Logo de fin-V2O

Production of a film for V2O Marine, using drone and ground images, in Marseille bay

For Drone-Pictures, 2023 is clearly going to be the year of maritime pollution clean-up on board ships.
See our previous video production for FOST, a TotalEnergies subsidiary based in Vitrolles.

But lets talk now about V2O Marine, a young Marseille-based start-up, who assigned us to make a film about its innovation, a marine pollution control system called MPS11 (Marine Pollution Solution 11), which you can see in this aerial photo taken by drone and in our edited video : the system is towed by one or two boats. It collects all kinds of pollutants floating on the surface of the sea, making it easier to recover them aboard specialised clean-up vessels.

 

The MPS11 is 11 metres wide, and is in a sense a large floating funnel made up of sails. The waste it can recover includes plastic, hydrocarbons and even toxic algae. To find out more, see the V20 Marine website or these articles on Made In Marseille and Ouest-France, which used our images for illustration.

 

V20-Film presenting V2O Marine’s MPS11 marine pollution response system, produced by Drone-Pictures – June 2023

 

 

 

 

It all began in September 2021 when Rémi Allain, the CEO, contacted us to tell us about his invention and the need to make a drone film with interviews, showing the implementation of the det tool for collecting waste at sea. The environmental theme appealed to us straight away and the Drone-Pictures team quickly felt totally in tune with the ecological approach of the project and its inventor, who is also a naval engineer by training.

 

 

 

Just enough time to find the funding and launch the manufacture of a first prototype, and in January 2023 we’re off on board a boat belonging to the Marseille Port Authority’s boatmen, the GPMM, for the sea trials phase – an important moment of truth that we didn’t want to miss.

 

 

 

Rémi Allain and his partner, Laurent Atchekguezian, are feverish and attentive to the smallest details. In just a few minutes, the system will be deployed at the stern of the boat that will tow it. At that point, we’ll have to see if the computer projections are also true at sea! Our cameras and our Mavic 3 drone are there to capture the images of this important day for the young company.

 

 

 

The sea is slightly rough. A small swell of 50/70 cms caressed the edges of the MPS11 system.
As the boat moved along, the system finally settled into place, but not without a few minor adjustments and fine-tuning. The drone and onboard camera film everything. The V2O Marine team will use the footage to analyse the images and the behaviour of the system during the various phases, as well as launching a communication campaign aimed at the press, which will be very well received by F3, La Provence and various specialist newspapers and blogs. That’s what images are for: to get people talking!

 

 

A few months later, at the start of the Marseilles summer, we found ourselves on the quays of the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille, ready to film the sea demonstration of the fin prés system.

This time it will be towed, in turn, by one, then by two boats, in order to test the operation of an MPS11 in a river (the 2 boats will have to be replaced by banks).
Indeed, V2O Marine’s MPS11 can collect and channel all types of waste present on the surface of the water, making them much easier to collect by a dedicated clean-up boat.

 

 

Our aerial drone footage and interviews with the two directors on board and alongside the quayside enabled us to produce a video presenting this innovation in English with French subtitles. Rémi chose English because with this film he wanted to reach the market outside France.

Equipment used during this shooting:

Drone Mavic 3

Gopro11 au sol

Caméras Sony FX3 & A7IV (sol et interviews)

Caméra VR360 One RS 1inch Edition Insta360

 
In addition to the film that Drone-Pictures produced, here is a news report that the local french TV France 3 devoted to V2O Marine, using our drone and ground images shot in January 2023.

 

 

We’re particularly proud to have taken part in this fine eco-responsible project, which should go a long way towards cleaning up the world’s seas. At least that’s our hope, and that’s what we wish for Rémi and Laurent’s company, whom we thank once again for their confidence!

 
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Mavic 3 about to take-of from the second boat, Marseille bay – © Drone-Pictures

Aerial view of the MPS11 at sea with a boat during the testings, Côte Bleue, January 2023 – © Drone-Pictures

 

15-Hélicoptère en vol de retour en Drop-Zone - Drone-Pictures Marseille

Video by drone and ground filming around the heli-lifting of pylons in the mountains for INEO/EQUANS

It is not every day that we have the opportunity to film a helicopter in flight in the mountains, with our on-board cameras and our drones!We will therefore relate the particularities and constraints, as well as the solutions adopted to capture images as close as possible to the action, without however interfering with the helicopter pilot and the heli-lifting of electrical pylons, within the framework of a report commissioned by our client. 

