Drone Video of the Week - 2021 Winners

Prepare to be amazed by this very impressive pro drone reel from top contributor smakozawr.  The video features a great mix of urban, landscape, and action shots, mostly from his native Ukraine.  Ride along for some great views from the Ukrainian capital city of Kiev and its Black Sea port city of Odessa, as well as some shots from the country's expansive farmlands.  Action shots include some amazing sequences involving drift cars, a small fleet of personal watercraft racing down the Dneiper River, Ukrainian army vehicles, and more.  

Multiple Drone Video of the Week Winner FrameworkFilms is a pioneer in the dronelapse technique, in which thousands of aerial photos are stitched together to create a "fast forward" view of the world.  In this outstanding reel, you'll see the highlights of their work in 2020, almost all of which was shot in the USA.  Notable locations include San Francisco; Nashville; Santa Barbara, California; Los Angeles; Denver; Minneapolis; Laguna Beach, California; the Colorado Rockies; Chicago; Paris (France); Seattle; and Atlanta. This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Ride along with former Drone Video of the Week Winner Seven Roads Media as they take you through some of their best drone footage of 2020.  Some of the highlights include some spectacular shots of Hawaii; the mighty Niagara Falls; the "cove" of La Jolla near San Diego, California and a mountain village in India.  The reel also features some great action shots such as footage of a "pack" of snowmobiles; an impressive ski stunt, surfers, and a train barreling down the California coastline; a herd of mountain horses; and more.     

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist oculusfilms brings us this fantastic drone video of an icebreaking cargo ship pulling into harbor in a semi-frozen Arctic Sea.  The video features some excellent top-down shots of the ship and the small tugboat which helps it reach its berth.  Icebreaking ships (which may be cargo ships with special hulls or ships which are designed to clear ice for other ships) generally have a specially-shaped (and strengthened) hull designed to ram through the ice as well as extra propulsion power.  

AirVuz contributor Clark Lupton brings us this excellent wintertime drone video of Lynchburg, Virginia, a city in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.  Lynchburg is situated on the banks of the James River, near the middle of the state.  It's known as the City of the Seven Hills, and it's famous in part for being the only Virginia city not captured by Union forces during the US Civil War.  While the railroads which had driven the antebellum growth of the city were destroyed in the conflict, it was reborn as a manufacturing center. 

Panvelvet is one of the top content creators in the AirVuz community, with multiple Drone Video of the Week/Month wins, a Drone Video Award, and most recently a win at the 6th annual New York City Drone Film Festival.  All good reasons to check out this stunning piece from the great Chinese metropolis of Shanghai.  The video features human subjects perched atop some of the skyscrapers and bridges of the city on the Yangtze River Delta, China's largest and one of the world's most important financial centers. 

Prepare to be blown away by this magnificent professional drone reel by former Drone Video of the Week/Month Winner Jay Christensen.  The video features an amazing mix of footage, ranging from landscape to urban to action shots, including some spectacular FPV footage.  Some of the many highlights include incredible nighttime skiing shots, the South Asian country of Nepal;, the skyline of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Iceland's famous Kirkjufell Mountain; a seaplane takeoff; shots of the Minnesota Timberwolves pro basketball team, and much more.

Take an aerial tour of the Netherlands in this excellent 2020 compilation by former DVOW Winner By_ewold.  The video opens with a shot of an iconic windmill on the plains of Friesland, followed by a stunning bird-chasing sequence.  Starting at about the 1:05 mark, you'll fly over one of the fabled Dutch flower fields, and at 1:48 you'll see the De Haar Castle in Utrecht, the largest in the Netherlands.  Other highlights include the Pyramid of Austerlitz, also near Utrecht, the windmills of Zaanse Schans near Amsterdam, and more.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Check out this stunning drone video from the largest island in Russia's giant Lake Baikal, compliments of multiple Drone Video of the Week Finalist CINEMADRONE.  Olkhon Island lies about midway down the long, narrow lake, which is the largest freshwater lake in the world by water volume.  The third-largest lake island in the world, Oikhon is about 72 km (around 44 mi.) by about 21 km wide (around 13 mi.) at its widest.  Largely covered in forests, the island has a permanent population of less than 2,000, largely aboriginal Buryats.  

