Annual Reels: Best of 2023

Ride along with contributor Drone-Spotlight with this fantastic drone demo reel, which features highlights of aerial filming work by this German company around the world.  The first part of the video features a series of highly cinematic "establishing" shots filmed with gimbal-stabilized drones, including a train rolling through the desert, a tropical resort, and the skyline of Frankfurt, Germany.  Then you'll be treated to a series of outstanding FPV shots, including some epic chase sequences and "cinewhoop" style footage.  

Based in Munich, aeroCircus is a top commercial drone piloting company in Germany.  Winners of the Reel category for the second annual Drone Video Awards, this 2023 showreel won the 2023 Drone Video of the Year.  The fantastic compilation features a variety of projects with top TV and movie producers, famous brands, and other highly demanding customers.  Highlights include some stunning first person view (FPV) drone action shots and a number of scenes which were filmed in the course of big-budget movie and TV show productions.    

Top contributor VerJan FPV has developed a specialty of using his first person view (FPV) quads to film epic action sports scenes.  In this incredible reel, he brings us some of the recent highlights of his work.  In the first action scene, you'll fly past a highliner improbably balanced on a rope strung between two rock pillars in a Utah canyon, and at the :32 mark, you'll chase some very brave bungee and BASE jumpers.  Without doubt though the most incredible footage involves one of the most exotic of action sports: wingsuit flying! 

Enjoy these stunning drone videos from Spain's Canary Islands, compliments of top AirVuz contributor ivanatravesdelvisor.  The video features aerial highlights from 2023, including some magnificent landscape shots as well as some highly creative "people" filming sequences.  You'll explore a number of spots around these Spanish islands off the coast of North Africa, including majestic volcanic calderas, quaint towns, and even some caves.  This video was picked as a Finalist for the Drone Video of the Week contest in March of 2023.  

You will not fail to be impressed by this 2023 drone reel by kino.team, one of the top aerial photography outfits in Russia.  The video is full of shots which appear to have been taken in connection with movies, TV shows, and other large budget productions (see the shots at 1:09 and 1:14 to see what we mean!).  At the :28 mark, you'll see some tugboats in the Baltic Sea, followed by a close-up shot of a fast-moving train.  The reel concludes with a great overhead shot of a woman lying at the edge of the ocean surf.  

Top contributor Exclusive Aerials brings us this impressive demo reel, which was largely shot in South Africa.  The reel features a great mix of landscape and action shots, including some epic first person view (FPV) drone shots.   At the :21 mark, you'll see a whale jumping out of the water near Cape Town, followed by a desert caravan and a Land Rover on a mountainous trek.  Starting at :54, you'll see some of South Africa's legendary surfing and kitesurfing scene.  Other highlights include some epic shots of the Cape Town skyline.  

Skynamic Drone is one of the top commercial drone filming companies in Germany, and (among other accolades) the winner of the Showreel category at the 6th Annual NYCDFF, returns to AirVuz with this brand-new first person view (FPV) demo reel.  This epic video showreel, winner of the 2023 FPV Video of the Year award, opens with a near-intercept of a jumping FMX rider; other highlights include some epic car chasing shots, a descent onto a pair of speedboats, a fly-through of an auto assembly plant, wingsuit jumper chase scene and more.  

For a first upload to AirVuz, brand-new contributor Toytoro FPV brings us this amazing 2023 showreel.  The reel features a combination of gimbal-stabilized drone footage as well as some stunning FPV shots, primarily from France.   Highlights include some stunning alpine and coastal shots, amazing concert/music festival footage, and some highly choreographed shots which appear to have been taken in the course of filming movies and TV shows.  This video was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in December of 2023.  

Multiple DVOW Winner haussmannvisuals put together this outstanding reel of his best FPV drone shots over the course of 2023.  The video was filmed on multiple continents and features stunning footage from the northern part of Norway, Iceland, Italy, the the Swiss Alps, the Portuguese island of Madeira, the giant island of Greenland, and Germany.  This video was picked as a Finalist for the Drone Video of the Week in December of 2023 for the FPV Pilots to Watch list, and as a nominee for 2023 FPV Drone Video of the Year. Don't miss it!