 When Stéphane Hulin, director of the Aude/Pyrénées-Orientales branch of INEO/Equans, contacted Drone-Pictures, his idea was to have us make a film about an atypical operation that ENEDIS had commissioned: changing three kilometres of power lines in a mountainous area, located an hour from Perpignan, the branch’s headquarters.His first motivation is to make the job of a network fitter known. Of course, he is perfectly aware of the spectacular nature of the means used, such as the spider shovel and the helicopter. The magnificent setting of the Saint-Marsal valley, in the heart of the Pyrenean mountains, as well as the intrinsic subject of the film to be produced, requires the use of drones, ground and on-board cameras. Mr. Hulin, having seen our references and productions, immediately felt in phase and confident with our approach, our means and our enthusiasm to participate in this challenge. 
Drone view of the Pelle-Arraignee digging a hole at the foot of an old pylon – Drone Pictures Marseille
 The first day of filming is scheduled for March 2023, where the spider shovel is working to dislodge the old wooden pylons. The spider shovel, because as you can see in the film, the slope is steep, and only a machine designed to be able to grip the sloping and sometimes slippery ground can be used for this kind of work. This first phase also allows us to understand this forest valley in a mountainous area and its relative inaccessibility by road. It was at this point that we discussed possible solutions so as not to miss any of the phases of the heli-lift scheduled for April. 
Drone view of an INÉO team preparing the hole for the new pylon that will replace the wooden pole, Pyrénées-Orientales – Drone-Pictures Marseille
  Back from Perpignan, following the first shooting, the editing of phase 1 seduced our client. Just like him, we can’t wait to get the more original images of phase 2, which is helicoptered!So, at the very beginning of April 2023, in the heart of a nature that spring has just awakened, we are at the foot of the helicopter to consider with the pilot and his assistant on the ground, the possibilities of fixing our GoPro onboard cameras. One outside on the undercarriage (double secured), the other inside in the centre of the cockpit, just behind the front seats. Our cameraman will also be able to board the first reconnaissance flight with a 360° boom camera and hold it outside for a few minutes while flying over the power line. He will also film some close-ups of the pilot, with our Sony A7 camera.   Back on the ground, and start of the heli-lift operations.  These will take place over 2 short hours. No time to lose. The following sequence will be repeated about twenty times throughout the morning:Take-off of the helicopter Attachment of the new metal pylon Take off to the implementation area Drop, retrieve and anchor the pylon in the foundations prepared for this purpose by the network installers Hanging up the old wooden tower for removal down the valley Drop zone of the wooden pylon 
Interior of the helicopter during the first reconnaissance flight
 After two flights with our Inspire 2 drone for a first collection of aerial images, we each took a camera to complete them with ground and low angle views. 
Helicopter hovering during the hanging of a pylon, village of Saintt-Marsal – Drone-Pictures Marseille
 Then it’s time to follow a team of Network Installers and film their actions as the helicopter drops the new pylons and picks up the old ones. This part will be shot simultaneously by a drone and a ground camera, the FX3, with our cameraman on site with the INEO team, the remote pilot of the drone a little further away. 
Helicopter in flight with a metal pylon – Drone-Pictures Marseille
 Once the new pylon is securely in place and the old one has been taken up into the air, the technicians are left with the task of repositioning the electric cables on the new supports. This is a high-flying job requiring them to climb and work suspended in the void some ten metres above the ground. A risky and very physical job. 
Drone view of an INEO team working on the new electricity pylons removed by helicopter, Pyrénées-Orientales
 It is these skills, difficulties and technical mastery that the film we produced and directed for INEO/EQUANS aims to show and hear through interviews with the agency director and Anaïs Ranely, the business manager in charge of this highly structural and exhilarating mission!Mission accomplished, judging by the reactions of our client, whom we thank warmly. This new filming experience allowed us to discover new trades, a new region that we know little about, and a whole team of professionals invested in and motivated by their little-known trades.  

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Installation of metallic pylons on the Drop-Zone, St-Marsal in the Pyrénées-Orientales – Drone-Pictures Marseille
 
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Ferrari at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Castellet, filmed by Drone Pictures

Our drone and ground shootings at the Circuit Paul Ricard, for Ferrari!

 

Drone-Pictures and the Paul Ricard circuit: a story that rolls on, since 2016

We are not going to list exhaustively all our aerial services by drone at the circuit of Castellet, in the Var, but simply remember that everything started one day of March 2016 for the WEC prologue, the World Endurance Championship, which we reported on this article of the Blog and which gave us the desire to equip ourselves, to train and thus to take sensational images, on this circuit as on so many others, for Ferrari, BMW, GT Drive, Venturi, Mazda, ZF Group and many television or production companies, for which we have captured videos by drone of motor vehicles, on circuit, road and roads!

 

 

 

General aerial view of the Circuit Paul Ricard du Castellet © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

Second Ferrari mission in September 2022, and a compilation of the best moments!

Second Ferrari mission in September 2022, and a compilation of the best passages!

In 2020, we had already covered the two days of the F1 Clienti and Ferrari XX programs at the Circuit Paul Ricard.

