what they want, etc., i create a concept for them with a cohesive story, figures, and overall mood and dynamics that represent their company/brand/event theme.
What software do you use for creating animations and models for drones?
Personally, I’ve only used Houdini FX in my work and a little TouchDesigner for a show with real-time color transfer to drones. Additionally, popular tools for working with 3D animation for drone shows include Blender, Cinema 4D, Maya, as well as software like Unity and Unreal Engine, which can be used for visualizations.
Are there any specific features in rigging or animation for drones?
Since drones are real objects, they have physical limitations: the distance between drones must be at least 2 meters (otherwise, airflows from neighboring drones’ propellers will knock them off course), the drone’s speed must not exceed 8 m/s (this speed is constantly increasing due to drone improvements; two years ago, the limit was 5 m/s), and acceleration must not exceed 3 m/s² (related to the GPS satellite refresh rate).
Artist must consider all these limitations when creating animations, monitor intersections and speeds. All movements should be smooth, in other words, ease-in/ease-out animations.
Industry development—which countries use it, for what purposes, and what are the prospects?
Drones are increasingly replacing fireworks. Why? Because fireworks don’t evolve. Most likely, the fireworks you saw 20 years ago during New Year’s Eve are qualitatively the same as today. Fireworks can’t display sponsor logos, but drone shows can. Fireworks can’t tell a story, but drone shows can. Additionally, pyro-drones are actively being used now, replicating some functions of fireworks but doing so more precisely and with greater control. Most importantly, drone shows can continually surprise. Drone shows can also be improved by other technologies: laser shows, video mapping, synchronization with music, real-time sensors (e.g., transferring colors to drones interactively), and much more.
In my opinion, drone shows will increasingly integrate into existing event programs and interact with other show elements.