Maxim Termote BV is one of the top commercial drone pilots in Belgium, and this stunning showreel, which captured the Drone Video of the Week award in early October of 2023 will show you why.    The video features a series of movie-quality shots including some stunning auto chase footage, a military action scene, a (well-supervised) sequence filming a civilian helicopter, and more.  Other highlights include some factory tour footage, shots of a giant port, a boat chasing sequence, and other highly complex sequences.  

Top AirVuz contributor Chris Jeon brings us this stunning reel of some of his best dronelapse shots, a technique in which thousands of photos are sequenced to give the effect of time speeding up.  Most of the footage was shot over his native South Korea, with outstanding views of the national capital city of Seoul; the southern port city of Busan; the interior mountains, and more.  This video was picked by the AirVuz editorial staff as the Winner of the Drone Video of the Week contest in September of 2023.  

Top AirVuz contributor Feeling Drone - Guillermo Garcia brings us this inspiring 2023 recap drone reel of his travels in 2023.  The video opens with shots of the Dolomite Mountains, a subchain of the Alps in northeastern Italy.  Just before the 3:00 mark, you'll see Peniscola Castle, which lies on the coast of the Valencia region of western Spain, followed by the Dom Luis Bridge in Porto, Portugal's second-largest city.  The video also features some great shots of Madeira, the Portuguese island off the coast of North Africa.  

Prepare to be blown away by this stunning pro drone reel from Mexico, complimentts of top AirVuz contributor Barnard Steele.  He has worked with some of the top names in the worldwide entertainment industry, including HBO, Amazon Studios, Lionsgate, and the History Channel.   His reel is full of absolutely jaw-dropping shots that show off the astounding cinematic power of drone-mounted cameras to create shots that were until very recently the exclusive preserve of airplane and helicopter filming.  

Former DVOW Finalist fotoknoff brings us this excellent highlight reel featuring some of their best recent aerial videography work throughout their home country of Norway.  The video features a nice mix of nature, urban, and action shots from across this giant Norwegian country.  Some of the highlights include the suspended boulder of Kjerag at the 1:48 mark, the Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen) at 1:53, the iconic fishing village of Henningsvaer (2:40), the Nidaros Cathedral in the city of Trondheim (3:42), and more.  

This 2023 drone reel by former Drone Video of the Week Finalist Drone Promotions is all about filming vehicles.  Opening with a shot of some sports cars navigating a mountain road, the video will then take you through a series of boat shots.  Then it's on to some enduro riders, a farm tractor, pickup trucks, more boats, and ATV's.  Next up are snowmobiles, sailboats, and (perhaps most impressively) a seaplane at about the :40 mark.  After that, you'll see mountain snowplows, semi-trucks, and more.    

Prepare to be amazed by this incredible first person view (FPV) drone reel by top AirVuz contributor ARIA_FPV.  The video opens with some stunning FPV mountain surfing shots from the Alps, followed by some narrow canyon runs.  Just after the :30 mark, there's a gap shot through an improbable hole in a mountain rock formation, followed by a shot chasing some supercars on a mountain pass.  Other highlights include waterfall dives and shots of an iconic Swiss town.  This video was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in June of 2023.   

Top contributor cine_ghost brings us this excellent 2023 drone reel.  Highlights include some amazing shots from across his native Poland, including the Baltic Sea, the Carpathian Mountains, and the beautiful lakes and plains which cover the central part of Poland.  At the :17 mark, there's a great shot of a twisting mountain pass road.  Just before the :50 mark, there's a dramatic shot of the skyline of Warsaw, followed by a great shot of a high speed train running through a field.  The reel concludes with an epic bike jumping shot.  

Top AirVuz contributor and FPV drone pilot bosstalkpro earned a spot on the FPV Pilots to Watch list in early January, 2024 with this fantastic year-end highlight reel.  In just the first few shots, you'll dive a dam, shoot up a gushing waterfall, and chase a kiteboarder.  At the :17 mark, there's an epic surfing shot, followed by a skim along a mountain ridge, a music festival shot, and a shot diving toward the ocean on a tropical island.  Further on, you'll shoot between two walls of a canyon (:45), chase yachts, and more.  