In 2022, we did it again: same client, same pilot and cameraman, same Inspire 2 drone, but with the Zenmuse X7 this time and a Sony FX3 ground camera with a powerful 150-600mm telephoto lens, and of course, the same place, the mythical Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, and probably, more or less, the same clients who own these dream machines!

What has changed in 2022 is first of all the sanitary conditions: more Covid19 in circulation and therefore more relaxed people.

The weather too: we had some wind, but above all very nice lights as you can see on our video and the pictures in this article.

It counts a lot to make the colors pop and to bring out the cars launched at 200 kilometers per hour on the pavement. Some new cars in 2022, to discover in pictures!

Finally, we also had a small FPV drone, the DJI Avata, which allowed us to make some immersive shots that we put in the compilation without excess. Indeed, we consider the FPV drone as a complement and not as an end in itself. A matter of taste, of course.

 

🎬  Video : Inspire 3 At Work Mars 2026 – 5th drone filming forFerrari at Paul Ricard Circuit 🏎️

 

What makes drone photography very special at the Castellet circuit?

The very big specificity of this car circuit is the presence of a rather active airport!

So, in practice, apart from the agreement with the airport, it is necessary to inform the control tower – which is located at 500m from the track of the circuit – each takeoff and landing of the drone. Wait for their agreement for any launch of the aircraft and stay tuned to the VHF radio during the flight, because the Tower can ask the remote pilot of the drone to put down his machine while the air traffic is going on without incidents. A traffic essentially of private jets and other helicopters serving the Var coast.

And above all, once in flight, we have to follow the rhythm of these Ferraris which pass very quickly.

We have just a few seconds per car to hope to make a clean image, that is to say well framed, preferably not too wide, which requires the use of 90mm for some shots! And then the fun begins, for the driver as well as for the cameraman. This is why it is imperative to be a pair of experienced and seasoned cameramen for this kind of exercise.

Not only do you have to be in sync with the F1 car, but you have to follow it for 5 to 10 seconds at very high speed. This requires a great sense of anticipation, because it must launch the Inspire 2 drone at full speed (ie 70kms / h) well before it enters the field of the lens. Then, it is necessary that the cameraman and the pilot is well aware of the type of shot to get or improvise according to the hazards of the flight and the race that takes place!

Communicating in a sound environment of a car circuit is anything but simple, especially when we combine the tension that represents this kind of mission where we have few opportunities to achieve the useful and beautiful image, and we really do not have the right to crash, even though the speed is great and the obstacles numerous!

 

Drone pilot nearby the Inspire 2 – Circuit Paul Ricard du Castellet, France © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

You will have understood, adrenaline, a great Kif, a lot of noise, but a huge pressure to manage to bring back a few seconds of bluffing aerial images that will immediately seduce the editor who has seen many others!

All in all, we always regret the shot imagined before the takeoff but almost impossible to do for all the reasons above. Nevertheless, there are some exciting sequences to realize and quite spectacular when they are well edited, right?

We put you the link to our Motorsport page and the few other references we have to our credit.

 

Drone team preparing a takeoff at the Paul Ricard circuit in Castellet © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

Images of the shooting

Here are few images extracted from these exhilarating and adrenaline-filled shootings!

 

Ground cameraman with the Sony FX3 + 150-600mm – Circuit Paul Ricard du Castellet, France © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

The remote controls of the Inspire 2 drone between 2 flights on the track – Circuit Paul Ricard du Castellet © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

 

Drone Team and Inspire 2 before the photo with customers – Circuit Paul Ricard du Castellet © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

Drone Avata + Pilot at au Circuit Paul Ricard du Castellet, France © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

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Showreel 2022 Drone Pictures

An Exceptional Year : 2022 with Aerial Images by Drone Pictures !

Drone-Pictures presents its 2022 summary in aerial images

 

No need to hide it: 2022 was our best year since 2011, both in terms of quantity of films produced and drone / ground shooting services, as well as in the variety of projects, always exciting.

The only ones responsible are our clients, old or new!

We would like to thank them with this Showreel 2022 which presents a small part of the images that our teams of drone pilots and cameramen have had the pleasure, and often the privilege, to shoot in grandiose, prestigious and/or inaccessible places.

But before going through the details of the main shootings selected in our 2022 showreel, what better way than to press Play and let us embark on a flight over our magnificent Provence Region: from Menton to Marseile, from the Camargue to Nice, from Castellet to Vaison-La-Romaine, from Cotignac to Miramas, and more!

 

2023 is our 12th year of activity in the production of aerial images by drone, always from Marseille, always with a huge enthusiasm, the same creativity, and great talents from our region!