New AirVūz contributor and drone pilot KASH created this stunning aerial film of Hong Kong.  The video was filmed with a DJI Mavic 2 Pro and a DJI Mavic 2 Zoom, supplemented with ground camera footage.  Ride along for some incredible views of the city's skyscrapers, busy thoroughfares, and bustling harbor.  The video features footage both from Hong Kong Island as well as the Kowloon Peninsula, on the Asian mainland.  This video was picked as the Winner of the Drone Video of the Week in March of 2021. 

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist andrii_lutsyk brings us this marvelous travel video from Turkey.  Shot over the course of a monthlong trip and mixing drone and ground camera footage, the video opens with a great shot of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (aka the Blue Mosque) in Istanbul.  Then it's on to the famous hot air balloons of the Cappadocia region in the middle of the country.  Other shots will take you over the Kaçkar Mountains in the northeastern corner of the country, as well as the country's Mediterranean coastline.  

Award-winning contributor Timelab.pro does it again with this fantastic drone video from Istanbul, Turkey.  The video opens with shots of the Golden Horn inlet and  a ship on the Bosphorus Strait, then takes you to the magnificent Hagia Sophia; now a museum, it was once the world's largest building.  At the :48 mark, you'll see the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, and at the :58 mark you'll see the giant, modern Çamlıca Mosque.  Other highlights include the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (1:10), Galata Tower (2:10), and much more.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Top AirVuz contributor AndriThor chalked up a second Drone Video of the Week Win in April of 2021 with this amazing piece from Iceland.  The video alternates between scenes of nature and "civilization" on this volcanic North Atlantic island, which in recent years has been seeing tourist traffic of over 10x its full-time population of around 350k.  Ride along for some epic views of some of Iceland's legendary landscapes, as well as shots of some of its iconic villages and the capital city of Reykjavik.  

Top AirVuz contributor David Dinu returns after a three year hiatus to bring us this stunning travel video from Pakistan.  Created with a combination of drone and ground camera footage, the video was shot over the course of a three week trip through the country, which the creator calls (and not without good reason) "one of the most beautiful countries I've ever seen".  Treat yourself to some absolutely spectacular views of mountainous northern Pakistan, and also get a glimpse into the lives of its 200 million+ people.  

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist and Drone Video Award Nominee scientik brings us this spectacular drone video from the magical North Atlantic island nation of Iceland.  Shot with a combination of cameras, including those mounted to the DJI Mavic Pro 2, Phantom 4, and new FPV drone, the video was filmed over the course of two trips to Iceland, one of which was undertaken as part of a Czech TV project.   Stunningly beautiful, this video was picked as the Winner of the Drone Video of the Week contest in April, 2021.  

Zimydakid is one of the top content creators in the AirVuz community, with multiple Drone Video of the Week/Month wins to his name, along with a Drone Video Award nomination.  In this video, he shows us the power of DJI's newly released Mavic Air 2S drone.  The latest offering from DJI combines the large camera sensor size of the Mavic Pro 2 with the light weight and portability of the Mavic Air 2.  With excellent footage from northern Italy, Costa Rica, and Switzerland, this video won the DVOW contest in April, 2021 and was a DVOY finalist.

Check out this magnificent demo reel from Greece, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot kostas Gur.  The video features a brilliant mix of landscape, urban, action, and "people" shots, beginning with an epic fly-through of a group of people dancing in a house.  Brilliantly edited, with outstanding transitions and epic timelapses, it's highly entertaining and an extremely impressive professional aerial cinematography reel.  This video was picked as the Winner of the Drone Video of the Week in April, 2021.  

Muhamad AbuShakra is one of the top content creators in the AirVuz community, with multiple Drone Video of the Week/Month wins to his name.  This masterpiece is another one to add to the list; it was picked as the Winner of the DVOW contest in May of 2021.  Like most of his works, it was shot over the great Alps mountains, home to some of the most spectacular natural scenery on the European continent.  Featuring footage from several countries, the video is an extremely well-edited compilation of some of his best work over three years.  

Check out the sights and sounds of Montenegro in this fantastic video by top AirVuz contributor Beautiful Montenegro, which won the Drone Video of the Week contest in the middle of May, 2021.  In a quick succession of highly cinematic shots, the video will take you all over this idyllic Southeastern European country, which was part of Serbia until 2006.  You'll be treated to aerial views of the country's mountainous interior, as well as the famous Montenegran coastline along the Adriatic Sea.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Take in the sights and sounds of Germany with this excellent video by former Drone Video of the Week Winner oculusfilms.  Some of the featured locations include the neo-Gothic masterpiece Hohenzollern Castle in Baden-Württemberg (first seen at the :05 mark), the Marienplatz square in Munich (:18), the Fernsehturm Berlin observation tower (:42), Munich's Frauenkirche (:56), Bavaria's famous Neuschwanstein Castle (1:00), Wartburg Castle in Thuringia (1:45), Berlin's Brandenburg Gate (1:49), the Berlin Cathedral (2:35), and more.  

