Anybody notice the uptick in drone footage used in TV shows?

[Mjbok]

As I've flown more and more I've noticed that lots more TV shows appear to be using drones. It makes sense because it's a very low cost alternative to a helicopter (or giant crane) for sweeping vista shots.

My wife watches a lot of house flipping and home improvement types shows. The other night she was watching "My Lottery Dream Home", basically people who win the lottery and buy a home they can't afford with their winnings (think they win a million, not 100 million).

Anyway I was shocked not that the show used a drone, but the drone they were using was crap. There was noticeable jello in a sweeping vista shock. A Spark shots 1080 and can be had for 600 bucks. Why would they be using something without a gimbal? What possible drone could they have been using?

 

[limesqueezy]

Drone usage versus helicopter has been steadily building for several years. There's still a place for helicopter shooting, but drones are such an economical alternative for lots of aerial photography I predict this trend will continue. I have two firefighter friends who started a professional drone production company about four years ago. They are among the best in the industry... clients include NBC, CBS, ABC, NatGeo, Smithsonian, History channel and many more. Now they're not flying a Spark (its not really RED camera compatible!), and they do fabricate a bunch of their own equipment. But on the show you're referring to, I don't see any reason why for the jiggly shots they're not using something like the Spark. Its perfect for low altitude, high resolution, short distance work. Just my opinion...