Over the past few years, I’ve taken a number of approaches to explaining exactly what a job in “drone light shows” looks like to various family members across the dinner table. Although in certain circles the technology is incredibly familiar, there is something special about the sustained sense of drone shows being something of the future; pioneering and able to take one’s breath away – because honestly, how do all those robots know what they’re doing?

That said, I’d like to envision a near future where the exposure of the technology reaches different and nuanced audiences. Yes it’s the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup and the New Year’s Eve displays, but there is also so much to be explored in the realm of music videos, high fashion runways, immersive art experiences, theatrics, live music, listening parties and rave visuals.

And so, here are 5 ways I’d be curious to see drone light technology harnessed by popular culture, today.

1. Charli XCX, or in better words: Brat Summer

Honestly, the reason I started writing this piece. The music’s genius, she’s put hyperpop into a new era, and there’s a whole marketing campaign centred around a shade of green.

The internet has gone wild for spotting flashes of lime green in the most normal of places – even branding the UK’s Yorkshire Dales as “so brat”- but you know what would be cool? Green skies; seas of luminous slime flowing over the hills at Coachella Festival or hypnotic, indoor formations revolving in the centre of a rave – perfectly synced to those “club classics”. Also, surely the rise of drone light shows for purely digital audiences (a whole topic I won’t get into for now) is all rather internet girl – it happened but exists now only on social media? Charli, I know you said drones are not brat…let’s talk.

2. Donald Glover: Bando Stone and the New World

Being enthused by the work of Donald Glover is nothing new, however his latest album release “Bando Stone and the New World” is particularly intriguing as a soundtrack for an upcoming movie of the same name.

Listening parties serve as a curious opportunity for creative expression and this (rather brilliant) album, transcending a singular genre, lends itself to a drone light experience that furthers the trailer visuals – regardless of whether this is a real movie or a super smart stunt for a long-awaited fifth studio album. One section of the movie trailer sees the sky seemingly pixelate and crumble; a collapsing dystopia that would be epic to recreate in drone form across the sky – very Truman Show or Blade runner-esque (which come to think of it would be an insane drone show in and of itself).

The eclectic album spans across Pop, Alternative/Indie, RnB and Hip Hop, an exciting creative pivot point for the drones – able to sync certain movements, colours and approaches to particular instruments, textures and sounds.

3. Gladiator II

Directed and co-produced by Ridley Scott, who wouldn’t wish to see the epic sequel premiere with drone stallions galloping around the Colosseum itself?

Immersing audiences from within the amphitheatre, picture reigniting the legend of Russel Crow from a unique 360 (hi Charli) perspective that merges classic theatrics with mind-blowing new experience. Shadows of Maximus could emerge at amphitheatres all over the globe – from France’s Arena of Nîmes to Croatia’s Pula amphitheatre. Audiences dodge side-to-side as gladiators leap from one end of the arena to the other – making use of multiple fleets in tandem. We took a similar approach at the 2023 Pokémon World Championships, dividing an 800 strong fleet in order to rapidly flash between different Pokémon in two regions of the sky.

The concept also speaks to giving surreal, unattainable locations new stories, like landing a drone A380 plane on the Northern runway of Abu Dhabi’s live Zayed International Airport, or flying at the foot of Mount Fuji…

4. Love Island

So, let’s talk about the opening sequence that kicked off the latest UK Love Island season. A magical CGI heart shimmered over skies at locations across the UK, capturing the attention of contestants making their way to “The Villa”. Although not a serious Love Island fan, it really struck me that the concept is almost perfectly designed for drones.

An iconic alternative end to the Season 11 finale (go Mimii and Josh) could have looked something like the huge, 3-dimensional, sparkling heart being formed from our bespoke RTK fleet – pulsing and beating with perfect sync to the Love Island theme tune. As the heart made its’ way across the globe to reach the Mallorca villa, we could cut to drone camera shots from within the swarm, glimpsing down at the finalists below. Alternatively, use the drones to scroll through a live feed of public opinions as the finale plays out, or tally votes flooding in from one corner of the sky. Dare I say there might be a space for drones in reality TV?

5. Yayoi Kusama

One might argue that drones are the ultimate dot medium, and thus an inevitable choice for the incredible Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama. Dots are central to Kusama’s artistic language, symbolising connection, continuity, and the infinite. The extension of the dots within a drone context makes possible the notion of ‘infinity rooms’ spanning across the skies, pulling on Kusama’s unique sense of self-obliteration in a magical open air context; a vision of endless reflections playing out against a 3-dimensional, ever-changing canvas.

More still, drones would add a new element to Kusama’s work, introducing a surreal sense of motion – speaking to the fluidity of life, endless possibilities of the universe, and the interconnectedness of all things.

‘Our earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos. Polka dots are a way to infinity. When we obliterate nature and our bodies with polka dots, we become part of the unity of our environment’. – Kusama

To Conclude

For me, it all comes back to a fascination for the sky as the largest, unbound creative canvas. The possibilities are truly limitless, and whilst the rate of progression with drone technology is striking, it often feels like we’re merely touching the surface in terms of what’s possible.

— Katie Padda, Creative Associate