The Netherlands offers some of the most iconic winter scenery in Europe.  While the (mostly) dead-flat landscapes of the North European Plain generally preclude skiing, it's a paradise for ice-skating as well as more adventurous action sports which take advantage of its wide-open frozen expanses.  It's also simply beautiful, whether it be the windmills of the Zaanse Schans region west of Amsterdam or its colorful medieval towns.  Those are the takeaways from this fantastic DVOW-winning drone video of the Dutch winter by contributor By_ewold.

AirVuz contributor and pilot Babang Deshommes is an experienced commercial drone pilot based out of Tromso in the northern part of Norway.  His work includes complex aerial videography filming for documentaries, music videos, TV commercials, and more.  In this amazing piece, he's put together highlights of his work over three years across the expanse of Northern Norway.  Some of the featured locations include the Tromsø Bridge at the :10 mark, the Tromso Cathedral (:15), the Hålogaland Bridge in Nordland County (:45), and more.  

New contributor denisbarbas earned a Drone Video of the Week Finalist spot in this inspiring travel piece from northern Italy.  Much of the footage was captured in the Dolomite Mountains, a sub-chain of the Northern Limestone Alps which covers a parts of several northeastern provinces.  At about the 1:30 mark, you'll see the Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona, a church built into the side of a cliff near the city of Verona.  At about the 3:00 mark, you'll see the Scalliger Castle in Sirmione, near the southern end of Lake Garda. 

Legendary first person view (FPV) pilot JohnnyFPV teamed up with Porsche to create this jaw-dropping piece which was produced in connection with Porsche's Drive2Extremes campaign to promote the Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo.  Designed to show the ability of this crossover SUV to perform in extreme conditions, the video was shot in the depths of the Finland winter in Lapland, as well as in the white-hot desert of the United Arab Emirates.  The video includes both stunning car-chasing footage as well as highly cinematic establishing shots.   

Explore the world with this fantastic international travel reel by top AirVuz content creator Merr Watson.  Watson, who has nearly 100k followers on Instagram as of mid-2021, will take you over some of the world's most beautiful spots, often featuring shots of herself.  Some of the featured locations include the storied beaches of Coron in the Philippines; the waterfalls, volcanoes, and rice terraces of Indonesia; the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean; the Lancelin Sand Dunes of Western Australia; Africa's Victoria Falls; and more.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Top AirVuz content creator and first person view (FPV) pilot rememorales brings us this excellent FPV mini-tour of the city of Tbilisi in the Caucasus republic of Georgia.  The video opens with a fly-over of the Mother of Georgia (Kartlis Deda) statue atop Sololaki Hill, followed by (starting at the :08 mark) the Chronicle of Georgia monument near the reservoir known as the Tbilisi Sea.  Other featured locations include the Ferris wheel at Mtatsminda Park, the Bridge of Peace (:20), the Narikala Fortress (:42), and more.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Multiple Drone Video of the Week Winner oculusfilms brings us this stunning drone video from the famed Swiss town of Zermatt.  Located in the canton of Valais, near the Italian border, Zermatt is surrounded by some of the highest peaks of the Alps, including Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn.  Zermatt is the most important town in the Mattertal (Matter Valley), which is just south of the Rhône Valley.  It is generally considered to be one of Europe's most famous spots for mountaineering and skiing.  

Multiple DVOW Finalist Hayden Kast does it again with this fantastic piece from the Seychelles, an island nation of the western Indian Ocean.  The video features footage of Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue, three of the 42 granitic islands which make up the archipelago.  Mahé is the largest of the Seychelles by land area, and its population accounts for about 75% of the island's roughly 100k permanent residents.  Praslin is the second-largest island; it lies about 27 mi. (around 44 km) northeast of Mahé, with La Digue just to its east.   

Check out this fantastic DVOW winning drone video from the Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot baikensky.  At the :25 mark, there's a nice shot of the M-3 Bridge in Nur-Sultan, the national capital city, which was (until 2019) known as Astana.  At the :38 mark, you'll see the majestic Triumph of Astana building, with the giant tent known as the Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center in the background.  Other shots feature footage from Almaty's, Kazakhstan's commercial capital.  

