Video of the Week: Inside the Fireworks

For most of us, the word “drone” conjures up an image of post 9/11 military attacks by unmanned aircraft. But a video that has gone viral in the days since July 4 puts drones in a very different – if no less controversial – light.

The stunning video above was shot using a drone by South African videographer Jos Stiglingh during West Palm Beach’s SunFest fireworks display in May; Stiglingh attached a GoPro camera to a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter – a recreational drone, available on Amazon – and flew it right into the middle of the explosions. On July 4, the company that makes the GoPro posted the video, and it quickly started to take off across the Internet.

That’s when the controversy started. Writing on Forbes.com, Gregory McNeal claims that flying a drone into fireworks is dangerous and should be – or is – illegal; the flying object could collide with a firework and cause debris to fall into the crowd, or the drone itself could be damaged and fall. Some commenters on YouTube agree, while others are irked by the music that Stiglingh added to his footage – Andrea Bocelli’s “Con te Partiro.”

What do you think?

COMMENTS

2 responses to “Video of the Week: Inside the Fireworks”

My sense of fun goes elsewhere, but these firecrackers are well planned. Honestly, for those of us who really care about our earth, firecrackers pollute the air, torture dogs and other pets, and quickly burn up money needed for more important things.

Reply to Emily Scott

I think that 4 minutes is too long, 2 minutes would have been long enough, and that is for people who like to watch filmed fireworks. For me I like mine live or not at all.
Are the odds of debris falling on people anymore than people walking underneath scaffolding at a construction site getting hurt? If not I don’t see the harm of putting a drone in fireworks. As to the music, it actually goes well with the fireworks.

Reply to Florence Cohen