How will drones affect film-making?

3D-printing, drones, virtual reality. The three of these have been all over the tech world in the last year or so but recent legal changes in the United States have made drones even more popular than ever. Drones, as with the other two, have virtually limitless applications in pretty much every field out there, but one of the most talked about in recent months have been entertainment. Specifically, films and television shows. 

I’m facing off against Thor. With a drone. Well, that’s the story I’ll tell, anyway. I’m in Calvert Vaux Park in Brooklyn, trying to learn how to fly Horizon Hobby’s 350 QX3 AP Combo drone. Winter Storm Thor—not, alas, Dashing Hunk Chris Hemsworth Thor—is threatening to drown my drone in frigid rain. Steve Petrotto, Horizon Hobby’s exceedingly patient brand manager, is giving me an excellent lesson in drone cinematography. Despite his best efforts, it looks like my dream of capturing the perfect aerial shot might be dashed. This thing is pretty simple to fly, but my thumbs have the grace of Kanye West at an awards show. Instead of sweeping panoramas, I mostly just capture up-down, back-and-forth, and so on. There’s also a lot of random spinning.