Multiple Drone Video of the Week Winner AndriThor brings us this spectacular montage of drone footage from the North Atlantic island of Iceland.  Much of the first minute of the video was filmed over the highlands, a mountainous area which dominates much of Iceland's interior.  At about the :55 mark, you'll see the Fagradalsfjall on the Reykjanes Peninsula, which began erupting in March of 2021.  At 1:03, you'll fly past Reykjavik's famous Hallgrímskirkja church; then it's on to glaciers, iceberg lagoons, black beaches, and more.  

Check out these magnificent drone views of Armenia, compliments of new AirVuz contributor Supasanya.  The first stop is the 13th century Saghmosavank monastery, which overlooks a gorge of the Kasagh River in the Aragatsotn Province.  At around the :33 mark, there's a great shot of the Noravank Monastery in the Vayots Dzor Province.  At the :55 mark, you'll see the Garni Temple, which dates to the first century AD.  Other highlights include the Sevanavank Monastery on Lake Sevan (1:13) and more.  

Multiple Drone Video of the Week Winner msember brings us this fantastic travel video from the Exhuma Islands in the Bahamas.  The Exhuma's (also known as the Exhuma Cays) consist of over 350 islands near the middle of the Bahamas Archipelago, many of them uninhabited.  The video, which was shot with a combination of drone, ground camera, and underwater footage, was mostly filmed around Staniel Cay.  Despite its modest size of only about a half square mi. (around 1.4 square km) is actually one of the larger Exhuma's.  

Multiple Drone Video of the Week/Month Winner vitaliy.karpovich brings us this fantastic drone video of Grodno, Belarus.  Situated on the Neman River, Grodno is one of the main cities of western Belarus.  Nearly 1,000 years old, at various times Grodno was part of the Polish Lithuanian Kingdom, the Russian Empire, Poland, and the Soviet Union.   Video highlights include the New Grodno Castle (at about the :18 mark), the Bernardine Monastery (:45), and the Baroque classic St. Francis Xavier Cathedral (1:05).

Experience the sights and sounds of Italy in this fantastic drone video by AirVuz contributor and pilot Galliano.  The video opens with some epic footage of Marmore Falls (Cascata delle Marmore) in Umbria, a man-made waterfall created during the period of the Roman Republic.  From there you'll head to the Tuscan capital of Florence, where you'll see some great shots of the Ponte Vecchio bridge, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and more.  Other highlights include the Tuscan hills, Lake Trasimeno in the province of Perugia, and more.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

This adrenaline-pumping first-person view (FPV) action reel by top AirVuz content creator ShaggyFPV features some of the best dynamic/chase FPV footage we've ever seen, and that's saying a lot.  The extremely talented Dutch pilot manages to pack something for everyone in less than 150 seconds.  You'll chase rollercoasters, radio-controlled turbine jets, snowboarders, and more, before you even get to the half-minute mark!  If it moves fast, you'll find it here.  This video was picked as the DVOM for August, 2021 and was a DVOY finalist.  

For a first upload to AirVuz, brand-new contributor guido_dronelab.es brings us this stunning drone video from Antarctica.  The content creator is the Head Manager of Dronelab, an aerial photography specialist in Barcelona, Spain whose client list includes the likes of AirVuz, BBC, Audi, and other prestigious names.  The video, which was filmed in connection with a scientific expedition to the continent, highlights the earth's dependence on Antarctica's most precious resource: roughly three-fourths of the planet's freshwater supply.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

The desert kingdom of Dubai does everything big - among other superlatives, it's home to the world's tallest skyscraper, fastest rollercoaster, and the largest indoor theme park.  In 2021, it secured yet another honor by becoming home to the world's tallest observation wheel: the 820 ft. (250 m) Ain Dubai, which is situated on the artificial Bluewaters Island in the Marina District.  In this amazing video, you'll see the behemoth from the perspective of a first-person view (FPV) racing drone, compliments of FPV pilot 43lensfpv.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

AirVuz contributor Postandfly is one of the top aerial videographers in Mexico.  In this beautiful peace, he uses some of his best drone footage to commemorate Mexico's Independence Day on September 16.  The video opens with some excellent shots of Mexico City, followed by a shot from somewhere along Mexico's vast coastlines.  Other highlights include interior mountains, the Angel of Independence Statue in Mexico City, the ruins of Teotihuacan, the waterfall of Tamul, smoking volcanoes, the Sea of Cortez, and more.  