  

Let’s have a look at the places and clients we worked for in 2022

 The year starts off very fast and very strong with this drone & ground report made for CMA-CGM and TotalEnergies at Eurofos shot in January at the GPMM – Fos-sur-Mer (13)  February 2022, we are shooting a film for SNCF-Réseau on the development of ponds west of Etang-de-Berre in the Bouches-du-Rhône, along the Côte Bleue, between Martigues and Fos-sur-Mer. At the beginning of March, we are in Nice for the English clothing brand REISS who wants drone images of the models and the surroundings of Nice to illustrate its communication.  At the end of March 2022, we fly by drone Mavic 3 Ciné several sites in the south of France for a Renault ad produced by the agency Prodigious. Here Menton in the Alpes-maritimes April 2022, back on the French Riviera at Heineken / France Boissons, Agence Nouveau Pari, for whom we shoot the images of the site of Saint-Laurent du Var (06)  Mid-April, we are again on the site of ITER in Saint-Paul-Lez-Durance for drone flights in photo and video. A video will come out of these shootings, as well as a second visit in 360° photography. Then, still in the spring of 2022, we fly by drone over the new refueling station built by TotalEnergies at the airport of Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme. In the photo, Belgian army helicopters are being refueled by truck. In the middle of May, the roses are ready to be picked at Chanel, for the UK Perfectmotion Agency. Drone flights over the rose fields, just before the big harvest – in Pégomas (06)  At the beginning of June, we were back on board the sailboat Don du Vent for the company BEI, which came in force to Marseille for a Team Building weekend  At the end of June 2022, for the LION’s, we are in Cannes for Cheerful Twentyfirst (UK) At the beginning of July, the shootings at sea are just beginning! We shot in video and took pictures of the whole fleet of EDEN-BOAT in La Ciotat (13) July, one of the busiest months of the year, will lead us again to the GPMM of Marseille, Cruise Terminal, to film the arrival of the liner, the Regal Princess, for a U.S. program broadcast on NBC. Other shootings with the Inspire 2 drone will be necessary for this faithful customer, in Marseille (Notre-Dame de la Garde) and in Provence (lavender fields), as well as in Cotignac for a documentary on the Virgin produced by Adamis. New shooting and new video for the Artlab gallery which receives a new artist at the castle of Charleval (13) August 15, 2022 : filming in Vaison-la-Romaine (Vaucluse) for Leopard USA, which produces a travel show shot in Provence At the end of August, we made a film for Quiet-Oceans on the occasion of the installation of the SMARTPAM buoy off the coast of Fos-sur-mer, measuring underwater sounds. September, drone and ground shooting at the Eden-ROC of Antibes for the Brazilian television of a subject on the work of the architect Patricia Anastassiadis September and October 2022 : big series of shooting in Cassis and in the Var, for an English reality show broadcasted in 2023 on Channel 4 Mid-October, Palais du Pharo, production of a video with drone & ground images shot during the TOP-TRANSPORT exhibition in Marseille Shooting for the news on TF1 french national TV, for a report about the logistics platform of Miramas (13) October 2022, we shoot with Mavic 3 Cine, in ProRes Dlog 5K, on multiple sites in Camargue, Arles, Aigues-Mortes, for a documentary film produced by Blue Carbon Film, based in the UK October was certainly the most active and productive month of the year, with this shooting for B.A.F on the solar panel station built by TotalEnergies in Fos-sur-Mer. November 2022: usually quiet, the month will be rather dense. We will shoot for Sipartech the arrival of a submarine cable in Marseille, then in Barcelona. November 2022: return to the Grand Port Maritime of Marseille for an English production for NATGEO, as part of the 5th season of the series broadcast in 2023. The sign MARSEILLE seen by drone with a 160mm zoom, from the GPMM during a shooting for the HOsiHO agency,  The statue of the Lady with the Child enthroned at the top of the bell tower of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde in Marseille, seen by drone with a 160mm zoom, with the Orange Velodrome stadium and the city in the early morning. Images extracted from a shooting for the HOsiHO agency which represents all our aerial photos and videos said to be in Stock. Do not hesitate to consult this background of original and often exceptional drone images.  

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Cassis Vue générale© Drone-Pictures Marseille

FRED’S LAST RESORT – Our drone shootings for Betty TV, London

FRED’S LAST RESORT – Drone shootings for Betty TV around Cassis

Port of Cassis seen in the early evening, Bouches-du-Rhône © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

Here is the report and pictures of the drone shootings for the English TV show FRED’S LAST RESORT, produced by Betty TV and broadcasted on Channel 4 in March 2023.

This is a programme where Fred Sirieix returns to his roots to help recruit young people at a crossroads in their lives and train them to work in a French luxury hotel. (read this article for more info)

 

Visual announcing Fred’s Last Resort

 

As far as we are concerned, Drone-Pictures was asked by the audiovisual production company Betty TV to capture with the Mavic 3 all kinds of aerial images around the beautiful village of Cassis, starting with the village itself, the bay, the Cap Canaille and its cliffs, and especially the hotel where the series was shot, namely Les Roches Blanches! Day and night, without forgetting the incredible sunsets in October on the bay of Cassis and the Cap Canaille just opposite.