In this incredible reel, top contributor VerJan FPV he brings us some of the recent highlights of his work, which focuses on action shots in the Southwestern USA.  At about the the :30 mark, you'll see a shot of a highliner improbably balanced on a rope strung between two rock pillars in a Utah canyon, followed by a shot chasing two "cowboys" racing across some grassland.  At :49, you'll see a paraglider sailing through a rock arch.  Particularly noteworthy are the epic wingsuit-chasing shots, which start at the 1:00 mark.  

This magnificent 2023 year-end reel by top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot janjan is all about action.  While the chase sequences involving surfers, BASE jumpers, sports cars, BMX riders, and freeride skaters are amazing, what put this on the FPV Pilots to Watch list in January of 2024 are the highly choreographed shots of flaming car crashes, which were clearly filmed in connection with big budget movie and TV productions.  The video concludes with some amazing shots flying through a fireworks display.  

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot SirM Productions put together this highly cinematic FPV reel, showing some of the highlights of his FPV work in 2023.  The video opens with a gentle descent into a mountain valley, followed by a transition to a similar scene but one covered in snow.  At around the :49 mark, you'll fly under an "impossibly" low bridge, and at 1:05 you'll catch a snowboarder hitting a jump.  The FPV Pilots to Watch video also features some excellent "cinewhoop" style shots. 

Check out this highly cinematic first person view (FPV) drone reel by top AirVuz contributor pierre_theiller.  The video features shots from France, the tiny mountain republic of Andorra, and Spain's Canary Islands.  Starting at about the 1:10 mark, there's a nice shot cruising along a golf fairway endinging a very clever transition to a sun setting over an ocean.  Starting at 2:20, you'll chase drifting sports cares, dive a cooling tower, skim over a solar panel farm, and buzz a mountain ski resort.  

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot Asap Fpv brings us this excellent 2023 FPV reel.  Shot in France, Belgium, and Portugal, the reel features a nice mix of landscape, urban, and action shots, including some amazing "cinewhoop" style indoor sequences.  At around the 18 mark, you'll fly through a warehouse, then dive onto a sports facility field and see part of a music video.  Further on, you'll fly through a waterpark then buzz some cliff jumpers.  This video made the FPV Pilots to Watch list.  

Top AirVuz contributor and FPV drone pilot kalash.fpv brings us this outstanding showreel of recent FPV highlights from his native Russia and around the world.  Locations range from the Altai Mountains in Siberian Russia to the tiny atolls of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, and from the legendary Palawan Island in the Philippines to the volcanoes of Indonesia.   In addition to some epic landscape and seascape shots, the reel features a series of incredible action shots - skiers, supercars, a landing seaplane (!), and more.   

Top AirVuz creator and commercial drone pilot Clark Lupton brings us this spectacular reel - a nominee for 2023 FPV Drone Video of the Year - featuring highlights from his (largely FPV)) drone filming over the past year. Projects featured include the Electronic Daisy Carnival EDM festivals in Orlando, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada; the Moonrise EDM festival in Baltimore, Florida; and the Las Vegas Grand Prix, part of the 2023 Formula One championship.  Other highlights include shots from the Azores islands, boat chasing sequences, and more.  

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot WestPsydeFPV put together this impressive reel of his best FPV moments from 2023.  The video opens with some awesome landscape/seascape shots, and at the :19 mark you'll get an up-close of a DJ at the Electric Daisy Orlando electric dance music (EDM) festival in Florida.  The reel concludes with some epic shots of the finale of the Kaskade (a top EDM DJ) show at EDO, which has emerged in recent years as one of the top EDM music festivals in the USA.  

Enjoy this fast-moving 2023 first person view (FPV) drone reel by top AirVuz contributor Dronediary_, who operates from India.  At the :12 mark, you'll aerially dive a shipwreck, and at :27 you'll see part of a "cinewhoop" tour of Asia's largest microbreweries.  Other highlights include some great BMX chase sequence, a concert fly-through, factory tour shots, a nice run through an apartment complex courtyard (starting at the :32 mark), some ridge skimming along the Western Ghats Mountains, and more.  