Check out this fantastic first person view (FPV) drone reel by emerging star FPV pilot Patrick Conroy.  In just the first few seconds, you'll skim through a ski resort, follow a herd of wild animals running across the Great Plains, and fly over a hot air balloon.  Other highlights include flying through some tight mountain gaps and some epic dynamic FPV shots involving skiers, motocross riders, paragliders, and horseback riders.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Former DVOW Winner denisbarbas created this stunning drone video memory of a summer trip to Portugal.  The video was shot in the Greater Lisbon (Grande Lisboa) region, which includes the national capital and extends some ways both north and south along the country's coastline.   Opening with some epic shots of the Portuguese Riviera, the video will then take you over the 25 de Abril Bridge, which spans the Tagus River in Lisbon.  Another highlight is at the 1:06 mark, with a great shot flying over the hilltop São Jorge Castle.  

BashirAbuShakra is one of the top content creators in the AirVuz community, with multiple Drone Video of the Week/Month wins to his name.  In this outstanding piece, you'll explore two relatively unknown areas of Brazil.  The first is the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park in the northeastern state of Maranhão.  The park covers a massive 600 square mi. (around 1.6k square km) and is famous for its sand dunes.  The rest of the footage was from the Amazon Rainforest in the state of Amazonas, where he unfortunately lost his drone.  

Legendary first person view (FPV) pilot and content creator JohnnyFPV takes us to the heart of Spain in this fantastic car chasing FPV piece, which was a collaboration with Mercedes-Benz.  The video was shot in the city of Ciudad Real, which lies in the Castilla–La Mancha region in the south-central part of the country.  The video was shot with a (very heavy) Panasonic gh5s camera mounted to the racing quad. This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021.  

Top AirVuz contributor Jay Christensen blew up the internet with his first person view (FPV) drone view of a bowling alley in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  In this fantastic "cinewhoop" piece, he takes things to a higher level with a piece put together for Media Day for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association.  Piloted by T-Wolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards, the single-shot video takes you through the team's office and ends with a shot of baseball great Alex Rodriguez, who led the purchase of the team in 2021. 

To see how far the art of cinematic first person view (FPV) drone content has evolved, check out this amazing piece by top AirVuz contributor rememorales.  Working with travel company Beautiful Destinations, he used FPV drones to give us a tour of the German amusement park Phantasialand.  Opened in 1967, the park is located in the town of Brühl in the western state of North Rhine Westphalia.  This video was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch and was also selected as the Winner of the Drone Video of the Week contest in November, 2021.  

Check out this fantastic video from Hong Kong, compliments of top AirVuz contributor and drone pilot jsrpixel.  The video opens with some shots of Victoria Harbor and the facilities of the Port of Hong Kong, one of the world's busiest.  Then you'll soar over and past some of the city's skyscrapers, both on the island of Hong Kong as well as in Kowloon on the mainland.  The video, which was created using a combination of drone and ground camera footage, was a Drone Video of the Week Winner in November of 2021.

To appreciate how much the art of cinematic first person view (FPV) drone videos has evolved, look no further than this incredible piece by legendary FPV pilot johnnyfpv.  The video features footage that this talented content creator shot for the action movie Red Notice, which was released on Netflix in November of 2021.  Written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, the movie was believed to have carried a production budget of $200 million.  It was once of the first films to feature extensive FPV footage.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Prepare to be blown away by this amazing first person view (FPV) showreel by top AirVuz contributor AL FPV.  The video opens with a highly cinematic tree proximity shot, followed by a "cinewhoop" style fly-through.  At around the :17 mark, you'll chase a horse-drawn chariot, followed by more chase scenes involving a BMX biker, a hunter, and a car whipping around a track.  Other shots will take you over an elegant French chateau, inside a factory, and more.  This video was a DVOW Finalist and also made the FPV Pilots to Watch list.  

Top AirVuz contributor and pilot Alessio Tricarico won the Drone Video of the Week contest in early December, 2021 with this fantastic two year reel of drone footage from Italy.  The video features the following locations, in order of appearance: the alpine Lake Braies (Pragser Wildsee) in the province of South Tyrol; Trevi Fountain in Rome; the great fortress of Rocca Calascio in the Appenine Mountains in Abruzzo; the Colosseum of Rome; the Appenine massifs of Gran Sasso and Mt. Terminillo; the Dolomite Mountains; and Campo Imperatore.