How the FPV drone shots for ‘Ambulance’ were made

The new film ‘Ambulance' has been showing in cinemas since last week. It is a hard-hitting action film in which two criminals steal an ambulance containing a patient and a doctor to get away from a failed bank robbery. That leads to a frantic pursuit. Many FPV drone shots or action shots were made using a so-called cinelifter.

Dynamic Chase Scenes

The film is of course largely about the chase scenes. Director Michael Bay (known for films such as Pearl Harbor, Armageddon, and Transformers) wanted to give viewers the feeling of being ultra-close to the action and to bring as many dynamics into the shots as possible. To achieve this, he decided to use a so-called cinelifter. That is an FPV racing drone that is powerful enough to carry a digital cinema camera.

To pilot the drone, Bay enlisted the help of FPV drone pilot Alex Vanover, who won the 2019 DRL World Championship at the age of 19. In consultation with Bay, all action shots were meticulously reviewed and executed.

Unique perspectives

Vanover has this to say about his contribution to the film: “When I fly the drone, I kind of act like Superman. I try to take in really unique perspectives and shots. I fly what is called an FPV drone, and FPV stands for first-person view. We wear goggles on our faces and when I fly the drone, I actually control it with a VR headset. I can see exactly what the drone sees in real-time. So it's a completely new technique, and it allows us to fly in bizarre locations and get some really great shots that you can't achieve with any other camera or drone.”

What do you think about the use of FPV drone shots in movies? Can't get enough? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

This article first appeared on Dronewatch and is written by Wiebe de Jager who is also a DroneXL contributor.

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