We also filmed a dance party where the candidates were having fun with each other. Then came the vineyards of the Var region, with the bus on the roads of the Provençal countryside, and above all the boat trip from the Vieux-Port of Marseille, aboard the famous sailing boat Le Don du Vent.

There was also another boat trip in the bay of Cassis, a bay that very quickly touches the heart of the Calanques National Park, which is forbidden to any drone or aircraft overflight. For this reason, we informed the director and the producer very early on of the limits of the yacht’s evolution in this bay (see map below of the PNC). A constraint accepted and respected by all those involved.

 

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Images of the shooting

Below, some images extracted from these shootings in Provence between the Mediterranean Sea and the hills of the Var!

Boundary map of the Calanque National Park in Cassis Bay

 

 

Villa Louisiane and the surrounding pine forest, Var © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

 

Vineyards of Cassis, Bouches-du-Rhône © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

 

Drone Mavic 3 Cine in flight in front of Cap Canaille – Cassis © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

 

Mavic 3 Cine Drone before take off, by the pool of the Roches Blanches hotel, Cassis © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

 

Hotel Les Roches Blanches, seen by drone © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

 

Sailboat Le Don du Vent on the Frioul islands in Marseille © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

 

Aerial view by drone of Cassis and its beach, by day, with the hills © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

 

Drone view of Cap Canaille cliffs from Cassis © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

 

Fred’s Last resort candidates at Chateau de la Gordonne, Var © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

 

Cassis Bay, another boat ride for the candidates of the show © Drone-Pictures Marseille

 

 

 

 

Aerial view by drone of the cable ship Teiliri, during the deployment of the Medloop submarine cable in Marseille, France

Arrival of a submarine cable in Marseille and Barcelona, filmed by Drone Pictures

Another drone and ground filming, at sea, in Marseille and Barcelona!

Arrival of the submarine cable layer ship Teliri at sea in Marseille, seen by drone

About this submarine cable?

This purpose of this submarine cable is to link Genoa (Italy), Marseille, Ajaccio (France) and Barcelona (Spain).
This cable will be ready for operation in 2023.
To deploy it at sea and bring it to shore, a cable layer ship is required.

 

Drone-Pictures mission during the deployment of the submarine cable

To cover these large-scale events, Drone-Pictures was contacted in October with the mission to film the operations on board the Italian cable ship Teiliri, as well as on the landing beaches of the cable.
The filming started at sea, in Marseille, near the Prado beaches, and then 10 days later, in Barcelona where the cable was laid in front of another beach to connect the data centers of the two Mediterranean cities.
To ensure these services, our team used the Mavic 3 drone, 4 cameras, 4 Prime lenses, as well as a multitude of accessories essential to this kind of shooting:

– Main cameras: Sony FX3 and our new Sony A7 IV, on the ground and indoors, as well as for interviews.
– Lenses ranging from 14mm to 150-600mm telephoto lenses
– Gopro 9 : for timelapse
– Insta360 RS 1 inch 360 Edition : for unfeasible shots with a drone and/or new or inaccessible angles.
– Ronin S2 3-axis stabilizer, handheld gimbal

Sony FX3 cameraman onboard of the Teiliri- Barcelona, Spain

Sony A7 IV cameraman holding the Ronin S2 handheld gimbal onboard of the Teiliri- Barcelona, Spain

Marseilles : the first digital hub in the Mediterranean!

A digital hub is like a rail or motorway hub: it ensures the transition and dispatch of data to its destination.
According to the Port of Marseille website, 99% of the world’s data traffic (internet and telephony) is carried by submarine cables. Cable laying is constantly increasing in response to the growing demand for telecommunications. Marseille is already the world’s ninth largest digital hub and is poised to move into the top five.”

 

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Images of the shooting

Below, some images extracted from this atypical shooting which allowed our team to show its ability to adapt to difficult and new situations, as well as to be motivated, involved, by proposing technical and creative solutions to satisfy the customers.
The editing of a video is underway and will be relayed as soon as available.

Interior of the Cable Ship Teiliri, during the deployment of the submarine cable

 

Diver retrieving the buoys floating the cable during its deployment, Marseille, France

 

Aerial view by drone during the deployment of the submarine cable in Marseille, France

 

Aerial view by drone of the cable ship Teliri, during the deployment of the submarine cable in Marseille, France

 

Monument Christopher Colon – Barcelona Spain

 

Cable ship Teiliri leaving the port of Barcelona at night – Barcelona Spain

 

VR360 Sphere Cable Ship Teliri at sea – Barcelona Spain

 

Cable ship Teiliri deploying the submarine cable on the beach – Barcelona, Spain

 

 

5-DDV au Frioul

Le Don du Vent: we did it again for BEI!

