The Drone Dish: Jurgis Kreilis

For the first time in Drone Dish history, Tyler talks with an AirVūz contributor from Latvia: Jurgis Kreilisof Film Day. Jurgis' work is almost 100% comprised of drone footage, and uses his drone to take his creations to new heights. Jurgis' films specialize in showcasing beautiful landscapes along side carefully selective music. The combination of the two result in spectacular films that will wisk you away to new locations. 

You won't want to miss this episode of The Drone Dish!

To see more of Jurgis' work, CLICK HERE!

And to watch more interviews with drone pilots from around the world, click HERE!

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Tyler Mason: For the first time on The Drone Dish, we go to Latvia, where we're joined by Jurgis Kreilis. Jurgis, thanks for coming on the show.

Jurgis Kreilis: Yeah, thanks. Great to be here. Thanks for inviting me.

Tyler Mason: I've been following your work for a while. You upload under the company Film Day. Tell me a little bit about what Film Day is and how you use drones in your work.

Jurgis Kreilis: Yeah. Actually, videography has been my passion for some time now. More precisely, probably five or six years I have been engaged in this, more excited as a hobby for family and friends. Three years ago, I established Film Day. It was the aim and dream, actually, to build something and to create videos which would tell a story.

Tyler Mason: How does using a drone change the way you, as a filmmaker, see the world and how you use that as a tool?

Jurgis Kreilis: I use it in two ways. I use it for 100 percent drone videos. I find a place, or I go to the place, or I have a story in my head, and I want to film it 100 percent with the drone, and that's what I do. I test them and learn, and then aim for the perfect shot, or the other thing, I use it just as a part of my storytelling, as a way to express, as a way to use it as a tool. So these are two parts I use it, but I use it quite extensively. I think in total I have flown already 80 hours with the drone. So that's quite a lot.

Tyler Mason: What drone are you currently flying?

Jurgis Kreilis: Well, actually, today I don't have a drone. I sold it last Thursday. I was flying Phantom Four for roughly two years, but last Thursday when I saw a new digital announcement, I decided to sell it, so I sold it, and actually, I ordered a Mavic 2 Pro, so I'm going to aim for that. I'll see what it gets me.

Tyler Mason: One of the videos that you've made that kind of got a lot of attention was called Moody Winter. It showcased your native Latvia in the winter time. Tell me a little bit about the process and the idea behind making that video.

Jurgis Kreilis: I think it was beginning of 2017, so January, when I decided to film a video about the winter, mainly because that year we had a nice winter season, but we didn't have much sun. So actually, it was moody since the beginning. It made it super exciting and super well and super amazing conditions for the filming and to get the nice shot. That's how I extended it up to week. I got a lot of footage in the end. It took some time to edit and pick the best shots and to actually compose with the music, but that's what I got. There was no plan to do a video for a film festival or anything, but that's what it brought me, and I'm happy for that.

Tyler Mason: It turned out great, and I live in a cold weather climate as well, so I kind of tried to get some tips from you on that video. Speaking of cold weather places, you recently uploaded the videoed air views of Iceland. It's a pretty popular destination for drone pilots these days. What advice would you give to someone who wants to go there and bring their drone with them?

Jurgis Kreilis: I planned the trip for a long time and it finally went there. I went for ten days. I think the few tips I can give people, first of all, most importantly, we need to comply with the rules. I think Iceland is very welcoming for the drone pilots, but they still have rules. I think the second one is if you can wake up early or stay up late. That way you can avoid the people because you can't believe how many tourists are in Iceland. Maybe the third one is to stay away from main routes. Go explore the secondary ones. Iceland has so much to offer that you can actually stay away from the touristic places and shoot something else. The last one and this is actually the one time when my Phantom failed, if you can, have a backup plan because actually on the fourth day of my flight, my Phantom gave a sensor error. So actually, for six days I was without drone, but hey, I enjoyed it otherwise.

Tyler Mason: Yeah, well the footage you did get before that was great. So yeah, some great tips there. My last question for you, I wanted to ask about your country of Latvia. I know you live just outside of Riga. What's that country of Latvia like for a drone pilot to fly there?

Jurgis Kreilis: It's amazing, actually. Especially if you love nature and landscape, it's an amazing place. We have four seasons. So we can experience from spring to winter, through autumn and summer. 50 percent is covered with forest. Another amazing feature, I think we have like 12,000 rivers and 2,000 lakes. So there's plenty of mature space to explore, and also to find a place for your best shot. So we do also usually have regulations, which apply to the cities and restricted areas and so on. But overall, the density of the population, we have only two million, and we have roughly 30 people on one square kilometer. So there's plenty of space to fly.

Tyler Mason: Well, Jurgis, I appreciate you joining us. I liked learning a little bit more about your process behind your videos. Keep up the great work, and thanks again for coming on The Drone Dish.

Jurgis Kreilis: Yeah, thanks, and I appreciate how you can keep up with all the things we post on AirVuz.

Tyler Mason: Absolutely, thanks again.

Jurgis Kreilis: Thanks. Thanks for your time.