GPS-tracking drone, flying spotlight, one-shot 2-minute music video – here’s how director Rob Smith pulled it off
Director Rob Smith and Flattery Films’ music video for PHFAT’s track, Faces in the Light ft. Nazieg, is like nothing we’ve seen before. The twist? The motion control rig is a drone. Two drones were used to create a one-shot, live-action video, with one drone acting as a GPS-locked aerial camera and the other carrying a spotlight. Using the DJI Inspire 3 RTK system, essentially motion control for the skies, Rob created a video where the drone camera hit the same GPS coordinates in the sky every. single. time. This kind of precision took weeks of planning and split-second timing. It was an ambitious scale, made possible by a director who knows drones inside and out.
With no budget and only an opportunity for a few takes, a shoot like this is all about the prep. And who better to turn to than a director who is also the co-founder of a drone company, Big Bird? When you need someone with deep technical expertise, Rob, known for his comedic performance work, brings an unexpected and refined technical side.
Faces in the Light is an hypnotic, eerie visual experience where PHFAT’s Mike Zietsman remains glued to his screen, oblivious to the chaos of spinning cars, holographic dancers, and technical magic happening around him. The entire shoot, captured in live-action drone shots and on this scale, is, according to Rob, a first of its kind.
‘I remember telling Roland (Roland Sweet Executive Producer at Flattery Films) before the shoot, “This might not work, but if it does, we’ll be the first to pull it off, which is pretty damn cool.” True to form, Roland, bold and fearless as ever, replied, “Of course we’re doing it,”‘ says director Rob Smith from Flattery Films.
Featuring artist Nazieg, Faces in the Light offers a biting commentary on digital obsession, and Rob knew it demanded haunting visuals to amplify its message. The video opens with what feels like the POV of PHFAT’s Mike Zietsman’s selfie-camera, pulling back to reveal him standing in a void, or as Rob describes it, ‘an infinite black space that swallows up everything and nothing all at once’. The camera circles, swoops, and glides around him, never breaking eye contact. As hologram dancers and then a car spin into view, Mike remains hypnotised by his screen, oblivious to the chaos (and ahem, danger) unfolding around him. The effect is totally mesmerising and utterly unsettling.
The Flattery team worked with Big Bird, a drone company Rob co-founded in 2012, to take the visuals to, er… new heights. Rob explains, “We used our DJI Inspire 3 RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) system. For people not in the drone world, that’s a high-end drone that employs Real-Time Kinematic technology for centimetre-level positioning accuracy. Simply put, it uses motion control to ensure every aerial shot is incredibly precise and frame-perfect.” This allowed them to shoot multiple takes with near-frame accuracy, layering elements in post. “You’re basically shooting all the layers. First you only shoot Mike (Zietsman), then only the dancers, then only the car and then everything in between. For every take the camera does exactly the same movement,” says Rob.
BTS ‘Faces in the Light’
Rob is one of the few directors pushing this technique into longer-form storytelling. And like any experimental tech, there was a learning curve. “During pre-shoot testing, the team discovered that dramatic vertical moves caused temporary sync issues, making layer compositing tricky. We adjusted the choreography accordingly, ensuring duplications occurred during slower, steadier moments in the track,” says Rob.
Once they shot the footage, it was time for post. The shots from the different takes lined up well but weren’t completely frame-accurate. Rob explains, “Our VFX team, VFX artists Luke Veysie and Kirk Morgan (also the project’s DOP), tracked the two layers but because the second drone with the spotlight was not on motion control, the background was always slightly different. Many hours in After Effects and the result came out pretty cool.”
On set, cast and crew. Rob Smith and longtime friend and PHFAT frontman Mike Zietsman. This is Rob’s fourth music video for PHFAT.
Rob Smith isn’t just a technical director, he’s a storyteller at heart. Splitting his time between Cape Town and London, he has over 12 years of experience in commercials, documentaries, and narrative filmmaking. A Cannes Lion and One Show winner, Rob has directed for brands like Johnnie Walker, ESPN, Carling, Virgin and Windhoek (remember the one starring Gerard Butler?). His short films have earned selections at Aesthetica, Directors Notes, Kino, and Shnit Worldwide. Despite his love for technical shoots, Rob’s signature is taking even the most visually ambitious work and adding heart and humor to it. Rob says ‘Whether it’s a music video, a commercial, or a short film, I’m always looking for ways to elevate the emotional core of a story.’ Here are a few of our favourite spots from Rob’s archives.
‘Big in Berlin’ is Rob’s debut film, currently in pre-production so stay tuned for that!
Credits:
PHFAT – Faces In The Light (Ft. Nazieg)
A Flattery production.
Produced by Roland Sweet, Andrew Slough, Elmaree Bohm, Krisleigh Marx & Lauren May
Director: Rob Smith
Choreographer: Berlin Williams
Precision Driver: Quinton Robertson
Dancers:
Berlin Williams
Cianna Herbst
Chenal Tayer
Mathew Jacobs
Rori Bingham
Wesley Ourson
DOP: Kirk Morgan
Gaffer: Warrick Le Seur
Spark: Themba Blom
Aerial cinematography by Big Bird.
Drone Pilot (Inspire 3): Jonno Searle
Drone Pilot (Alta 8): Nick Riley
Gimbal Light Op/Tech (Alta 8): Nicole Henning
Drone Pilot (Inspire 2): Jamie Royal
Cam Op (Inspire 2): William Annesley
Air Traffic Control: Steve Searle
Air Safety: Natalie Smith
Stylist: Kaley Meyer
Hair and Makeup: Shana Mans
Security: Leanne Shuman
Paramedic: Pumza Sitsheke
Catering: Shesha
PA: Bennett Bodla
Editor: Rob Smith & Luke Veysie
VFX: Luke Veysie & Kirk Morgan
Colourist: Kyle Stroebel at The Refinery CT
Title Design: Kirstey-Anne Wernich
Behind the Scenes: Julian Evans & Luke Veysie
Special thanks to Big Bird, Luke Veysie, Kirk Morgan, Grant Campbell, The Refinery Cape Town, Fisantekraal Airport.
More about Flattery Films. Flattery has offices in Amsterdam, Cape Town, and Dubai, enabling an international network of creatives and production support for clients all over the world. They’re in an open relationship with their directors, which empowers them to work more freely across the globe.
Wanna (s)talk some more? Flattery Films’ company website.
Contact Flattery Films
Executive Producer: Andrew Slough
andrew@flattery.tv
+27 21 462 7871
View Website
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