The sailboat Don du Vent leaving the Old Port of Marseille, France

 

 

Do you remember our 10th anniversary? We celebrated them on this magnificent old boat with an evocative name?

It is by watching our video relating this anniversary, that the company BEI wanted to entrust us with this realization.

So, the first weekend of June, we were with the BEI team in Marseille for a trip on the famous sailboat Le Don du Vent and in our beautiful city of Marseille, on the side of the Corniche and especially the Vallon des Auffes.

 

 

A part of the BEI Team the day before, in Vallon des Auffes, Marseille, France – © photo Drone-Pictures

 

 

Laurent, BEI’s boss, wanted us to immortalize the sea trip that started in the Old Port, on the pontoon opposite the central town hall. The 25 passengers were right on time for the boarding, by a rather uncertain and foggy weather. Moreover, Notre-Dame de la Garde was at that time bathed in clouds and therefore invisible!

The route of the day is decided only on the D-day because at sea, everything depends on the weather, and this Sunday, it is not favorable to sailing because of the total absence of wind, which is quite rare in Marseille!

 

 

Preparation of the cameras before boarding the Don du Vent , Marseille, France – © photo Drone-Pictures

 

So, instead of heading for the calanques, the captain motorized towards the Château d’If and the Frioul Islands.  The anchor was dropped in a well-sheltered cove, close to the aquaculture farm. The time to picnic, to dive in a very warm sea (finally 20°c!), to play soft petanque, to dance, to chat, etc…, it was already time to go back to the city center.

 

Aerial view by drone of the Frioul islands, Marseille, France, © photo Drone-Pictures

 

With our FX3 camera, plus a small Insta360 camera and of course a drone, the Mavic 3, we followed this nice team for this memorable day in Marseille.

For the drone shooting, we had a separate boat from where we could take-off and land without having to bother the captain and the guests !

 

The Don du Vent and the bathers, Iles du Frioul, Marseille, France – © photo Drone-Pictures

 

The video is being edited and will be released shortly.

 

 

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Le drone Mavic 3 sur notre bateau suiveur et le Don du Vent – Iles du Frioul, Marseille, France – © photo Drone-Pictures

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Visit ITER site in VR360 Virtual Visit and drone video – Produced in April 2022 by Drone-Pictures

After the virtual visit of September 2021, ITER entrusted us again with the shooting of photos in VR360 as well as the complete realization of a global virtual visit of the gigantic site of Cadarache, as well on the ground, in the air, as inside.

Note that the views from the top of the Tokamak Pit (the Holy Graal!) are a world first!

Another novelty, this time we flew over ITER with our drones, not only to capture spherical panoramas in 360 for this visit, but also for the production of an aerial video published on the ITER networks and designed by Drone-Pictures.

 

 

All the 360 panoramas have been realized, for the ground & indoors part with our Insta360 Pro 2 8K camera, and for the aerial part, with our Mavic 3 drones.

 

Images from this shooting

 

 

 

 

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Daniel Rocher entrusts Drone-Pictures with the production of images of the artworks from the collection presented at Chateau Charleval

 
 

We are going to tell you the story of a Rencontre.
A wonderful story. A rare and human experience with the purpose of Art and Creativity!

August 2021, the time of vacations for Sami Sarkis of Drone-Pictures.

Somewhere in France, he receives a call from Daniel Rocher who had just discovered the Marseille-based operator Drone-Pictures via the website of the HOSIHO Drone Network.

The kind of call that leaves its mark, given the atypical nature of the request.

Daniel Rocher, sculptor, sponsor and owner of Château Charleval and the Provence Art Gallery,, was looking to have a series of mini-clips made, each presenting one of the works exhibited at the Château.

 
 
 
 
 
 

One film per artist. 28 artists, so 28 clips of about 30 seconds. Daniel wanted a drone point of view.

It must be said that after seeing the place, and especially the artworks exposed, we understood why!

Everything followed very quickly. At the end of August, we went to see the location and had our first meeting with the “man with the hat” as Daniel likes to call himself.

Visit of the exterior of the castle and explanation of each of the monumental works present. Then it’s the turn of the interiors and the private galleries distributed in the 22 rooms on 3 floors.
In each room, a single artist exhibits several works: paintings, sculptures, photos.

 

This visit, commented with passion and humor by the master of the place, will allow Sami Sarkis to totally impregnate himself with the magic of the site, the artworks, the history of the artists, as well as the personality of Daniel.

Obviously, everything here is beautiful, and the decor is certainly cinematographic.
The imagination can run free and that’s exactly what Daniel is waiting for!

