Youtubers Rotor Riot and Corridor collaborated to mix FPV drone footage with computer animated Star Wars scenes. Rotor Riot and their crew flew FPV quadcopters to reanimate dogfights, while Corridor replaced the drones in the footage into X-Wing and TIE Fighters. With a little computer editing and some rehearsed FPV drone flights, Corridor’s Star Wars drone video was recreated into a battle near a lake right here on Earth.
Star Wars Drone Wars
Packed with scenes of TIE fighters chasing an X-Wing, Corridor’s video mixed drone footage with digitally added Star Wars effects. Cinematic Star Wars style music played in the background as R2-D2 made his escape. First-person cockpit views of crashing TIE Fighters were edited in, and even the water splashing from the lasers were digitally created.
Action camera shot of R2-D2 on an X-Wing and a TIE Fighter in the background.
Why FPV Quadcopters?
From flips to flying fast through a maze of trees, FPV quadcopters were used because of their ability to mimic extreme aerial maneuvers. They are also easily repairable. One of the scenes showed a TIE Fighter falling from the sky, and it was actually a drone that intentionally dove into a tree. If it were any other consumer-grade quadcopter that crashed, then it could have resulted in hundreds of dollars of repairs. Only one of the FPV quadcopter’s propellers broke in that crash scene, which shows just how durable those drones are. FPV quadcopters are small, and the camera they hold provide close-up shots. In another scene, the quadcopters flew under a bridge and zig-zagged through the bridge’s supports. FPV Quadcopters can shoot unique, fast-paced shots with a GoPro camera and still maintain the freedom to fly through obstacles.
Corridor rehearsing flight scenes with Rotor Riot team member Chad Nowak
Behind the Scenes
Here is Rotor Riot’s behind-the-scenes footage of Corridor’s The Drone Wars, Attack of the Drones:
Star Wars Drone Toys
For those that want to actually fly a Star Wars drone, a company called Propel made official Star Wars Battle Drones. They offer the T-65 X-Wing Starfighter, the 74-Z Speeder Bike and even a TIE Advanced X1. They are toys compared to the FPV quadcopters used in Corridor’s video, but they are designed after the official Star Wars aircrafts. These palm-sized quadcopters can connect to a mobile device through an app, and it even plays cinematic Star Wars music while they fly!
