THE RISE AND RISE OF THE ‘CINEWHOOPS'

Breaking the barriers of aerial cinematography with tiny drones

- LYSANDER FERNANDES

A tiny drone flies through a neighbourhood in Los Angeles, zips through precarious gaps of an archway, over houses, in between palm trees, through a small gymnastic ring to eventually reveal a glorious sunset over a California beach - all in one fluid aerial shot. This award winning video ‘Muscle Up’ was shot by American drone pilot and video effects specialist Robert McIntosh back in 2017, not on a fancy stabilised drone, but a tiny ‘whoop drone’ mounted with a zip-tied de-cased GoPro Hero 4 and a LiPo battery. The best part? It weighed just 120g and Robert built this drone himself.

This marked the beginning of the trend of Cinewhoops, allowing drone pilots and cinematographers to capture stunning visuals that are otherwise impossible with the likes of a stabilised drone like the DJI Mavic Mini or Spark. In the last eighteen months globally, Cinewhoops have been gaining immense popularity among drone enthusiasts. These tiny drones, especially those weighing less than 250g, are stretching the creative possibilities of aerial videography, content creation, and professional aerial cinematography.

We caught up with some of the biggest names in the international FPV circuit and budding professional Indian FPV cinematographers who emphasised how Cinewhoop use is growing exponentially and punching way above its weight.

SO, WHAT’S A CINEWHOOP AND WHY IT’S TAKING OFF?