Sami, curious by nature, holds back his thousand questions. The man with the hat is endearing, talkative, very friendly, but who is he, in fact? Why this castle? Since when? Why these artists? How does he intend to promote them? What does he expect from these videos?

Daniel knows that he has stimulated the curiosity of his guest, and he will distill his answers during an improvised meal in the kitchen, around a good pizza.
Not only will he reveal himself, but a creative and friendly complicity will germinate.

The artist Daniel Rocher has found the creative image man he was looking for.

Sami Sarkis, for his part, is happy, very happy. He knows that this castle will be his playground for several months.

A ground where he will be able to express his creativity in complete freedom to sublimate and praise the artists whose artwork he will have to film!
Happy but a little worried. Sami knows that the adventure that lies ahead is more of an artistic exploration than a rigorous audiovisual production. His career as a documentary filmmaker and corporate reporter is quite extensive, but he hasn’t done anything like this project.

With Daniel, you have to reinvent yourself. To create about thirty small pieces of films, each one original.
There are no bans, no guidelines. Anything is possible, as long as it hits the mark. That Daniel is satisfied with the result.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
At the beginning of September, first day of shooting in these fabulous gardens which smell so good the best of Humanity, namely Culture, Art, Peace.
The day is sunny. Green is still the dominant color. The colors are alive, and the works inspiring.
Daniel will accompany Sami. Both of them will imagine, artwork after artwork, the shots to be done.
Daniel will be the human element.
The man with the hat will subtly give the scale to each work, as well as the movement and the presence essential to these still lifes.
 
 
 
 
 
 

This first day, which started with a thick fog in the Charleval plain, will allow the two companions to gather images that are both unreal and full of vibrations. Their creativity will be expressed in every second of this unforgettable day, in every shot, in every word exchanged.

Between a creative drone pilot with a flying camera to whom nothing or almost nothing is forbidden, an accomplished artist and a collector who knows this world inside out, extraordinary works of art planted in a magnificent park, it would have been unthinkable not to bring back original and accurate images!

Master words of this collaboration: Improvisation, Exploration, Creativity.

 
 
 

 Short 50 second teaser showing the richness and variety of the gallery’s collection of artworks – produced by Drone-Pictures

It is during these first shootings, and their mutual discussions, that Sami will show Daniel the potential of a 360 video shooting.
The ” Little Planet ” effect will seduce him immediately and it is with parsimony that this technique will be used each time the artwork or the place will impose it.

 
 
 

It is with the InstaPro 2 8K camera that these spherical shots will be taken, on the ground or in the air, with our Matrice M200 drone.

For the interiors, no drone, but the excellent Sony FX3 camera on the Ronin S2 stabilizer, particularly adapted in low light with its full format sensor.

The drones used will be the Inspire 2 for wide shots, and mainly the Mavic 2 pro for slow shots closer to the art works.

The Mavic 3 Ciné will be used in November 2021 for the shooting of the clip around the works of Francis Guerrier, and the night views of Château-Charleval, captured in December during the first Arty Day.

 
 
 
 
 

The films editing will be done one by one. Sami will edit each video himself to keep the spirit of the artwork and the castle.
The music will be a key element of each clip.
Each artist will need his own music.
To choose the music, Sami has only one indication from Daniel: he likes the cello!
For the first montage, the one of the castle’s exteriors, he listens to dozens of pieces based on the cello, and the one he chooses will immediately please Daniel Rocher.

It remains that for the tens of other works, it will be necessary to find musics which stick to the work or to the artist.
Sami Sarkis will make his choices alone, according to either his inspiration or his knowledge of the history of the work and its creator.

Daniel will validate his musical choices and his choices of images and rhythm. With a very few exceptions, each video will be welcomed by Daniel Rocher as a “candy” that he will enjoy, first alone, before rushing to show it to his friends and family: starting with his wife and Simon Rocherieux, who works with him on this extraordinary project, to Patricia, who designs the website for which these creations are intended, and of course to the concerned artists.

Each time, he will tell Sami the few remarks and especially his great jubilation.

Jubilation. This is the word that best suits this wonderful collaboration, exciting from start to finish, with a client who is happy to have found the person who understands him so well.

Thank you Mr. Daniel Rocher. We are looking forward to the next part of this story!


 

 

Drone-Pictures in Marseille

Drone-Pictures is based in Provence, in the center of Marseille, but we work with clients all over France for a high quality drone service. If you want your next audiovisual project to impress, contact us now by phone or via the contact form.

