LIGHT SHOW CREATOR ENVISIONS DRONE-MADE KING KONG ASCENDING THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
One of the most famous scenes in movie history is King Kong scaling the Empire State Building. One artist chose to think creatively and replicate the odd scene, even though it seems implausible that a gigantic ape would ever scale a 102-story skyscraper. This dream was realised by Keenan Hock of Studio Hock, who used drones to give the impression that King Kong was reaching for the pinnacle of the well-known Manhattan landmark. The hitch is that the drones were just conceptually depicted in the video. All of this was a phoney drone film used as an April Fool's hoax.
Studio Hock provided a detailed explanation of how they "did it," complete with Real-Time Kinematic correction, as part of the intricate prank. On Instagram, Studio Hock posted, "Last night, we transformed one of the most iconic scenes in movie history into a living moment over the Manhattan skyline." "But this was a full-scale technical operation in one of the most difficult metropolitan environments on the planet—it wasn't just a visual trick."
The video went viral on the internet and was even shown on the local news. While others were dubious, many people who saw the film were captivated by the joke and conveyed congratulations. People questioned why there was only one video shot from one perspective. How could anyone else in such a crowded area have missed this? The Instagram account for the Empire State Building, which is renowned for recording everything that occurs there, was too silent about it.
The latter section of Studio Hock's presentation touches on this issue, but there were also enormous volumes of red tape that would need to be cleared. The team remarked cheekily, "And sure, this all took place in one of the most severely restricted areas of airspace in the country." "There was absolutely no margin for error in the clearing, calculation, and execution of every detail." "#aprilfools might just be my favourite holiday," Studio Hock said simply, acknowledging the chaos they had just unleashed with their computer-generated video.
While this was an elaborate prank, Studio Hock does produce thrilling drone-based spectacles, which you can see in their reel below. To stay up to date with the company and their very real drone shows, check out Studio Hock's website.