On Feb. 27, 2024, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., in cooperation with the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), conducted a series of tests on GA-ASI’s Sonobuoy Dispensing System (SDS) using the MQ-9B SeaGuardian Unmanned Aircraft System on the U.S. Navy’s W-291 test range in southern California. GA-ASI’s SeaGuardian flew the full test flight event configured […]
Oro Navigacija, the air navigation service provider (ANSP) of Lithuania, is extending its Frequentis uncrewed traffic management (UTM) solution with a digital, automated, risk assessment tool to speed up the classification of the risk posed by a drone flight in the specific category of operations and for the identification of mitigations and of the safety […]
Rotor Technologies, Inc. and Robinson Helicopter Company jointly displayed the R550X, an uncrewed helicopter based on the Robinson R44 Raven II, at Helicopter Association International’s HAI Heli-Expo in Anaheim, California. The R550X is the first production uncrewed aircraft to be built on a Robinson platform. Capable of lifting heavy loads up to 1,200 pounds 550 […]
SkyPixel has named the winners of its 8th Annual Photo & Video Contest. You saw the best drone photos of 2024 shared here earlier this week. And sure the photos were stunning, but something about video is next-level. Among the 130,000 submissions into this year’s contest (which, by the way, is an 100% increase over last year), this year’s judging panel narrowed the video submissions to one grand prize winner.
That top winner is a video called “Haines Alaska Through the Eyes of Luke Bredar.” The short film depicting a skier racing down a snowy mountaintop landscapes with breathtaking shots of Alaska’s mountainous, winter terrain was filmed by Luke Bredar.
Screengrab from the award-winning film “Haines Alaska Through the Eyes of Luke Bredar.”
Watch the full film here.
“The motivation behind creating this video was to evoke themes of otherworldliness, objective risk, the interplay between risk and the essence of human spirit, solitude, impermanence, self-sufficiency, and the journey of incomplete wandering intertwined with heartbreak,” Bredar said.
That video was selected by a judging panel of seasoned experts including:
Michael Fitzmaurice, best known as the Aerial Director of Photography of “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”
Xiaoshi Zhao, best known for his award-winning work on “Forever Enthralled”
Bing Xi, a prominent figure in the Chinese TVC industry
Filmmaker Brandon Li
Beyond honor and glory, Bredar walks away with a prize pack worth more than $14,000, including an Inspire 3 drone. Bredar also earns the title of ‘official SkyPixel Creator.’
What is SkyPixel?
SkyPixel is an online community of aerial photographers and videographers. At its core, artists post their work to the site (and that in turn makes them eligible to win the title). According to SkyPixel, there are now more than 42 million registered users.
The winning video this year took us to Alaska, but what about last year’s SkyPixel video winner? Check out the best drone video of 2023. And in case you missed it, you have to scroll through the list of the best aerial photos of 2023, also based on SkyPixel winners.
Other mesmerizing drone videos to watch in 2024
And of course, while Bredar certainly deserves the title of SkyPixel Drone Videographer of the Year, that’s hardly to say that’s the only award-winning drone video you’ll see this year. In fact, earlier this month, another video-sharing site, AirVuz, announced its own drone video contest winners.
As part of the AirVuz 2023 drone video contest, aerial videography company AeroCircus walked away with the award of Drone Video of the Year for their Showreel 2023. In addition, Skynamic Drone, another drone filming company, won FPV Video of the Year with their reel, FPV Demoreel. You can watch those award-winning videos (and learn more about Airvuz’s contest) here.
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On Feb. 27, 2024, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., in cooperation with the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), conducted a series of tests on GA-ASI’s Sonobuoy Dispensing System (SDS) using the MQ-9B SeaGuardian Unmanned Aircraft System on the U.S. Navy’s W-291 test range in southern California. GA-ASI’s SeaGuardian flew the full test flight event configured […]
