Incredible Drone Footage Shows Freerunning at its Best

Drones are transforming the way we film extreme sports, from skiing and snowboarding to mountain biking and water sports. These days all any enthusiast needs is a drone with a Follow Me function to be able to catch their daring stunts on camera. But sometimes you can’t substitute for a great pilot and cameraman, as a UK-based parkour team called Storm Freerun has proven with its latest video.

Storm Freerun has taken drone footage of extreme sports a step further, producing a breathtaking video which shows both the power of aerial photography and the beauty of the art of freerunning. The team captured the acrobatic antics of Eric Moore in 4K, with a DJI Inspire 1 in Brighton, England.

If you haven’t heard of freerunning before, the premise is a simple one. It’s an athletic, gymnastic and daredevil sport where you run and jump about in an urban environment like some kind of Marvel comic superhero and try not to break anything. It looks like a lot of fun from the comfort of your chair.

Storm Freerun filmed the video above with a DJI Inspire 1, which is a popular choice for many commercial drone users and high-end enthusiasts. Released back in 2014, the Inspire 1 allows for one person to pilot the drone and another to control the camera.

The video was shot with an Olympus 45mm lens. Until recently DJI and many other aerial camera platforms have typically been compatible and used with wide angle lenses. This makes plenty of sense. FPV pilots prefer a wide angle because it allows for a greater field of vision and better situational awareness, while aerial photographers more often than not are using a drone for long shots to set a scene.

Last year DJI released new cameras to be used with its Inspire 1, and also increased compatibility to allow for use with lenses from more manufacturers. Being able to fly with longer lenses eliminates the need to get too up close and personal with the subject in order to fill your shot, and generally gives more creative freedom to film makers and photographers. You can read more about the specific lens used in the film above here.