In a post apocalyptic world ravaged by the effects of a virus, a young man searches for his father. He forms a friendship with a young woman and a delivery drone that seems oddly sentient. Together they have to fight through abandoned buildings, and past gangs of thugs, to find…
That’s the hook for Rotor DR1, a web series currently in production. Rotor DR1 isn’t a big budget movie, but an independent series created by [Chad Kapper]. [Chad] isn’t new to film or drones, his previous project was Flite Test, which has become one of the top YouTube channels for drones and radio controlled aircraft in general. With the recent sale of Flite Test to Lauren International, [Chad] has found himself with the time to move forward on a project he’s been talking about for years.
Click past the break for more information, and to check out the Rotor DR1 trailer.
There are plenty of hacks involved in creating an independent series, and Rotor DR1 is no exception. Drones play a huge role, both in front of and behind the camera. DR1 itself is a modified tricopter. While multirotors can carry quite a bit of weight, adding things like fairings and nacelles directly in their propwash can cause major issues. [Chad] and his team have relied on experts like [Eric Monroe] to build and pilot the craft.
The DR1 test model shown below was created with light plastic sheet from a local craft store. It has the look the team is going for and retains power and control to fly safely around human cast mates.
One of the most interesting aspects of Rotor DR1 is how it’s being produced. [Chad] is going with a collaborative development model. Nearly every aspect of the series is open for fan input on the Rotor DR1 website and Facebook page. From the appearance of future drone power cells to the name of the female lead, every detail and plot point is open for discussion and debate. The team is even running global auditions for reaction videos taken during the fictional viral epidemic. Check out the trailer below, and help shape the future of this series!
Zombie drones flying around whining “baaaateries…….”
Does the drone require recharging it’s batteries every ~30 minutes?
“The bioelectric, thermal, and kinetic energy produced by the human body could be a renewable energy source if it’s combined with a form of cold fusion.”
“Batteries Not Included”
Will this series get finished, or wind up hanging like “H+” ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%2B:_The_Digital_Series
Was bad enough that the intro & outro ran longer than the actual content and then they never finished the damn series.
Thank spaghetti monster for VLC player, so that at least I could skip through the duff to the tweet equivalent of an episode.
As for the drone power? Eh, maybe it will run off of bullets borrowed from the typicaly endless supply in the “good guys” guns!!
Glade I didnt watch that then. (4-8 minutes? Singer can do better then that! Felicia Day worked her way up from nothing and her shows are 20 minutes these days…)
VLC rocks, but for long web series on youtube its worth looking at;
http://www.dragontape.com/#/home
Lets you edit the shows in a simple timeline – enough to crop the start and ends off and turn 50 tiny films into one big one.
Just wanted to let you know the series (Rotor DR1) just completed the final episode and will now be re-edited into a feature film, influenced by the audience feedback… http://www.rotordr1.com/
Cool stuff, hope they are successful.
Big fan of webshows and independent sci-fi, although its true that many end too soon and fail to get wrapped up properly. Save for the crazy amount of Trek fanshows, those guys are seriously dedicated.
I think you spelled “demented” wrong.
*roflcopter* Breathing is currently difficult right now, please cease and desist before I die laughing.
So 98% same old same old boy meets girl crap – throw in a drone and it’s supposed to be interesting?
Sounds like a dope idea. I have always said I could come up with something better, I just went on their sight and posted some ideas. It seems more like a boy finding his father than a boy meets girls. anyways I think its more original to let the audience decide than anything else is hollywood
gona be sick cant wait keep up the awesome work
The “design by committee” plot is going to be a winner! (so what if it’s always been a disaster in the past? details!)
Bikeshedding: The Series!
Depends how its structured. While chucking everything at a wall and going for the most voted/””coolest”” will result in a mess – I always thought “bug fixing” plots would be a fun methodology to apply. One person “codes” (or, I guess “scripts” ;) ) the initial plot, and then others try to look for flaws and propose corrections.
You nailed it. It’s not plot by vote… it’s audience influence. It worked really well… We’re very happy with the result. We just completed the final episode and it will now be re-edited into a feature film, influenced by the audience feedback… http://www.rotordr1.com/