
Drone's eye view
racer drones: Pushing the boundaries of wildlife filmmaking
TRACKING THE GREAT OCEAN CURRENT
Cutting-edge technology was key to capturing our most ambitious stories. From state-of-the-art rebreather diving gear, allowing us to dive for longer and blend in with the local environment, to motorized underwater tracking systems, we continually aimed to use the newest tools to bring underwater cinematography to the next level. Surprisingly, it would be new technology above the water that became crucial to our series vision, allowing us to beautifully capture the Global Ocean Current, the backbone of the entire series.
We needed a visual device which could make us feel like we are on a continuous journey, riding the current itself! We explored many ways to do this underwater, but we soon realized that in order for you to feel like you’ve truly traveled the entire globe, we needed something that could quickly cover large distances, taking us through frozen seas, across flowing lava fields all the way to our remotest tropical islands. After a lot of experimentation, we hit upon racing ‘FPV’ drones as the perfect device to deliver our ambitious series storytelling visuals.
With FPV drones, the operator and director wear goggles with a live video feed, giving the pilot a ‘First-Person View’ akin to piloting from within the drone itself. With skilled pilots at the helm, these drones can soar at speeds exceeding 100 mph, from skimming just above the ocean's surface to darting through narrow ice tunnels scarcely wider than a trash can lid. Throughout the series, these drones became indispensable, capturing the essence of the Global Ocean Current - the narrative thread that guides us from the heart of the Pacific through every ocean realm all the way to the secluded depths of the Southern Ocean, ensuring our viewers remained onboard for our round the world oceanic journey.

“OUR OCEANS IS NOT FIVE SEPARATE FILMS, ITS ONE CONTINUOUS JOURNEY, ULTIMATELY REVEALING THAT ALL OUR OCEANS ARE CONNECTED IN THE MOST MAGICAL WAY"
- JONATHAN SMITH, SERIES PRODUCER


CAPTAIN'S LOG
Flying through poison OAk and blinding fog
Filming FPV on the coast of California was full of surprising challenges and Alex Warham, our Field Director, dubbed it his most challenging shoot ever! The immersive nature of FPV requires a constant line of sight to ensure the drone doesn’t lose signal so navigating coastal fog and the world's largest trees created a maze of complications. After hiking several miles with kit to the perfect vantage point to achieve this roller coaster ride along California's coasts, the team emerged covered in poison oak. Incredibly, despite all the challenges thrown at them, from unforgiving terrain to unexpected road closures, Raphael Boudreault-Simard, Drone Operator, and Alex were able to pull off this immersive sequence.
Navigating icebergs on the high seas
Ellis Van Jason, Our Oceans' FPV specialist, embarked on an epic journey spanning from pole to pole to capture the mesmerizing icy landscapes of both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. These frozen realms, with their towering glaciers and majestic icebergs, proved to be the perfect canvas for FPV drone exploration. The team's goal was ambitious yet clear: to unveil these icy worlds from a fresh and exhilarating viewpoint. Accompanied by Our Oceans Assistant Producer Alex Fennell, Ellis ventured to Disko Bay in Western Greenland. Here the team had the added challenge of filming from rocking boats. Ellis, focusing solely on the drone's perspective, relied on Alex as the spotter to keep him stable and ensure an unbroken connection between pilot and aircraft throughout the flight. This became especially perilous while maneuvering through ice archways, as the signal struggled to penetrate the solid ice structures. Despite the risks, the team's perseverance paid off! They captured breathtaking footage of colossal glaciers and delicate ice structures, offering viewers a firsthand glimpse into the stunning beauty of these fast changing polar worlds.
From air to sea
To link the global drone imagery to the ocean current, the Our Oceans team had the ambition to create a seamless image from air to sea in one continuous shot. Indonesian drone pilot Revi Sandresa developed and built specialist drones for this task, waterproofing all the components and adding floats to the drone itself, whilst still ensuring it had full maneuverability and speed - not an easy task. Trials went well so cameraman Gemilang Dini Ar-Rasyid and Producer Rachel Scott headed to the reefs of Raja Ampat to capture these ambitious shots. Rachel remembers the first attempt well: “Having FPV goggles on is like being plugged into the Matrix - it feels like you are flying with the drone and so the first attempt flying around the beautiful limestone islands then intentionally crashing into the ocean at full speed felt like a skydive without a parachute!”.
wipeout!
But not all shoots can be smooth sailing… Assistant Producer Jamie Love and FPV drone pilot Jack Johnston embarked on a daring mission to capture the raw power of the wild Atlantic's big waves during a storm off the coast of Cornwall, England. The conditions were tumultuous, demanding the drone to navigate perilously close to the water's edge amidst huge rolling swells. In a heart-stopping moment, a massive wave engulfed the drone, resulting in a crash landing! Regrettably, the team lost both the drone and all the footage it carried. However, amazingly, the drone resurfaced undamaged and wedged between boulders on a nearby beach a few days later. This unexpected turn of events allowed the team to salvage the memory cards and bring the wild Atlantic to life in an entirely new way.

Photos by Our Oceans team ©Netflix 'Our Oceans'