The Top 12 Cinewhoop Videos of 2022
BY Zacc Dukowitz
8 February 20232021 was the year that cinewhoops became popular, starting largely with the viral video “Right Up Our Alley” shot by Jay Christensen, a master of the form.
A cinewhoop is a quick, smooth FPV fly through that takes you on an up-close tour of a place, usually in a single shot. The word can be used to refer to these kinds of videos or to the drones used to shoot them.
In 2022, we saw cinewhoops used more and more, with businesses, schools, sports teams, and others paying talented drone pilots to create FPV fly throughs highlighting the work they did and the places where it was done.
One of the things that makes cinewhoops attractive is that, unlike most drone videos, you don’t have to do quite as much editing since you’re typically working with a single shot. (Though you’ll still want to use software like iMovie or Lightworks, or an online video maker, for post-processing steps like stabilization and color grading.)
We also saw DJI release its first cinewhoop drone in 2022, the Avata, signaling that cinewhooops are here to stay.
Here are our picks for the top cinewhoop videos of 2022.
1. Super Fast FPV Fly through of a Plywood Factory
Cinewhoops like this one shot at a plywood factory give us an up-close look at places we’ve never gone—and may never have even imagined going.
The speed of the flying is really impressive here, providing a whirlwind tour of what it takes to go from uncut logs of wood to a finished plywood panel in an up-close and personal aerial tour.
[Related read: The Best FPV Drones: A Complete Guide]
2. Winter Classic
Jay Christensen made this video in early 2022 to help promote the Discover NHL Winter Classic.
Like all his work, the video was captured in a single shot. It takes us on a tour of Target Field, through the locker rooms of both the Wild and St. Louis Blues hockey teams, ending—quite appropriately, given the location—with hockey players shooting pucks at the drone.
The video was shot in Minneapolis, where Christensen lives and where several of his other cinewhoops have been made.
3. Going Down a Waterslide via FPV Drone
This FPV fly-through—or slide through, rather—of a waterslide is short and sweet.
In a Facebook post Gustavo Remor, the Brazilian videographer who made the video, shared a picture of the setup he used to get the shot inside the waterslide, revealing that he attached floaties to the quadcopter. These allowed the drone to slide down the tube as the water ran underneath.
4. Ropes Course by FPV Drone Tour
This cinewhoop-style tour of a ropes course takes you right through the action as people climb, repel, and walk on tightropes high in the green trees of Victoria, British Columbia.
The video was made by Lumera Productions Aerial, a B.C.-based drone services company.
Check it out for a fun, expertly-piloted aerial journey through an outdoor adventure in a beautiful forest.
5. Super Long Single-Shot Tour of Swiss School
We’re not sure if this single-shot FPV drone video shot at a school in St.Gallen, Switzerland is actually the longest ever made—as the video’s creators claim—but it is really impressive nonetheless.
The video provides a full tour of the school’s grounds and buildings, swooping through trees and in and out of classrooms.
With tricky flying through tight spaces, a heady quick rise through an inner atrium, and a clever closing shot, the video is well worth watching all the way through.
6. Going Behind the Scenes of “The View”
The popular conversation show “The View” got into the cinewhoop game in 2022 with this smooth tour of the show’s set.
The video starts with the drone gliding over people in costume waiting for their cue, then slides down tight passes behind the set, passing through a banter-filled breakroom before spiraling through a large props and costumes storage area and a dressing area, and on up the stairs to a series of offices where people are working diligently to solve last-minute issues for making the episode.
We end with a perfectly timed entrance onto the stage just as the show is starting, with the drone landing directly in front of Whoopi Goldberg—who promptly knocks it out of the sky, adding a comedic element to the video’s close.
7. Cinewhoop Tour of Tesla’s Giga Berlin
This super fast FPV fly through at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Berlin provides a sneak peek into how Tesla makes its electric cars.
Though the drone is flying quite quickly, parts of the video have been sped up to move the viewer on to more interesting areas of the plant. Despite speeding up some footage the video is still almost three minutes long, which reveals just how massive the factory is.
There are some pretty hairy shots in here, with the drone flying into a machine that’s slowly opening and closing and seeming to just barely make it out before it closes again.
8. From the Lines to the Stage via FPV at a Crowded Concert
In 2022, electronic music act ODESZA hired Jay Christensen to make this FPV fly through at one of their shows in Phoenix.
The video is incredibly fun.
In one single shot we go from fans running toward the arena, past the merch booth, into the arena and over the huge crowd, and right up onto stage with the musicians as they play to a packed audience.
9. Wrigley Field by Cinewhoop
One of the pleasing things about cinewhoops is that they let us see famous places in a new way, and this FPV tour of Wrigley Field in Chicago made by Sky Candy Studios is a great example.
The shot starts in the neighborhood outside the stadium, takes us through a bar and along a walkway, then swoops into the iconic ballpark itself before giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the Cubs Clubhouse.
Make sure to watch the video all the way through—the transition at 2:08 is one of the best surprises we’ve seen in a video like this.
10. Spooky FPV Fly through at a Haunted Mansion
Halloween may only come once a year, but there will always be a place in our hearts for a fun, cinewhoop-style fly through of a haunted house like this one.
This video was shot during Halloween in 2022 in the city of San Jose, CA by drone pilot Roger Apolinar.
Roger is not only a gift drone pilot—he also happens to be an instructor for UAV Coach’s hands-on drone flight training.
11. FPV Fly through of DJI’s Sprawling New Headquarters
In 2022, DJI’s opened the doors of its new headquarters, Sky City, which is located in Shenzhen, China.
Sky City took six years to build and is massive, taking up two high rises, one 40 stories and the other 44 stories.
This FPV drone tour of Sky City is the next best thing to being there in person—watch it for an up-close tour of the buildings and surrounding grounds of DJI’s sprawling new HQ.
12. Game Day at the University of Florida
An experience like no other.
This is The Swamp. pic.twitter.com/SPvP0FOm1s
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) November 9, 2022
This is the kind of shot you can’t mess up.
The team is running onto the field, the stadium is packed with well over 50,000 cheering fans, barrels are shooting plumes of fire into the air, and you only have one chance to get the shot.
No problem for cinewhoop master Jay Christensen, who set up the shot and got it just right. To learn more about the work he put into getting this shot for the University of Florida’s football team, the Florida Gators, watch this making of video.