Prepare to be amazed by the year-end 2023 drone reel by top AirVuz contributor zippomaker, who has transitioned almost completely to first person view (FPV) drone flying.  Much of the footage was shot in Rome, including some spots which are extremely restricted for drone flight.  Starting at the :24 mark, you'll fly over some re-enactments of Roman era battles and sporting contests, followed by a fly-through of the ancient Roman Colosseum.  At the 1:30 mark, you'll fly past the Castel Sant'Angelo (aka the Mausoleum of Hadrian).

Top Airvuz contributor twentyonebyninefilms put together this excellent highlight reel of their drone filming across five continents in 2023.  The video features footage from the UAE, the UK, Ireland, Hungary, Colombia, the Bahamas, and the Canary Islands.  At the 1:03 mark, you'll see the Liberty Statue in Budapest, Hungary, followed by the Cristo Rey statue in Cali, Colombia.  Other featured spots include Ireland's Dingle Peninsula (:54), the Stonehenge monument in southwestern England (1:18), Dubai's Empty Quarter (1:20), and more.  

Multiple Drone Video of the Week Finalist ristypics put together this amazing 2023 highlight reel, covering travel across four continents.  The opening shots feature Norway's Lofoten Islands, a mountainous land inside the Arctic Circle, followed by the USA's New England region in the Fall.  Starting at about the :35 mark, you'll see Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean.  Other featured locations include New Zealand and the Faroe Islands, a Danish archipelago of the North Atlantic Ocean.  

Enjoy this fantastic first person view (FPV) drone video compilation by Italian FPV pilot FPVFlow.  Opening with a shot of some dolphins frolicking somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea, the video soon transitions to a dive into a valley, a shot of a mountaintop fortress, and a Baroque style church.  At the :21 mark, you'll see a seaplane taking off, followed by a chase shot of a Ferrari.  Other highlights include motorcycle and BMX chasing, ski shots, and other action clips.  This video made the FPV Pilots to Watch list in February, 2024.  

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot Mauro Sciambi brings us this stunning 2023 FPV showreel.  Extremely well edited and with highly creative transitions, the video opens with some epic landscape and urban shots from across Italy.  Starting at the :20 mark, there are some great boat-chasing shots, and at the :40 mark you'll fly (incredibly) through a jet airliner parked in a hangar.  Other highlights include a dive into Rome's Pantheon.  This video was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in December, 2023.  

A year well traveled, indeed!  In this reel, you'll follow former Drone Video of the Week Finalist mitevisuals along on his travels through three continents during 2023.  Impressively edited with a combination of drone and ground camera shots, the video features shots from the Portuguese island of Madeira; the Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka; the Scotland region of the UK, Morocco, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Spain, the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, and the Dolomite Mountains in northeastern Italy.  

In this excellent 2023 reel by AirVuz contributor Oz Straya Panorama, you'll explore the heart of Eastern Australia, an area bounded roughly by the Sunshine Coast area of Queensland to the north, the Tweed Heads area of New South Wales to the south, and the Great Dividing Range to the west.  Highlights of the reel include the Glass House Mountains starting at the :08 mark, Lake Wivenhoe (:40), migrating whales on the Tweed Coast (1:14), Downtown Brisbane (1:38), Cook Island at Fingal Head (1:51), and more.  

There's something for everyone in this amazing 2023 first person view (FPV) showreel by top AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot After8_FPV.  Opening with some bridge and skyscraper dives, at the :15 mark, you'll check out some surfers, followed by a "cinewhoop" style house tour.  Further on, you'll chase ATV's and race cars, fly down a hill towards Puget Sound in Seattle, Washington, and cruise the Pacific Ocean coast somewhere in the USA's Pacific Northwest region.  The video ends with a great shot of a giant rock formation.   

Legendary first person view (FPV) drone pilot Flylifeco amazes once again with this highly cinematic 2023 FPV reel showcasing his highlights from the year.  The first part of the reel is about cars - very expensive cars, both on the road and in the showroom.  At the 1:30 mark, you'll do a fly-through of Shell Energy Stadium, a state-of-the-art soccer stadium in Houston, Texas.  The reel wraps with some epic car drifting shots, showcasing one of the first action sports to be filmed extensively by FPV.   