Professional Drone Pilots preparing the Inspire 2, in Provence, France

Seven Benefits Of Drone Footage

Seven Benefits Of Drone Footage

Drone photography is a technique used across many fields of both the arts and sciences where perspective and audience engagement rely on exquisite visual imaging to convey a message. The benefits of drone footage have become so recognized by audiences and producers that it’s almost considered an essential tool for enhancing any audiovisual product. If you want eye-catching appeal combined with crisp and unbounded views that exude a professional quality to your next work, then it might be time to hire a company that has been doing it since the beginning to help take you to that next level.

Drone-Pictures has been helping clients in a wide array of industries from real estate agencies to travel vloggers for over a decade do just that. With the latest technology in drone photography, as well as innovative operational and filming techniques, Drone-Pictures has earned a reputation as a leader in the business, and we think you’ll agree from these 7 drone footage benefits that it’s a must-have tool for you, too.

1. Unique Perspectives

Of all the benefits of drone footage for any project, the one that sticks out the most is the unique perspective it offers the viewer. It was only a relatively short time ago when the majority of filming was limited to terrestrial views delivered by a handheld camera operator. Without access to a large crane, helicopter, (or a hot-air balloon), it was unfeasible for a small-budget production to even consider getting shots from 120 m above a location. Drones today can film up to that height, as well as several vantage points for a bird’s eye view of the world that offers unlimited potential for a filmmaker’s imagination to conceive and achieve.

It’s not only in the arts that this unique perspective is beneficial. Several industries recognize drone footage benefits for helping them to see the bigger picture of things. One area that does so most is construction and land development. Large swaths of inaccessible terrain can be assessed, while timelapse editing shows buildings being brought to life at key stages. Real estate agents, too, can show a truer picture to buyers, giving insights into a property’s value and potential in a visually powerful way that generates more sales.

 

2. Superb Quality Of Footage

Aerial footage immediately draws the eye, but the benefits of drone footage go further. Drone-Pictures has advanced along with technology, and our cameras can shoot now in 6k video format, giving a level of color definition, detail, and dynamic that is of the highest caliber among professional audiovisual production. With the best brushless gimbals and 3-axis stabilization, our drone footage benefits also include remarkably stable cameras that deliver smooth and flawless images while our expert pilots perform complex maneuverings and flight paths. You can tell by viewing some of our work that nothing is compromised in picture quality by the complexity involved in getting it. The benefits of drone footage come with no drawbacks, only superb enhancements.

 

3. Drone Footage Benefits Come On Time, On Budget

A very serious aspect about the benefits of drone footage you should consider is the short amount of time it takes and its affordability. Most of our project packages for just shooting range from one hour to one day, and prices are accommodating to any budget. Drone-Pictures can take care of your production from A to Z, with music syncing and even voice-over work, as well. Our pilots are all certified to fly in urban or rural areas of France, and we carry professional insurance, as well. This all saves you time and money – a huge plus for any business.

 

Drone Inspire 2 flying on the cornice Etérel, French Riviera, FranceDrone Inspire 2 flying on the cornice Etérel, French Riviera, France

 

4. Low Impact Solutions

Another of the often-overlooked benefits of drone footage is the low impact it has on shooting environments. Our drones are of commercial quality. Their small size and relatively quiet operation make them less abrasive to their surroundings, meaning they don’t bother people or the wildlife. If you need a solution for your audiovisual project that causes as least disruption as possible with maximum results, then this is one of the drone footage benefits that may appeal to you the most.

 

5. Engaging Marketing

It’s easy to see that drone footage has made a huge impact on audiovisual production. Personal experience will confirm to you that many of the most popular channels on YouTube, commercials on TV or online, and even high-level films in cinema are all incorporating aerial shots to engage their audiences – and their using drones to achieve it. If you want your business’s marketing campaign to stand out from everyone else, you can do it with services from Drone-Pictures. Viewers are attracted to the sweeping visualizations that are achieved through drone photography, and incorporating it into your videos is guaranteed to instantly become more engaging and a much more enjoyable watching experience.

 

6. Unrivaled Versatility

A drone can go more places than any other camera. Drones fly, they hover, they rise, they fall. At Drone-Pictures we have accomplished many feats that filmmakers have envisioned that couldn’t be achieved with another device. Smooth tracking shots can start on one side of a house, move room to room showcasing a real estate property for sale, and then exit through a window to exhibit its gardens and grounds. The sky is not the limit for a drone!

 

7. Lasting Impressions

Probably the most important of the benefits of drone footage to a filmmaker is the lasting impression it makes on audiences. It’s not usually every scene that does this, but the ones that are the grandest in scale. Drone photography is capable of capturing truly epic visuals that will stay in the minds of viewers. Whether you’re trying to entertain, sell, build, or educate, you will always impress with the high quality that drone photography delivers.

 

Drone-Pictures Marseille

Drone-Pictures is based in Provence, in the centre of Marseille, but we service clients all over France. If you want your next audiovisual project to impress, contact us now by phone or through the contact form.