A NEW DAWN: DRONE VIDEO

At the turn of the year I wanted to make something simple and uplifting for The Natives, my weekly email series. I had recently invested in a drone and completed the steps needed to fly legally and safely. Those steps included licence, insurance, and the practice that makes flying feel second nature. A New Dawn became a short film that brought those threads together. It became a a way to learn the tool properly and a small showreel for aerial work. And it was a New Year note to subscribers that felt made, not manufactured.

The palette is Norfolk. Early morning light over Norwich. The beaches of North Norfolk with long horizons and a winter sea. The softer countryside to the south. The aim was not to tick off landmarks but to find calm, readable frames that let the sense of place do the work. Flying was steady and measured. I favoured slow reveals and gentle arcs over fast passes. This gave the footage the same unhurried tone as the email series itself.

Back in the studio the film came together in DaVinci Resolve. I recorded a short voiceover to sit with the pictures. The words were a simple reflection on starting again and paying attention to the year as it opens. The grade was restrained to keep the images punchy but natural. Licensed music from Epidemic Sound carried the rhythm without overpowering the track.

The result did two things. It gave my subscribers something a little different for the first Friday of the year: a few quiet minutes with familiar places seen from a new angle. And it became a compact example of what aerial footage can bring to client work. That balance—useful practice, a finished piece, and something worth watching—was the point.