Check out this fantastic 2023 showreel from Russia by former Drone Video of the Week Finalist Nikita Yumshanov.  The video features footage from a DJI Mini Pro 3 drone as well as first person view (FPV) shots.  Much of the video was filmed in the Urals Mountains, specifically in the Chelyabinsk (including Zyuratkul National Park) and Orenburg regions at the southern end of the chain that divides European and Asian Russia.  It also has some shots from the Tver Oblast, an important province northwest of Moscow.  

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist koszoandras_photography brings us this outstanding reel, featuring the highlights of his travels around the world during 2023.  The reel features outstanding drone shots from across the Middle East, Italy, and Spain's Canary Islands.  Some of the specific locations include the beaches of Fuerteventura (one of the Canary Islands), the famous ruins of Petra in Jordan, the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, the town of Positano on Italy's Amalfi Coast, the ruins of Pompeii (also in Italy), and more.  
 

Multiple Drone Video of the Week Finalist RobSkyHigh brings us this excellent 2023 drone reel from the USA's Rocky Mountains.  The video was filmed in the area around Salt Lake City, Utah.  The city lies in a valley of the Wasatch Mountains, a sub-chain of the Rockies which lie on the western edge of the main chain.  The Wasatch peaks reach altitudes of up to just under 12k ft. above sea level (3.6k m), about 7k ft. (2.1k m) above Salt Lake City's altitude.  The video features some spectacular timelapse sequences.  

Top AirVuz contributor Loïs Cayrel brings us this amazing 2023 drone reel featuring highlights from his work.  Filmed in France, the reel features an excellent mix of landscape and action shots, including some amazing first person view (FPV) drone shots.  You'll explore the majestic Pyrenees and Alps mountains, soar past medieval hilltop villages, and fly over beautiful Fall colors and verdant river valleys.  Other highlights include some incredible shots of BMX riders, construction sites, and more.   

Top contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot RobGrooveFpV earned a spot on the FPV Pilots to Watch list in January, 2024 with this outstanding 2023 highlight reel.  The video was primarily shot on Corfu and Paxos, two of the Greek islands of the Ionian Sea, just west of mainland Greece.  It features a nice mix of landscape, "cinewhoop" style indoor flights, and action shots, including some epic shots of BMX riders.  Highlights include a shot skimming over a marina, shots of ancient ruins and modern graffiti, and more.   

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot FLY ONE_KR brings us this very impressive 2023 FPV showreel from South Korea.  The video opens with a dramatic shot descending towards a mountain ridge, followed by a shot of the "Hands of Harmony" sculpture on the coast of the eastern city of Pohang.  At the :40 mark, there's a dramatic flying entrance into the Incheon Football Stadium, near Seoul.  Just before 1:00, you'll see some dramatic biking stunts, and just before 2:00 you'll fly over a music concert.  

Check out this fantastic 2023 showreel from new AirVuz contributor Andrew Travel Films, who hails from the Siberian region of Russia.  The video features an excellent mix of landscape, action, and "people" shots from across southern Siberia, a vast area that is home to some of Russia's most spectacular natural scenery.  Highlights include dramatic shots of the Altai Mountains, which run along Russia's borders with neighboring Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan and is part of a larger system known as the Southern Siberia Mountains.  

There is something for everyone in this fantastic first person view (FPV) drone highlight reel by FPV pilot CataFpv, which was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in February of 2023.  The video opens with shots from Iceland, with a flyover of a glacial lagoon, one of the island's famous black sand beaches, and (at the :15 mark) a dive over the giant Skogafoss waterfall.  Further on in the reel, you'll head to Italy for some epic chase sequence involving supercars, yachts, motorcyclists and even (at the :45 mark) a private airplane.  

Top AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot thepreppyeric brings us this fantastic 2023 FPV highlight reel, which features shots from across the USA.  At the :24 mark, there's a nice shot of the skyline of Atlanta, Georgia, and at :30 you'll see the Grand Prix of Long Beach Indy car race.  From there, you'll head to the famous amusement park on the pier of Santa Monica, and at :51 you'll see the stadium of Auburn University in Alabama.  Other highlightsinclude the Georgia State Capitol (1:11) and the canals of Venice, California (1:20).