Somewhere Blue Drones Fly

May 2022: Having just moved the last of my mother's things to her new digs at a retirement community, this video commemorates the very last time I visited my childhood home-- a property where she lived for 40 years.

This piece was also a heavy application of Skydio's "KeyFrame" skill, spread over a very long distance. As the leaves had not yet emerged, the flight was treacherous for the Skydio, requiring me to sprint immediately behind it to supervise the automated flight, trying not to twist my ankles or slip on the wet rocks of the streambed, so it was treacherous for ME too! 5.5 battery packs over about 3.5 hours; the most EXHAUSTING video I've ever made.

Another fun fact: my Skydio hit a teeny branch at the end of the opening cut. Thankfully there was no damage... except for a crack across the ND Filter I was using. I was HORRIFIED to have noticed it AFTER I finished all my shooting & feared most of my footage had been ruined. Instead, as the sunlight glinted off the crack in the lens, it produced an ethereal flare that complimented the "in remembrance" mood I was shooting for. A happy accident!

Incidentally, too, I heavily edited the music track to extend the length to fit the video. The instrument & vocal accompaniment is original-- the song was never actually performed live, in concert... that I know of.